Rainy days and Mondays blues took on a whole new meaning with this DIY Easter basket project.
Rainy day are made for indoor activities. Good thing I love thunder and lightening and find them intensely beautiful ’cause we’ve seen a boatload of beauty over the last few days.
Today’s blogging soundtrack is courtesy of the Spotify Discover Weekly playlist which changes every Monday.
First in line on this week’s list is Laughter in the Rain by Neil Sedaka.
Serendipity plays here.
The DIY projects I do tackle are born out of necessity more than enjoyment.
When my antiques shop was open, I didn’t think twice about upholstering, repairing, or refinishing DIY projects. Bottom line profit played a huge role in those decisions.
A fond memory of a beloved Easter basket and the futile search for one like it accounts for this DIY Easter basket project.
When the big move of 2010 took place, I left the packing and moving from the old house to the new to us house to Dave the Builder while I packed up my parent’s house for their move.
Three houses.
Two moves.
One colossal undertaking I do not recommend to the faint of heart.
In the moving mayhem, Dave made the executive decision to part ways with soooo many things I would have kept.
Whatnots and doodads can easily be replaced, but certain items qualify as irreplaceable. One such item is the handmade Easter basket my mother bought me in 1974.
A group of ladies residing at a local care facility made the most beautiful Easter baskets from plastic dry cleaning bags.
The plastic was pulled through a simple green berry basket, knotted on the inside, and trimmed. An undone wire hanger shaped to fit and tightly wrapped with plastic dry cleaning bags became the basket handle.
I loved the basket, and kept it all these years.
The more I thought about it, the more I knew I wanted an Easter basket like it.
Ebay, Etsy, and the local treasure shops did not have anything even remotely close. I saw several tutu baskets, but that’s not what I want.
As Patsy Cline said to Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter, “anything we can’t buy, we’ll make.”
Hello, DIY Easter basket project.
Begin with a bamboo Easter basket from the dollar store.
I figure if I mess it up I’m only in for a dollar.
A few pieces of scrap tulle left over from Christmas allowed for me to practice.
Once I mastered the cut and feed, it was on to the fabric department at Walmart for four yards of white net and eight yards of light blue tulle.
The texture of the white net makes it easier to fill in gaps and when fluffed out give a nice full coverage of the area you are working with.
Supply list:
Bamboo Easter basket
8 yards light blue tulle
4 yards white net
1 roll 1½” wide white grosgrain ribbon
Easter grass
Speckled Easter eggs
Scissors
Hot glue gun
Glue stick
Binder clips
I worked with two lengths of fabric and multiple layers.
I cut the tulle and the net into 12″ strips for layers 3, 4, and 5, and 8″ inch strips for the layers 1 and 2.
More layers make for a fuller look, and shorter layers around the basket rim beautifully cover and conceal the bamboo.
Feed a strip of tulle or net through the spaces in the basket with half the strip on the outside and the other half of the strip on the inside of the basket.
After an exhaustive and empty-handed search for my crochet hook, I just used my fingers to feed the fabric through the basket.
Yes, I made a couple of larger than need be holes in the basket.
You may notice the blue and white ribbon in the image below.
If you make the same uh-oh simply cut a piece of ribbon, feed it through, bring it up catching the layer above, and tie with a knot. Trim the excess ribbon and problem fixed.
Tulle and net are forgiving, and when fluffed and fanned out cover a multitude of DIY sins.
Work with a two blue tulle strips to one white net strip repeat all the way around each layer of the basket.
Fluff and fan out each side of the fabric to desired fullness.
Trim each layer of tulle and net down to the desired lengths to create extra fullness.
Fire up the hot glue gun.
Use caution when using a hot glue gun so you don’t burn your fingers.
Use a binder clip, clothespin, or hair clip (you get the idea) to hold the ribbon in place.
Wrap the basket handle with the ribbon. Secure the ribbon to the base of the basket handle with several drops of hot glue.
Trim each layer of the tulle and net to desired lengths to create extra fullness and correct any unevenness.
Complete the look by filling the basket with Easter grass and decorative Easter eggs.
I’m very pleased with the finished product.
Dave swears it’s prettier than the original one I had, and I think he may be right.
Isn’t it funny how a memory of a beloved Easter basket became such a source of inspiration.
It really is everywhere.
Worlds Away William Desk, White
What You’ll Need:
A vintage office chair found at your favorite thrift shop, yard sale or curbside boutique is a prime DIY project piece ready to dazzle.
