Hippity Hoppity...Easter basket

Happy Easter!  Ok, I do realize that we are still a month out and that we have a whole other holiday to go before we get to bunny day... but I LOVE Easter!  I wanted to make my little bunny a special Easter basket for his first one, and the one I saw on Pinterest looked perfect!  I want to give credit where credit is due, so let me give you the link to the directions I followed: http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/03/fabric-easter-basket.html#more  Now, here is my finished project and what I learned while making it!

I love it!

Now, here's the "nitty gritty" of this project:  The directions call for a "honey bun" of fabric.  I will tell you first that these are hard to find and the only ones I found on the internet were very girly and about 40$.  What I learned after some research and calls to fabric stores is that the term "honey bun" is used for a roll of cotton fabric used by quilters that has forty strips of 1.5" by 44" fabric (usually multi-print).  What I ended up finding at JoAnn's was a "jelly roll" (don't you love these names?) which is a roll of twenty 2.5" by 44" strips.  It was about 8$.  You could also just buy regular fabric and cut your own.  I ended up using 11 strips total.  So that should tell you how much fabric you actually need. You will also need 2 packages of cotton cording (find specs on directions link).  You can find this at JoAnn's on the home decor wall by curtain accessories.

Assembly: I cut my strips in half so the colors would alternate more often on finished basket. I followed the directions from there, sewing one piece of fabric on cord, attaching 4 more lengths and then winding. I will tell you that when I got to the end of each 4 lengths I did reattach the fabric to cord with sewing machine. This was not in the directions, but I felt it would keep my winding intact.



  

The directions are clear and easy to follow.  The tricky part I thought was sewing the basket together once the base was wound and I started stacking the coils.  My advice would be to sew right down through the top of the top coil to the one underneath it.  I tried other ways and got a few finger pricks and broke two needles in the process! The directions for the handle were easy and that part went quick.  I wish I could tell you how long it took me... I did it during 2 naps (baby's naps...I wish I could craft in my sleep, ha!) and about 30 mins after he went to bed so I guess about 2.5 hours.  I think I could shave an hour off that though if I did it again.  Hope these little hints help you if you decide to make a basket for your little bunny! 



                                                                        Sew long!