Trick or Treat Basket Tutorial

I had a bunch of squares left over from the Halloween pillowcase I made for my 9 year old, so I decided to make a Trick or Treat basket out of them.  I thought it turned out really cute. I just love Halloween!

I had a couple friends ask me to post a tutorial on how I made it and I said I would. So, here it is!

Trick or Treat Basket Tutorial

I started with an 18x11 inch piece of fabric.  You could use one piece of fabric, or piece something together like this. The middle piece will be your bottom.  If you add details like the green stripe, just make sure you place it the same distance from the bottom seam on both sides, so that it lines up when you sew it together.

Your lining will also be 18x11 inches.

Next you will need an 18x11 inch piece of light to medium weight iron-on interfacing.  This just helps your fabric feel more thick and sturdy.

Iron the interfacing to your outside piece.  You will not need to add this to the lining. Once you have it all ironed, set the outside piece aside and grab your lining.

We are ready to start sewing the basket together!

Step 1: Fold down the short ends of the lining 1/4 inch and press. 

Step 2: Fold the lining in half, bringing the short ends together with the folds. Sew 1/4 inch seam down both sides.

Once you have sewn the sides together you will have an inside out bag.  I wanted my basket to have a more squared bottom. To square the bottom, you need to fold the corners of the bag making a point. 

Step 3: I measured from the point, down the seam, 2 inches.  If you wanted the basket to be a little taller and not as wide on the bottom, you could measure less. If you want the basket shorter and more thick at the bottom, measure more.  2 inches was right for me.

Step 4: Draw a line across the 2 inch line. One way to make sure you are drawing straight is to measure from the point down to the line on both sides of your triangle. If they measure the same, your line is straight, if not, you need to adjust your line.

 

Step 5: Sew right on the 2 inch line you drew. Fold, measure, draw and sew the other side of the bag as well.

Step 6: Using a ruler, place the 1/4 inch mark along the sewn line and trim away the excess fabric on both sides.

At this point, you should have a bag that looks like this. Set it aside and repeat steps 1-6 on the outside fabric.

When you have finished steps 1-6 on the outside fabric, go ahead and turn it right side out. You will have two bags that look like this. (You can really see the difference that interfacing makes in this picture.)

Step 7: Place the lining inside the outer basket.  Pin the edges together then set aside while we make the handle.

For this basket I decided to make one handle instead of two.  If you want to make two handles, just repeat these steps twice.  You will need a strip of fabric that is 3.5x16 for each handle.  I cut a piece of the same interfacing 3x16 to leave a little lip on the edge.

Step 8: Iron the interfacing to the backside of the handle fabric.

Step 9: Fold the edge of the long side of the fabric 1/4 inch and press.  You only need to do this on one side. (You could just fold this in half right sides together and sew down the length of the fabric and then turn it right sides out.  But...I really hate turning tubes of fabric that are so small, and adding the interfacing would add bulk.)

Step 10: Bring the long side you did not press towards the middle of the fabric and press.

Step 11: Now bring the side you did press towards the middle and overlap the raw edge. Press.

Step 12: Take the strip to your sewing machine and sew right along the edge of the middle fold. 

Step 13: Using the sewn line you just made as a guide, sew a few more lines on the strip like the image above.  This way it looks like you meant to have a sewn lines down the middle of your strip.

Step 14: Insert one end of the handle inbetween the lining and the outer fabric of the basket on one end.

Then pin it in place.

Repeat on the other side.  If the stip is longer than you like, just push the handle further into the basket until it is a length you like. Pin it in place.

Because I have a light fabric on the outside of the basket and a dark on the inside, I used cream thread on top and black thread in my bobbin. This isn't a must, just a personal preference.

Step 15: Using a 1/4 inch seam, sew all the way around your basket. And you are done!

The button was an after thought. I just attached it by hand when it was all done.

Happy Trick or Treating!