Elf Sized Baskets

Do you have one of those creepy little elves that visits your house about this time of year? They sneak around checking to make sure everyone is on their best behavior...

If you're looking for a fun new accessory to gift to your elf, check out this little basket! With just a few supplies, you can make your own tiny basket that will give your elves something festive to carry around their loot in!

For this project you will need:

Pattern (see step 1)

Printer and cardstock

Craft wire (20 gauge)

Spray paint

Wire cutters

Epoxy

Fabric glue (I used Alieen's Fabric Fusion)

Twine, about 2 yards

Spool of thread

Clips (optional but very helpful)

Starch (optional but very helpful)

I created a template for this project to make it easy to replicate the project. Simply download and print the images out. This template includes sizes for the basket ribs, the handle and even cute signs to add on! Print on thicker card stock for best results.

If the download is giving you sizing issues, check out the file in Google Docs here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/184jkpidgx1p1Id--S2n77MI_gm7yEUWH37cxcIy_IN4/edit?usp=sharing

You will need about 2 yards of twine for each basket. I thought the twine would be easier to work with if it was stabilized a little so I poured some Sta-Flo fabric starch into a bowl and soaked the twine for a bit. I gently squeezed out the excess starch and then hung the twine out to dry. This step is optional but it really did make the twine easier to work with and gave the basket some stability in the end, so I think it is worth the extra effort. If you don't have starch, you could achieve similar results with hair spray or maybe even watered down glue.

While the twine is drying, cut out all your pattern pieces and cut your wire to size.

You will need some strong glue for this project to hold the ribs of the basket in place while you weave. The strongest glue that I had on hand was epoxy. I tried hot glue and even E6000 to no avail, so epoxy was my last ditch effort to make these ribs stay put on the basket and it worked out great!

Mix the epoxy per the directions on the bottle. This step doesn't require very much glue, about a nickel sized dollop will do. I thoroughly mixed the epoxy up in a plastic container with a skewer and then blobbed it into the middle of the cut out wagon wheel template.

Now we are ready to start building out the basket. Line up all the spokes with the lines on the template. The wires don't have to touch in the middle, but try to keep them equally distanced from each other in the middle. Make sure your wire is as straight as possible. One of the ribs will include the handle wire, it doesn't matter where the handle is placed as there is only one :) Once you are all done lining up the ribs, you should have something that looks like a decidedly sad dandelion.

At this point I realized my epoxy was seeping through the paper on the bottom so I moved it to a piece of parchment paper. I recommend starting out on a piece of parchment or wax paper so nothing sticks to something you don't want it to stick to and so you don't have to try to move the project while the glue is wet.

Place the basket bottom on top of the wires and gently squish everything down a little.

Let the epoxy cure completely, I left mine sit overnight. Don't rush this part as you really need the glue to hold the wires in place.

Once everything was dry, I spray painted the wires white on both sides. Let the paint dry completely between coats.

This basket was designed to fit around a standard 1.5 inch spool of thread. It doesn't matter what color the thread is because you only need the spool of thread to form the basket shape around it. Center the bottom of the basket in the middle of the spool then gently bend the wires up and around the spool. Gently pull the spool out and straighten out any of the wires that may be a little crooked.

Once your form is complete, we can start to weave the basket. For this step, I used Alieens Fabric Fusion glue which seemed to work well. It's clear and it kept the twine in place and I would definitely recommend it for this project!

I started the weaving process by putting a dot of glue on the edge of the wire where the handle is and stuck the end of the stiffened twine to it. I let this dot of glue dry completely before weaving the twine in and out of the wires. Make sure to be diligent and weave the twine over and under until your basket is as deep as you'd like it to be. I made my basket about an inch high.

When you have decided the basket is deep enough, weave the twine back around the basket to the handle and put a bead of glue up the edge of the longest wire. Wrap the twine around the handle and periodically add more glue as you go. Stop wrapping the handle when you have achieved a good sized handle. You can see from my photos, I had a little extra handle wire sticking out, this part will be trimmed off later. If you'd like a really long handle, wrap the twine all the way down the handle wire. Make sure to get some glue at the end of the wire to hold the twine in place on the handle.

To hold the twine in place around the basket bottom, put a dot of glue at each basket rib where the twine ends. Pinch the twine together to help the glue stick the twine together then let the glue dry completely.

Next we will need to make a basket rim to go along the top edge of the basket. Wrap a piece of wire around the spool of thread to get the right size for the rim. Add a bead of glue along the edge of the wire and wrap the twine around tightly. Add beads of glue as you go and make sure to glue the end well to hold the twine in place. Let this part dry completely as well.

Once all the glue has dried, use a pair of wire cutters to trim the rib wire flush with the edge of the basket. Trim off any extra length from the handle as well and add glue if you notice any twine starting to unwind. Add a bead of glue around the rim of the basket and place the rim in place.

Bend the handle across to the other side of the basket and put a dot of glue to glue the handle in place. You may find it helpful to clip the rim and the handle to the basket while the glue dries. I used little metal clamps but you can use clothespins or something similar.

Once your basket is all done, you can add a cute little sign if you wish! And I do mean little! I created four signs for you to pick from... reindeer treats, snowballs 5 ¢, Merry & Bright and Candy Canes. These are part of the original file so they'll print when you print your template. Carefully cut out the signs and attach them to your basket to give it that final touch. If you want something temporary, you can simply make a loop of tape and stick it onto the basket and attach your sign that way. If you want something more permanent, you can use a little more glue to glue the sign to the basket itself.

Fill up your basket and leave it for your elves to utilize. I hope you enjoyed this 'able and will make your elf a little basket this holiday season!