Easter Fabric Baskets
Project Creator: Corrie Sebire
LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY: INTERMEDIATE
Tools
> Pins
> Brother Dreamweaver VM6200D
> Scissors / Rotary Cutter
> Ruler
> Pencil
> Water Soluble Pen
Materials
> 2 fat quarters cotton fabric (I used quilting cottons)
> 1 fat quarter of Quilt batting (I used cotton batting)
> 1.5m ribbon at least 5/8 inches wide or bias binding for the edges
> 2m ribbon (any width) for the 8 ties
Step 1:
Cut your fat quarters and a piece of batting down to a square about 13 inches by 13 inches. If you’d like a larger or smaller basket just cut accordingly but make sure all sides are equal.
Step 2:
Sandwich the fabric and batting by placing one piece of fabric right side down, the batting and topped with another piece of fabric right side up.
Step 3:
Line up all corners and sides. With a ruler and pencil/water soluble pen rule up straight lines going diagonally across the square one way. A width between each line of 1 or 2 inches works well. Then working the other way to create a criss-cross/diamond effect rule lines going from corner to corner, just make sure you use the same width you used the first direction.
Step 4:
Place a few pins/safety pins through all layers to keep all the layers together in the right place.
Step 5:
Using a walking foot on your machine or a regular sewing foot if your machine has no problem working through multiple layers, and sew over the lines you just ruled. The VM6200D has no problem sewing through layers of fabric and doesn’t require the walking foot for this project or any adjustment. Just feed the project through and it stitches beautifully. I like to start from the middle and work out one way, then the other way then do the other direction of lines. It’s up to you, you might prefer to work from corner to corner in one direction and then do the other. Just take care to not have puckered fabric on the either side.
Step 6:
Now trim your edges just in case any of your fabrics have shifted. You want all neat edges and no batting showing through as we are going to cover all edges with our ribbon. I like to do this with a rotary cutter and my mat but you use a pencil and rule and have all straight edges. The reason for this is so that when you add the ribbon or binding you don’t want to be able to see any batting peeking through because the fabric edges weren’t even. Round your corners of the square if you like. It’s up to you. I just round one and then use the cut off little piece of fabric as a guide to cut the other 3 corners.
Step 7:
Taking your ribbon, press in half with an iron or light iron so that the fold can be placed on the edge of your quilted square and pin around your square. I start in the middle of one edge and work around. When it comes to your corners gently stretch the ribbon/binding around the corner and pin in place in several places.
Step 8:
When it comes to the end of your ribbon I like to tuck under the edge and pin right over the starting ribbon place so that it is entirely covered and you have no raw edges of your ribbon. Start sewing a little to the left of your ribbon starting/end piece so you sew over these ends first.
Step 9:
Take your work to the machine and sew around the entire piece. The VM6200D makes this a breeze but you might like to use your walking foot while attaching the ribbon. When you get to the corners sew closer to the corner rather than the edge of the ribbon and you’ll find them easier to negotiate. If the corners are just too tricky then stop sewing when you come to 3 inches before each corner. Start sewing 3 inches from the next corner so that you have left the corners free to come and sew together later.
Step 10:
If you are a quilter or use bias binding then you can use bias binding for your edges. I used 2 inch strips of fabric for my binding. Open out the bias binding, match up the raw edge of the binding with the raw edge of your square.
Step 11:
Pin until a corner. You are going to sew until just a few mm’s from the edge then do a mitred corner and pin down the next side.
Step 12:
If I opened out my mitred corner this is what it looks like, then I pin it down with the bulk of the fabric to the left and my folded edge lines up with the edge of my fabric.
Step 13:
Repeat until all corners are done and sew your binding end neatly over the start of your binding so that they overlap. You might like to use a walking foot for this step but a regular sewing foot was used on the Brother VM6200D.
Step 14:
Fold the binding over to the other side of binding and sew around the square making sure that you are catching the binding on the other side of your square as you go your work and pin down. I cut across each corner of the square to make my corners neater. Some quilters like to stitch in the ditch – where you sew in between the edge of fabric and the binding. I prefer to use an overcast/blanket stitch which sews through all layers. On the Brother VM6200D the stitch was 1-18. Put your needle to the left of the binding and sew around the square making sure that you are catching the binding on the other side of your square as you go.
Step 15:
Now you need to cut 8 ties from ribbon and the tie length is up to you but about 20-23cms/8-9 inches works nicely.
Step 16:
Each corner has 2 ribbons, one on either side of the corner. I like to place my ribbons 3 inches in from each corner but it’s up to you.
Step 17:
Sew ties in place, I like to sew them to the inside of the basket so that you can’t see the ties from the outside and then do a reverse stitch back over them for durability. If you are using bias binding or are a more confident sewer you could tuck your ribbons under the binding for a neat finish before you sew the ribbon/binding around the edge.
Repeat for all 8 ties
Step 18:
Now if you left the corners what you are going to do is pin the two sides of your corner (to the right of your ribbons) together and sew in a straight line. You are sewing from just outside the ribbon to the corner.
Step 19:
Trim all threads (there will be a few) and you are done. Perfect to fill with hot cross buns, chocolates, breadrolls, sewing supplies or whatever you like!
