Fabric Storage Baskets Sewing Tutorial (Video)

These fabric storage baskets are so easy to make for everyday use! A 30-minute project. Perfect for storing a variety of things and they make great gifts. Follow our guide for making fabric baskets in a variety of sizes! This post contains an affiliate link.

You might also like our DIY fabric basket liner tutorial, our 15-minute pencil pouch tutorial, or our color block cosmetic bag sewing tutorial! Looking for storage for blankets? Check out our blanket ladder tutorial.

Watch our step by step video!

These fabric baskets are so fun to make—you won’t be able to make just one! They are a great scrap-buster project, tame clutter, and come together in under 30 minutes.

(Nesting boxes from my SEW WITH ME sewing book for kids. 60 projects!)

My kids sewing book has instructions for making nesting fabric baskets very similar to these. I also used this method to make Easter baskets. They are so easy to make and are kind of addicting too. This time instead of using felt I used cotton, and instead of cutting off the side flaps, I turned them into pockets.

Easy Fabric Storage Baskets

These fabric storage baskets are great storage solutions for cosmetics, art supplies, craft supplies, small toys, and sewing supplies and accessories! They fold flat, are washable, and make great gifts. Use them on a shelf in closets, laundry rooms, bathrooms, offices, and craft rooms! I’m giving these to the teenage girls that I work with at our church as a back-to-school gift. They’ll each get to select one to use to tidy up their dresser or desk in their bedroom. I also made them for my daughters. They loved them and got to work filling them with scrunchies and other odds and ends.

I’m loving the bright prints from The Pioneer Woman. I used a combination of her fat quarter bundles and some checked prints from Joann’s to make my stash of baskets. Want to make bigger or smaller baskets? I’ll share a simple conversion chart to make this basket in a variety of sizes.

I secured each flap with a simple “x” that I embroidered in a contrasting color. You can add a button if you’d like, but I liked the simplicity of the “x”.

I was surprised with how much fit in this little 7″ basket. It’s sturdy and holds its shape great. If I were to make a bigger basket (10″+) I’d probably add a second piece of interfacing for more stability. I like using fusible fleece interfacing. It’s soft and stable without making the project feel stiff. It also works great for quilting. I simply ironed it to the back of one of the squares of fabric before sewing the two squares together. You can use felt as an alternative to fleece and use basting spray to attach it to the back of the fabric or simply cut it to the same size as your fabric and sew it when you sew your fabric together.

Ready to make a basket? Or 2 or 10 of them? Maybe a trio in different sizes? Let’s get started!

Fabric Storage Basket Specifications

(scroll to the end for a step by step tutorial and make sure to watch our video.)

Project time: 30 minutes

Skill Level: Beginner

Seam Allowance: 3/8″

Top Stitching: 1/4″

Finished size: 7″ (see cutting guide for other sizes)

 

Sewing Supplies

This tutorial will make a 7″ wide basket. For a different size refer to the cutting guide below.

• 2 (16″) squares of fabric
• 1 (15 1/2″) square of fusible fleece interfacing
• sewing thread
• embroidery thread

Equipment

• sewing machine
• iron and ironing board
• scissors or rotary cutter
• measuring tape
• pins
• sewing needle
• ruler/straight edge
• sewing/fabric pen (disappearing ink)/pencil

Recommended Fabrics for Baskets

• cotton fabrics (quilting, broadcloth, calico prints) are a great choice!
• lightweight denim
• lightweight corduroy
• home decor prints

 

Cutting Guide for Basket Sizes

Interfacing should be 1/2″ smaller than the fabric squares.

• 5″ basket: 12″ squares of fabric, 2.5″ corners
• 6″ basket: 14″ squares of fabric, 3″ corners
• 7″ basket: 16″ squares of fabric, 3.5″ corners
• 8″ basket: 18″ squares of fabric, 4″ corners
• 9″ basket: 20″ squares of fabric, 4.5″ corners
• 10″ basket: 22″ squares of fabric, 5″ corners

A Few Notes

1. To make other sizes take the size you want your finished basket to be, multiply that number by 2 and add 2 to get the square size. The corner size is half of the finished measurement size. For example: for a 6″ basket you’ll multiply 6×2 and then add 2 to get 14″ squares of fabric. Then 6/2= 3″ corners.
2. I’ve made these in all different sizes and have found that 5″ is about as small as I like to make them. Any smaller and the side pockets would be too small to actually use.
3. You can use a piece of interfacing the same size as the fabric squares if you’d like. Having it slightly smaller reduces some of the bulk when pressing it flat, but I’ve made these both ways and the baskets turn out either way!
4. Felt also works well as a stabilizer. It isn’t fusible, but you can attach it using basting spray or simply cut the felt to the same size as the fabric and sew it all together when you sew around the perimeter. I’ve made baskets with felt and fusible fleece. I prefer fusible fleece, but felt is a great alternative.

How To Make an Easy Storage Basket