How to Sew Mini Baskets – that fold together!

Now you can organize everything in your sewing room or make the best gift baskets – no matter how big or small!

My newest addition to my fold up basket sewing patterns is here – Mini Baskets!

You are also going to love:

• The medium sized fold up baskets
• These big cubby-sized baskets ones
• and more than 20 free DIY Basket Patterns to sew!

This blog post has been converted to an optional PDF that’s optimized for printing. Find it here. The blog post below is totally free to read, print, and sew! Just hit CTRL +P on your computer to print. The PDF download is inexpensive and optional.

Here are all three sizes of baskets together so you can see the difference. The big basket fits in IKEA cubbies and is great for towels, fabric, and clothes. The medium sized basket fits patterns perfectly! Plus notions, cosmetics, and kitchen items.

And now you can make a mini version! It’s 4’’ x 6’’ and the sides are 3’’ high.

I love how perfectly it holds fat quarters!

Of course, all three sized fold up baskets make awesome gift baskets.

Just pick the right size basket for whatever you want to fill it with – candy or jewelry for the mini, cosmetics or treats for the medium sized, or nice big gifts for the large basket.

Plus these baskets are totally reversible.

In order to make 2 of these mini organizers, you’ll use 2 fat quarters and some stabilizer.

In the tutorial for my medium sized baskets, I tested out different stabilizers and edge finishings and explained the pros and cons of each one.

My favorite combination is Peltex 72F (ultra-firm, double sided fusible stablizer) and a straight stitch finish on the edges, so that’s what I used here.

Are you ready to sew some adorable little baskets? Let’s sew!

How to Sew 2 Mini Baskets – free sewing tutorial

You will need:

• 2 fat quarters of fabric
• a 14 1/2” x 20 1/2” piece of double sided fusible stabilizer (recommended: Peltex 72F)
• rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat
• a fabric marker (I used a  Frixion pen)
• No Fray Spray or Fray Stop fabric treatment (optional – see step 11 below)

Cutting & Fusing:

1. Trim the fat quarters to 14 1/2” x 20 1/2”, to match the piece of stabilizer.

2. Smooth out one piece of fabric on the stabilizer and iron over it very lightly to secure the fabric to the stabilizer without fusing the other side of the stabilizer to your ironing board.

3. Smooth the other piece of fabric over the opposite side of the stabilizer. This time press slowly, with lots of heat and steam until the fabric is completely fused to the stabilizer.

4. Now turn back to the first side and press slowly and with lots of heat and steam until it is completely fused too.

Don’t worry if all 3 pieces (the 2 fabrics and stabilizer) are perfectly aligned at this stage. if they are off by 1/4” or less on any side, you will be able to trim everything to look right in the next step.

Trimming, Marking, & Sewing the Baskets:

1. Trim your fused piece down to 14” x 20”. Cut away the side(s) that are unevenly fused first, and then trim it to the right size.

2. Cut the piece again to make two rectangles the same size – 14’’ x 10’’.

Each rectangle will make a mini basket.

3. Using the fabric pen or marker (make sure the ink will disappear later), draw 4 lines on one side of a 14’’ x 10’’ rectangle as seen above.

The two horizontal lines should be 3’’ away from the top and bottom edges. The two vertical lines should be 4’’ away from the side edges.

4. Sew straight lines along all 4 lines that you drew.

5. At the sides, cut right over your horizontal stitching lines until you reach the vertical lines. Stop cutting before you cut into the vertical lines.

This will make 3 flaps on each side.

6. Turn the piece so that one of the shorter ends with 3 flaps is toward you. Fold up the two flaps on the corners along the stitching lines and hold them down with a heavy book.

Use your rotary cutter and ruler to slice a 1’’ piece from of the end of the center flap. The cut-off piece should be 1’’ x 4’’.

Repeat on the other side so that both center flaps are 1’’ shorter than the corner flaps. Discard the 1’’ x 4’’ pieces.

7. Using the fabric marker again, draw horizontal lines on each of the 4 corner flaps. These lines should be 1” from the top and bottom edges of each flap and 1/2” from the sides.

8. These lines are cutting lines, so stitch around each of them about 1/8” away from the line. Backstitch over your starting point to secure the stitching.

Tip: I switched to an open-toe foot on my sewing machine so it would be easier to see where I was sewing. Then I moved my needle over to the left so that it was just 1/8’’ away from the ‘toe’ on the left side. That way, I could place that side of the ‘toe’ on the line and easily sew 1/8’’ away.

9. After sewing around each of the short horizontal lines, cut them open without cutting into the stitching. I like to start with my rotary cutter and then carefully finish with my scissors.

10. Referring to the photo above, trim the shorter center flap on each side.

Cut in about 3/4” away from the edge on either side, and then angle in to the corner. Do not cut the stitching.

I know this sounds tricky, but don’t worry! If you don’t cut enough away, you will know when you put the basket together and you can always trim some more. If you accidentally trim away a little too much no one will know.

11. With the edges all trimmed and cut, spray them with No Fray Spray or Fray Stop to help reduce fraying. The Fray Stop product was suggested to me by a reader in the comments of the other basket tutorial, and it was a fabulous idea! I’m so grateful she spoke up, because I had never heard of it. A quick search on Amazon pulled up these 2 products and I ordered both to try. They both work pretty well and don’t change the feel or appearance of the basket at all. I think the first one, No Fray Spray, works slightly better, but it’s really hard to tell!

Work in a well ventilated area or go outside if the smell bothers you – it’s a lot like spray adhesive.

12. Finally, finish the all the edges on the basket, including around the flaps. You can choose a straight stitch 1/8” from the edges as seen here, or you can zig zag over the edge or use one of your sewing machine’s decorative stitches.

Using a simple straight stitch is the fastest. 🙂

To use the basket, fold two corner flaps together.

Weave the trimmed flap up through the slots on both at the same time. Repeat on the other side.

These little fold-together baskets are so much fun to sew, you might not be able to stop!

I always love to see what my readers are sewing up with my tutorials! Please post a picture to Instagram and tag me @sewcanshe so I can take a look.

Happy basket sewing!