Tag: DIY

Handmade Easter Basket DIY

Easter, Quilting and Sewing, Ribbon


Ribbon embellished Easter basket
Easter is a holiday that means more to me with every passing year but I don’t enjoy the thought of spending a lot of money on the commercialized aspects of the holiday.   I see the cute Easter baskets for sale in the stores and think that I could just make my own, but I never have… until today.

Instead of the traditional brightly colored baskets, I decided to make one in a more subdued color scheme.  I used an unbleached cotton for the outside, white on white damask for the lining, and white and cream ribbons from May Arts to decorate it.

I started by tracing a circle onto a piece of interfacing to give the basket stability.  I then ironed it onto the back of my fabric and cut the circle out.




To determine the circumference of the circle, multiple the diameter by pi.  I then added 1/4 inch for a seam allowance, and cut the piece for the side of my basket.  I ironed some interfacing onto the wrong side of this piece as well.  Folding it in half (right sides together or RST) I stitched it into a circle.




Next I carefully pinned the sides and base together, again with RST.


Carefully stitch around the edge of the circle.  I used a 1/4 inch seam allowance and went slowly so I would maintain a good curve and be sure not to have any holes.  Remove the pins and turn right side out.

Now repeat the above steps with your coordinating fabric to make the lining.  On this step, I skipped the interfacing because I felt the basket would be sturdy enough without it.  After sewing the base and side together, leave the lining inside out.  You should now have two fabric buckets that look like this:


Lining up the seams, carefully place the lining inside the basket and gently smooth it into place.  I decided that I wanted a bit of the white to show around the edges, so I folded the brown fabric down deeper than I did the white.  I also used a piece of 5/8 inch ruffled white ribbon in this seam so that there would be a touch of ruffle peeking out.

Pin in place.


Now for the handle.  Cut a piece of fabric that is as long as you want but twice as wide as you want, plus 1/2 inch.  For example, I wanted my handle to be two inches wide, so I cut my fabric 10 inches long by 4 1/2 inches wide. I then cut a piece of interfacing that was 10 inches long and only 4 inches wide.


Iron the interfacing onto the wrong side of the handle fabric.  Now fold in half lengthwise and iron, then turn the raw edges under 1/4 inch and iron.




Stitch down the edge of the handle to close it.  I usually stitch down both sides so the appearance is uniform.


Next I used more ribbon to embellish the handle.  First I sewed a strip of the May Arts suede/ruffle white ribbon that is 1.5 inches wide, and then I added a strip of the same ribbon but in a 5/8 inch width on top.  These ribbons look so pretty layered on top of one another.  It reminded me of a tuxedo shirt.


Once the handle is finished, pin it into opposite sides of the basket.


Now CAREFULLY stitch around the top rim of the basket.  This seam will hold the handles in and also secure the lining.  I set my machine on its slowest setting and went slowly, remembering that when I stitched through the handle my needle was going through 8 thicknesses of fabric, four layers of interfacing, and three layers of ribbon!  Gratefully, my machine did well and we had no broken needles!


Look how pretty the handle looks once it’s all sewn together!


Inspired by my Ranunculus from weeks ago, I wanted to create some white flowers on the basket.

I used more of the suede/ruffle ribbon in both white and cream.  With a needle and thread, I started rolling the ribbon, tucking and winding as I went with a stitch here and there to hold it in place.


To secure them to the basket, I simply used my hot glue gun.  After the rosettes were in place, I cut three suede leaves (again from May Arts), pinched one end, and glued them in as well.


The verdict?  I love it!


The project wasn’t difficult or time consuming.  Without a doubt, I’ll be making my own Easter baskets from now on.  I’m very pleased with the understated elegance of it.

ribbon rosettes
The simplicity of the color scheme and the simple flowers somehow speak “Easter” to my heart better than any Easter basket I’ve seen.  I’m excited to use it!


I hope you like it, and I hope you’ll try one of your own!

Hopeful Homemaker This project was created as a submission to the May Arts Spring Challenge .   Thanks May Arts!

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Ribbon Napkin Rings

Ribbon

Are you like me?  Do you save bits of ribbon from this gift or that bag because it’s just too pretty to throw away?

I save ribbon, but sometimes wonder what to do with all these little pieces of beauty.

Today I decided to put some of them to use.  I made a bunch of napkin rings to use in anticipation of some out of town company we’re expecting for Easter.

basket of napkins
They’re simple to make.  I simply cut scraps of ribbon into four inch lengths:

pieces of ribbon
then folded each one in half (right sides together) and stitched the ends closed.


Then turn the circle right side out, roll up a napkin and you’re good to go!

ribbon napkin rings
I used a variety of brightly colored and pastel ribbons because I’m longing for spring.  Some of them are wired and some are not.  I found that both worked fine.  I made two of each and I like the way they all look together.

ribbon napkin rings 2
It’s a great way to dress up a simple paper napkin or add a touch of color to the table.   They’re the sort of thing you could take on a picnic or use them with cloth napkins for a more formal meal.  I think it would be fun to make a bunch for a baby or wedding shower.

Because I used scraps, the project cost me nothing.  It took about 60 seconds to make each one, and they’re the kind of thing you could store in a little ziploc bag.  Zero cost, minimal time, easy storage, pretty.  I like it when all those things combine in one project.

basket of ribbon napkin rings
I can’t wait to use them!  Hope you’ll try some, too.

Hopeful Homemaker Linked to DIY Day

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Bird Nest Place Card Holder DIY (like Pottery Barn’s)

Decorating

A month or two ago I spied these cuties in the Pottery Barn catalog:

I really liked them, but at $24 (plus shipping) for a set of 4, that was awfully steep.

Then I spotted some little 4 inch birds nests at a craft store for 99 cents each, and decided to make my own.
Here’s what you need:  nest, wire, wire cutters, pliers, spool or dowel about 1 inch in diameter.


I began by making 4 loops in my wire, each about 4 inches long.


I then pinched the other ends of the loops and wrapped the wire tightly around them.


Next I measured about 20 inches from where I’d just wrapped and cut my wire.  This left me a nice long piece to work with in securing the nest to the base and for making the paper holder.


Now push the end of the wire up through the bottom of the nest.


Push the nest down to where the loops are, and then decide how far above the bottom of the nest you want your loops for securing a place card to sit.  Then, using your spool or dowel, wrap the wire tightly around the dowel to form a good circle.  I wrapped mine 3 times.


Remove the dowel and twist the wire at the base of the loops to secure them together.


Now push the end of the wire back down through the bottom of the nest (in a different spot for better stability) toward the loops.  If the nest seems a bit floppy when you hold it upright, then loop the wire back up through the bottom of the nest and down again to secure it.  Then tightly wrap the end of your wire around the base near where you wrapped previously.  Use your pliers to tuck the ends of the wire in.


Now decide on the height of your place card holder and carefully bend the ends of your loops to form the base.


My nest had some long pieces sticking out in random places.  I chose to clip them so I could have a more compact piece that won’t catch on things when I use them.


Fiddle with the base until your nest stands without tipping.


Now squeeze your loops on top together and make sure they will hold a piece of paper.


I like it!  Each of these holders took me 5-7 minutes to make, and because I had the black wire on hand, the entire project cost me $4.00.  SO much better than $24 plus shipping.  I have a feeling I’ll enjoy them even more because I made them.

bird nest place card holders
Now to use them!  These would be fun at an Easter dinner, but you could also use them to hold little trinkets.


Hope you’ll try it!

Posted at DIY Day , Transformation Thursday and Blue Cricket Design .

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