baskets

easter is coming soon, so of course my thoughts turned to baskets. these are a fun way to use up textiles scraps: wrap 3/4 inch wide strips around a thick nylon rope - the kind you find at a home depot or lowe's - securing with a glue gun as you go. i used a fabric that was pre-patchworked, which makes for the colorful, multi-pattern effect. once you have made a good length (you need at least 2 to 3 yards), start coiling the rope tightly, again securing with a glue gun. the beginning is the hardest part: i used jute twine to secure the first fold and to sew the first coils together. after that, the glue gun works just fine. once you have made a circle large enough for the base of the basket, put the base onto a turned-over tupperware container. keep coiling and gluing, following the shape of the container. of course you can just stay with the flat circle, in which case you end up with some cool-looking coasters and trivets.