How To Sew A Fabric Easter Basket

With Spring just around the corner, I thought I’d share how to sew a fabric Easter basket. These homemade Easter baskets aren’t just for Easter, though—they make great gifts for all occasions, holidays, and themes! Imagine presenting a personalized basket at a baby shower filled with essentials, or giving a handcrafted basket to a teacher filled with goodies as a token of appreciation. The beauty of these DIY fabric baskets lies in their versatility. You can easily tailor them to suit any event by simply choosing different fabrics and colors; try floral patterns for Mother's Day or bright, playful prints for a child's birthday. Add machine embroidery for a nice custom touch, which can transform a simple basket into a cherished keepsake. Get the tutorial below on how to sew your very own fabric Easter basket.


Supplies:

  • Brother SE1900
  • Brother PE800 was used for the embroidery
  • 1 yd. Medium-weight cotton fabric for the outer basket
  • 1 yd. Medium-weight cotton fabric for lining
  • 1-2 yds. fusible fleece
  • General sewing/cutting supplies

cutting fabric

Cutting:

  • Outer Fabric: 2 pieces 17-inch-wide x 13-inch-long and one piece 17-inch-long x 6-inch wide for handle
  • Lining: 2 pieces 17-inch-wide x 13-inch-long
  • Fusible Fleece: 4 pieces 17-inch-wide x 13-inch-long and one piece 17-inch-long x 6-inch-wide for handle

For the 2-piece (Blue Checkered) basket:

  • Upper section: 17-inch-wide x 3-3/4-inch-long
  • Lower section: 17-inch-wide x 10 ¼-inch-long
  • The rest of the pieces measure the same as above.

Instructions:

fusible fleece on fabric

Apply the fusible fleece to the wrong side of all pieces, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

cut square out on fabric

Use a grid ruler to mark off a 3-inch square at the bottom corners of both the outer basket and lining pieces, then cut it.

place pieces together and sew

Place the outer basket and lining pieces right sides together. Stitch the sides and bottoms with a straight stitch, leaving a ½-inch seam allowance.

connect corner seams and clip

Fold one corner so that the side seam and bottom seam are aligned. Match the raw edges and pin or clip in place

sew corners

Sew together with a ½-inch seam allowance. Repeat for the remaining three corners.

bottom of basket

The bottom should look like this when complete.

handle

Now let’s sew the handle.

Apply the fusible fleece to the wrong side of the handle fabric. Fold the strip in half lengthwise and press. Open the strip back up, then fold the raw edges into the center and press again.

stitch handle

Fold the strip in half, encasing the raw edges, and press.

Topstitch down both sides about 1/8” from the edge.

sew handle in center of basket

Find and mark the center points on the front and back of the basket.

Center one end of the handle over each of the marks on the right side of the outer basket. Pin or clip the handle in place, then sew with a ¼-inch seam allowance.

flip right sides out

Flip the basket right side out including the handle.

place basket into liner

pin basket and liner

Place the outer basket into the lining with the right sides together and matching seams. Pin or clip the layers together.

sew liner to basket

Sew around the top edge with a ½-inch seam allowance. Leave a 3-inch opening one inch away from one of the handles. This will be the opening to turn the project right side out.

flip right sides out again

Turn right side out through the opening.

topstitch top of basket

Push the lining down inside the basket and press. Increase the stitch length to 3.0mm and topstitch around the top edge.

blue finished basket

pink finished basket

Beyond filling your homemade Easter basket with treats, these fabric creations have many uses. These baskets make unique gifts and practical storage bins, and you can personalize them with machine embroidery. For the blue checkered basket, I embroidered the name on the top section, and you can use this tutorial here for that portion. You can also compliment your Easter holiday with this tutorial on lovely Easter Napkin Rings, or if you would like to create more Fabric Baskets, check out this fun blog as well. Get creative and transform your baskets into personalized works of art, enhancing your gift-giving experience!


FAQ

Q. What fabric is good for making an Easter Basket?
A. Medium-weight stable woven fabrics such as cotton and linen are ideal for this type of fabric Easter Basket. Pre-quilted cotton fabric, denim, and home décor fabrics can also be used.


Q.What gives the fabric basket its structure?
A. Fusible fleece is applied to the fabric pieces before constructing the basket. This backing provides the basket's structure. A fusible foam stabilizer or fusible interfacing can also be used to shape the basket.