Make a Fabric Basket

Hey Creative Groovers! My name is Meg Twidle and I am TOMG’s newest blogger.  So exciting to be here!!

As a Mum to 3 busy little creators with my own personal Textile Addiction (TOMG is my dealer of choice), I am ALWAYS on the hunt for smart storage. 

Well, I’ve found something that is super easy for you to make & you can style it to suit your home or kiddo’s room.

Today, I’ll be reviewing a pattern by Blissful Patterns called ‘Fabric Bin’ which is an PDF pattern available here at Patterns Only .  

Yep.... a super groovy awesome BIN that you can make with just a straight stitch and comes in 2 SIZES with the option of adding a POCKET & HANDLES - Pretty cool huh?!

This pattern is Easy and great for someone who has basic sewing experience.  It’s important that you read the document, as various tips throughout the 2 patterns. There are HEAPS of pics which is very helpful!

Your first bin will take the longest, maybe just over an hour. I say the ‘First Bin’ because, let’s be honest, you can’t have just 1 BIN! And, once you get the hang of it, you’ll be hooked.  I am.....

Once you’ve found your groove, it should take no more that 45mins to make from measure, cut, sew & finish.  

2 REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS!

1. A quilters ruler will be VERY HELPFUL for this pattern. If you don’t have one, don’t fret! Just multiply the inches measurement by 2.54. Or, check out the conversion link on www.theozmaterialgirls.com website.

2. There is NO CORNER TEMPLATE. I used my small quilting ruler to measure a 2inch triangle. 

You’ll see what I mean with my pictures.

OK, lets make a SMALL one!

First up you’ll need to choose a outside fabric & a lining fabric. I’ve used some super awesome cotton print from my TOMG stash. 

You will need 1/2 yard for both due to the width. And the same again for a fusible interfacing (wadding) - I’ve used Viliene.

Cut your Fusible Interfacing first & iron it to the WRONG side of your fabrics. Make sure that you leave a good gap of about 1/2" from the side edge & about an 1" from the top.  I place a paper towel between the iron & interfacing as it likes to melt with direct heat.

OK, now you need your ruler!

Measure & Draw a line on the WRONG side of your fabrics 1/4” from the 2 sides & 3/4” from the top.  See pic below.

Now you can cut your fabric along these lines.

The next step is to fold each piece of fabric in half with the interfacing on the outside.  Then you pin & mark each piece in preparation of sewing them into 2 tubes.  Take note that the Lining tube will need to be slightly smaller so it fits nicely into the Outer tube (hence the different seam allowances)

I like to draw a line with these because I am sewing multiple layers of fabric, just something I do to keep me on track.

The outer fabric has a seam allowance of 1/2” while the lining has a seam allowance of 5/8” - there is a MISPRINT on the pattern....it says 3/8” but it’s 5/8” (worked for me anyway...)

To keep your work neat, iron the seams flat before sewing the bottom of each piece. It will make the finishing look so much better.

Now for the slightly tricky bit which is flattening the corners. It takes a wee bit of patience as it needs to be centered and your quilters ruler will be VERY handy. 

Place the seam in the middle & flatten the piece out.  With your ruler, line the bottom seam up the 2” mark so that it makes a triangle 4” wide & 2” long. The mid line of the triangle should meet at 2” at the top & bottom. (as seen in the picture below)

Now draw a line to mark the new seam line.  It might be handy for you to make a template of this triangle with cardboard for your next dozen bins! 

Sew along this line & trim 1/2” from the seam line.

Push the bottom of both bin sides out so they can sit on their own. Make sure the Outer fabric is right side out & the Lining fabric is inside out. (as in picture below)  

Iron the excess fabric flush over the interfacing. This is why you have a 3/4" fabric margin when cutting the fabric.

We’re coming to the finish line!!

Pop the Lining into the Outer with the seams together. You can see from the picture below how they ‘face’ each other. I try to have the seam lines matching up.

Pin the layers together, starting at the seam & work your way around the bin. 

Now for the final stitching!!!

Start at the seam & straight stitch or fancy stitch close to the edge of the bin.  You can hand stitch to finish the top of the bin if your fancy stitching leaves too much of a gap between the 2 layers, otherwise a straight stitch will do the trick.

Taaaa Daaaa!!!

Now you have a Brand New, Funky Fabric Bin - Perfect for your Special Storage Needs....

This one is for my sewing room!

The great thing about this pattern is it’s versatility! Add handles or a pocket for something different.

There are instructions on how to add these & also how to make the LARGE bin which would be fabulous for toys.  

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial/blog/review as much I did! Gotta go make my daughter one for her pencils now......

Keep an eye for another Savvy Storage System Review/Blog coming soon!

Big Hugs,

Meg Twidle

Stytchy Wytchy Stuff by Meg Twidle