Easter Bin Tutorial

I recently shared a tutorial for making fabric applique eggs on the Thermoweb blog (find it here!). When I was finished, I wanted to make something else with these adorable Hippity Hoppity prints from Benartex. So I decided to make small fabric bins (I'd call them baskets, but they don't have handles). They're quick and easy and fun to make. Ready?

You'll Need:

Small Bin

• Two 9" squares fabric
• One 2-1/4" x 21" strip for binding
• One 9" square Heat n Bond Fusible Fleece

Large Bin

• Two 12" squares fabric*
• One 2-1/4" x WOF strip for binding
• One 12" square Heat n Bond Fusible Fleece

*If you're using directional fabric for the outer bin and want it to be oriented correctly, you'll need two 6-1/4" x 12" pieces instead of one 12" square. See photo below the Small Bin steps.

Make the Small Bin

1. Fuse the Fusible Fleece square to the wrong side of the outer fabric square. 

2. Fold the square in half, fleece side out. Cut 2-1/4" squares out of each folded corner.

3. Stitch along the sides using a 1/4' seam allowance.

4. Match the seam on one side with the folded bottom edge to create a boxed corner. Pin the raw edges to secure, and then stitch across using a 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat on the opposite corner.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 with the 9" lining square. 

6. Turn the outer bin right side out and tuck the lining inside, matching seams. Pin the raw edges along the top edge.

7. Fold the 2-1/4" x 21" strip in half lengthwise wrong sides together to create a binding strip. Position the binding along the pinned edge of the lining, raw edges matching, and pin to secure. 

8. Stitch the binding to the lining side of the bin, starting 2" from the end of the binding. As you approach the starting point of the binding, trim the strip so it overlaps approximately 1". Fold the end of the binding in 1/2" and press to create a finished edge. Tuck the end of the binding into the folded end and pin to secure. Continue stitching to secure the binding to the bin.

9. Press the binding up and then over the top edge of the bin. Pin the folded edge in place. Machine stitch in place to secure the binding. 

Make the Large Bin

Make the large bin in the same manner, using 12" squares and cutting 3" squares from the corners.

Tip: For directional fabric, cut two pieces (6-1/4" x 12" for the large bin and 4-3/4" x 9" for the small bin). Stitch the pieces together so the directional print is headed in opposite directions.

These bins are perfect for holding plastic eggs or fabric eggs! (Or jelly beans and chocolate eggs. Just sayin'...)

Here are the applique eggs I made. Check out the tutorial here.

You can also find me:

To find all of my quilt patterns, visit my Etsy shop. 

Find me on IG here.

Find me on Facebook here.

Sign up for my newsletter in the right-hand sidebar or here. 

 

Egg-ceptional Baskets

This year is my oldest child's third Easter and I decided it was time he (and his younger brother) had a basket for egg hunting. (Okay, so I admit they don't have Christmas stockings yet, either, but they will by this year. For sure. As long as I have time. Seriously, though, I have the fabric for the stockings, and the idea. Now all I need is time!).

Anyway, I digress. I didn't like any of the cheap-looking colored faux wicker baskets, and didn't even see any nicer (non-Easter) baskets that I liked when I looked at Hobby Lobby last week. But I did find mini bushel baskets. Perfect! Easter baskets with a bit of originality. Over my lunch hour on Monday, I headed to my local quilt shop to find some spring-y fabrics for liners. It was hard to find non-girly spring prints. I didn't need them to match, but I wanted them to coordinate somewhat.

Next up was finding a pattern. I'm a 2-D sewer. Quilts, table runners, pillow slipcovers, great! Throw in that extra dimension for 3-D and I feel like the third "D" stands for dumb. As in me. 

I used these two fantastic tutorials for inspiration and instructions on round basket liners. I loved the look of this pail liner at Make It and Love It, but I needed to account for the handles on my baskets. Then I found this tutorial at Delia Creates, which gave me the perfect solution for sizing and working around the handles. And then, just because I like to add my own touch to things, instead of making a drawstring, I added a "binding" to the edge of the liner and simply tied the edges together under the handles. 

I made two prototypes to get everything exactly how I wanted it. After finishing those, each liner took me a mere 30 minutes to make! Easter bunny, here we come!