Project: Easter Pack Basket TutorialBy Handmade CharlotteEaster is just around the corner, but there’s still time to make the little one in your life a wonderful basket to collect their Easter treats. Inspired by the classic Nantucket-style pack basket with a lovely grass motif, your child will enjoy collecting Easter eggs using the pack as a traditional basket and then tossing it over their shoulders to keep their hands free for other activities. We used several shades of Coats & Clark green thread in the construction of the Easter Pack Basket, as well as Spring Green multi-thread to add the free-stitched grass embroidery that makes the pack so special. We’ve included four easy-to-follow steps as well as a downloadable pattern. Materials• Medium-weight canvas• 1/2 yard fabric (for outer facing fabric)• 1/2 yard fabric (for lining fabric)• 1/2 yard heavyweight stabilizer• 2-inch ribbon, 1 yard (your choice of green)• Dual Duty XP General Purpose Multicolor thread – 9363 Spring Green• Coats & Clark All Purpose Thread – 577 Lt. Okra (or Dual Duty XP 6210)• Coats & Clark All Purpose Thread – 61a Forest Green (or Dual Duty XP 6770)• Coats & Clark All Purpose Thread – 359 Kiwi (or Dual Duty XP 6270)• Coats & Clark All Purpose Thread- 294A Celery (or Dual Duty XP 6120)• Scissors• Pins• Sewing machine• IronStep 1Use downloadable pattern to create pattern pieces. Cut the fabric for the project. Be sure to check the dimensions on each pattern piece. Using a 3/8-inch seam allowance, sew the first Pattern Piece A fabric to the second Pattern Piece A fabric with the right sides facing each other. Iron the seam open and place Pattern Piece C (stabilizer) on backside of fabric. Sew up the middle of existing seam, stitching in the ditch. Turn the outer fabric flat (like an open book) and begin free-stitching with the multicolor Spring Green thread. Using your own discretion, switch threads as often as you’d like to create the grass embroidery.Step 2Fold ribbon in half and stitch it together with a straight seam. Attach ribbon to panel at the markings noted in the pattern with a zig-zag stitch. Fold outer edges of the handle to center and press with iron. Place a 5/8-inch by 11-inch piece of stabilizer on one side and topstitch. Attach handle to the side seams of outer fabric and top-stitch to attach. Step 3Pin basket piece to bottom (Pattern Piece C) and sew. Next, sew lining in the same manner that you sewed the outer basket (except you will omit the straps and handle). Slide lining inside basket. Fold the excess lining sticking out over the outer basket 1/2-inch using three or four pins. Topstitch to attach. Step 4Use scissors to trim any loose thread and iron the ribbon and handle. Your Easter Pack Basket is finished, just in time for Easter!
