Coiled fabric basket

I know.  I know.  I haven't posted in a while.  I've been extremely busy and I haven't had the time.  But I wanted to share with you a little project that I made this weekend.  It took longer than I thought and my sewing machine didn't like to cooperate.  But I finished it and it's really cute...more importantly, useful!

I decided I needed a basket to keep all of my receipts till I file them.  So I used clothesline rope and wrapped scrap fabric around it and made a basket.  It's called a coiled fabric basket.  There are several blogs and help online.  The only tip I can suggest is to sew along the rope with a straight stitch to attach the fabric to the rope and it kind of flattens the rope, making it easier to sew.  I used the largest zigzag stitch and a heavy blue jean needle.  Don't forget the large blue jean needle. Or you will break needles.  Trust me...I speak from experience!  I even asked my husband to bring his needle-nosed pliers to help me get part of the needle out of the basket at one point!

I'm not sure if it's my sewing machine, but it didn't appreciate the thickness.  So probably using a smaller diameter rope will also be helpful.  This is a great way to use up old scraps.  I would also suggest sewing together the small scraps and cutting 1 1/2 or 2 inch strips to use.  I found that if I sewed a long strip together (kind of like sewing binding), it worked better.  Oh, another tip is I used a binder clip to hold the material to the rope until I got it sewn on.

Speaking of binding, as I was in the sewing department at Walmart to get cheap orange fabric to use (by the way...Walmart has a great selection of cheap fabric for projects like this!), I stumbled upon binding packs that are 3 yards each.  This would be a great thing to use if you want to take a shortcut and not cut strips.

To start the basket, just fold the rope and hold it firmly under the presser foot and sew a zigzag.  It's better to go counter-clockwise as you are winding the rope.  I actually had to stop and flip this over to start sewing the sides of the basket.  You'll see in the next picture.

Like I was saying, you want to rotate the basket counter-clockwise.  To start the side, just hold the basket up (like the picture above) to force it to start building the side.  

Just keep sewing the zig zag and wrapping the fabric on the rope until you get the basket to the height you want.  I plan to get a smaller diameter rope and make a tote for the guild to give away at Christmas. 

To build the handle, just form a loop and keep sewing along the edge of the side.  I double-backed (reverse stitched) where the handles attached.  Some people recommend doubling the handle and I would have.  But my sewing machine was giving me fits.  So I figured I better quit while I'm ahead.  

That's the finished basket.  It's really cute and you can use any color that you have.  You can use an assortment of colors to get rid of the scraps you've collected!  The basket below is one I made several years ago.  I had it in the back of my car to keep the road atlas, a flashlight and a few other necessities.  But I replaced it with an organizer.  So now it's my scrap bin!  It's about the size of a small laundry basket.   Speaking of which, I need to make one of those too.  I also plan to make a trash bin to hang near my sewing machine.  

And if you have a small piece of rope left, you can make a coaster...or two...or three..and a trivet...makes great Christmas gifts!  Just saying...