Easy Beginner Sewing Project: DIY Mini Fabric Basket

These small trinket fabric baskets are an easy, beginner friendly sewing project to help tidy up your sewing space or office desk, and the smaller sized basket is fat quarter friendly. For my baskets, I didn’t purchase new fabric. Instead, I dug around my scrap pile until I found pieces big enough to use. I love scrap busting sewing projects!

Not only will I show you how to make a basket, but I’ll also give you directions for making them in two sizes. When I first made one, it was a little too big for my original purpose – to hold my sewing clips next to my sewing machine. So, I went back to the drawing board and adjusted the size for a smaller version and, voila! – two sizes were born.

The finished sizes are:

  • Small – 5″ long x 4.5″ wide x 3″ tall
  • Regular – 6″ long x 5.5″ wide x 3.5″ tall

Now, let’s make some adorable mini fabric baskets!

Supplies:

  • Fabric 1 for basket exterior
  • Fabric 2 for basket interior
  • Fusible interfacing (I used Pellon SF101)
  • Fabric scissors
  • Sewing machine
  • Rotary cutter and cutting mat (optional)
  • Ruler
  • Iron
  • Fabric marker
  • Pinking shears (optional)
  • Fabric clips or pins

How to sew a mini fabric trinket basket:

Step 1: cut your fabric

First determine which size you want to make and then cut your fabric.

For the small size basket, you will need to cut two 10.5 x 7” pieces each of your exterior and interior fabrics, and four 10.5 x 7” pieces of your interfacing.

For the regular size basket, you will need to cut two 12 x 7” pieces each of your exterior and interior fabrics, and four 12 x 7” pieces of your interfacing.

Step 2: Fuse your interfacing

Using an iron and following the manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the interfacing to the back (wrong side) of each of your fabric pieces.

Note: I only used interfacing on the exterior for the pink basket in my photos which gave my finished basket a “slouchy” look. But I used interfacing on the exterior and interior for the blue basket, which made the basket stiffer.  

Step 3: Cut your corners

Using a ruler, draw a 2.5” square in each of the bottom two corners of your fabrics and cut it out.

This square is the same size no matter which size basket you are making.

Step 4: Assembling your basket pieces

Set aside the interior fabric pieces. Using the two exterior fabric pieces, lay one on top of the other with right sides facing each other. Sew using a ½” seam allowance along the two sides and the bottom being sure to back stitch at the beginning and end of each section. (The red lines in the photo below show you were to sew.)

I usually try to reduce the seam bulk at this point using pinking shears by cutting no more than ¼” off the seams. Be vigilant when doing this so you don’t accidentally cut the seam.

On each of the corners where you cut out the 2.5” square, pull the fabric apart and line up the raw edges from inside the square. Pin or clip them in place and sew a ½” seam allowance across the two. This will create boxed corners at the bottom of the basket. Trim these seams as well.

Set aside the exterior and go back to your interior fabrics.

You will repeat this process with one very important difference! When you sew the bottom edges of the fabrics together, be sure you leave a 2.5-to-3-inch opening. This opening will be used later to turn your basket right side out. (See red lines in the image below.)

Grab your exterior piece and turn it right side out. Do NOT turn your lining right side out. It stays as is. Place your now right side out exterior piece inside your wrong side out interior piece and line up the top edges of both. As you pin or clip the top edges together, be sure the side seams of each line up.

Now, using a ½” seam allowance, sew around the top edge being sure to back stitch at the beginning and end.

Using your pinking shears, trim the seam about ¼”.

Step 5: Finishing your basket

Almost there!

It’s time to find your 2.5-to-3-inch opening in the interior piece and use it to pull the exterior to the outside of the basket.

Align the two sides of the opening and sew them closed. Sew as close to the edge as possible while ensuring both sides are included in the seam.

Tuck the lining into the basket and iron around the edges. Top stitch around the top edge using a ¼” seam allowance (or closer to the edge if you prefer).

You can either leave the basket as it is now or fold over the top edge like I did.

Now, find a good spot for your basket! Put it on your office desk to hold binder clips or pens. Use it in your sewing or craft room. They also make great teacher appreciation gifts! I taught for five years, and I don’t know a single teacher that couldn’t make good use of these small fabric baskets.