Scrapwest: #75 Noelle's Class

A Paper Basket

This basket has many uses, you could use it to store your ribbons, blossoms, unmounted stamps, etc, or you could fill it with sweets or use it as a gift basket, the possibilities are endless. You can also adapt the basic design to suit yourself.

Supplies

1 sheet of 12 x 12 cardstock (or heavyweight patterned paper)

Pritt Stick (or similar)

Double sided tape

Ribbon (I used 2 18cm pieces)

Flower embellishments (or eyelets or brads or gems, etc)

Method

Cut strips from the cardstock as follows: 8 strips 2cm wide, 10 strips 1cm wide, 4 strips cm wide

1. Using the 2cm wide strips, create the base of the basket as shown, using pritt stick to secure each strip in the centre.

2. Continue until you have used all 8 strips as shown.

3. Using a small piece of double sided tape attach the 4 cm strips together to make one long 120cm (approx) strip and begin weaving. Start about 5cm from the centre and attach your first strip to one of the 2cm centre strips with a piece of double sided tape or with pritt stick.

4. Fold up the 2cm pieces as you go along. Make sure you skip a weave at the end of each row to keep the weaving pattern. (This won t be noticeable on the outside of the basket). When you get to the end of the cm strip continue weaving using the 1cm strips attaching the ends together with double sided tape. Leave at least 4 of the 1cm strips for the finishing of the basket.

5. Measure around the top of your basket, it should be between 20cm 24cm depending on how tight or loose your weaving is. If it s 24cm cut each of the remaining 1cm strips to 12cm each (or accordingly).

6. Take an 18cm piece of ribbon and attach it to the inside of one of the strips at approx 4cm and 8cm, then using double sided tape attach another of the 12cm strips on top of this sandwiching the ends of the ribbon inside. Repeat with the remaining two 12cm strips and the other piece of ribbon.

7. Decorate these strips with blossoms, brads, eyelets, or gems as shown above and attach to the outside of the basket just above the last row of weaving.

8. Trim the excess strips to just under the top of the trim

9. If you have any left over 1cm strips stick them with double sided tape to the inside top of the basket to cover the trimmed edges. (I didn t do this on my first basket)