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Sew Your Own Fabric Laundry Basket

Keyword laundry basket, sewing

Equipment

  • sewing machine
  • Pair of scissors
  • straight pins
  • measuring tape
  • cotton thread
  • iron and ironing board

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ yards printed cotton fabric outer shell
  • 1 ½ yards canvas fabric inner shell
  • 1 yard of 1.5″ cotton webbing for handle
  • 17" circular object to use as template or two pencils and a string to make a compass

Instructions

  • Find something to use as a template to create a 17″ circle on both your cotton print fabric and your canvas fabric.
  • Trace around your templates and cut out both circles.
  • Cut out one rectangle from your printed fabric and another from your canvas fabric that each measure 24″ x 54″.
  • Pin the short ends of your printed canvas fabric to each other with right sides facing each other.
    Repeat this process with the short ends of your canvas fabric (which has no right sides).
  • Stitch along the pinned edge of your printed canvas so that your stitches are about 1/4″ from the edge.
    Backstitch the beginning and end to secure things. Repeat on the canvas fabric. These will each create a tube.
  • Pin the printed cotton fabric circle to one end of your tube as shown. Pinning every inch will allow you to create a smooth circular base.
  • Repeat the process with the canvas tube and the canvas circle.
  • Stitch around the perimeter of your circular base so that your stitches are about 1/4″ from the edge. Repeat the process with the canvas pieces.
  • Now we’re going to join the printed cotton piece with the canvas piece. Find the seam on each tube and match them up so that the right sides of each piece are facing each other. Pin together.
  • You’ll want to fold the canvas tube inside out so that the printed tube fits snugly inside. This will allow you to stitch them together.
  • Stitch the two pieces of fabric together from the seam, all the way around the edge but stop about five inches from where you started. You’ll need an opening so you can turn everything right side out.
  • Once you’ve finished stitching, pull the printed fabric piece out of the canvas piece. This will show you your opening.
  • Turn the whole piece right side out and then tuck the canvas piece inside the printed piece to create your laundry basket shape.
    Make sure the seam at the top where the two pieces of fabric meet is neat and tidy and iron it flat
  • You can pin it together for this next piece or not but you’ll want to stitch along that perimeter, about 1/4″ from the edge, to keep things in place.
  • Then, measure down about 1″ from where you stitched and add another line of stitching.
  •  Cut two 17″ pieces from your cotton webbing for handles. Fold the end of each piece back about 1″ and stitch down for a clean end. Make sure you fold these ends on the same side of the webbing.
  • Then, place your first handle on the outside of your laundry basket so that the folded ends are equally about 3″ below the top of your basket edge and with about 1.5″ of a gap in between them.
  • Pin in place as shown. Repeat with the other handle on the opposite side of your basket.
  • Stitch a box with an ‘X’ shape in it on both folded ends to secure them to your laundry basket. Remove pins and repeat on the other handle. 
  • Fold the top edge of your basket over and find the perfect spot for it!

Notes

The best part is that you can toss this laundry basket in the wash any time!