It’s A Wrap: How To Make An Easter Basket “Cozy”

Super simple and super fast, this “cozy” could be the cutest way EVER to dress up an Easter basket!  But let’s be honest, it’s the applique that makes it fantastic.  Scroll down for the quick (and I mean under 5 minutes quick!) how-to…right after you read more about those cute little bunnies!

So these adorable little bunnies showed up at my door from another one of my sweet Dreamer friends, Heather, owner, designer, chief lady in charge at The Sewing Loft.  And as you can see by the bunny, Heather has some pretty impressive skills at the sewing machine.  Remember, I’m a self taught sewer (mostly through the method of “lots of trial and even more error”), so talking “shop” with Heather is one of my favorite things to do.  And, considering she is actually educated about design, clothing, pattern writing, etc., I usually hang up the phone wishing I could go back to college with a completely different major than math and education!

Here are the details on Heather…and trust me, you’ll want to check out all of these links!

These little bunnies are just the tip of the iceberg! Heather literally has hundreds (if not thousands) of designs, most of which are completely customizable.  To see her huge variety of what’s available, visit her Facebook page and click through the pictures.

But, Heather’s true sewing skills shine in her collection of children’s accessories and toys, which are designed and created around the 3 R’s: Reclaim, Recycle, and Reuse.

Take a look…

Amazing, right?

For more information on Heather and The Sewing Loft, please visit her website: The Sewing Loft, or again, stop by her Facebook fan page: The Sewing Loft’s Facebook Fan Page.

And now for the Easter basket “cozy” how-to!

Enjoy,

Nikki, In Stitches

Materials:

Easter Basket

1/2 yard of fabric

3 yards of 2 1/4″ ribbon

Sewing machine and sewing supplies

Pinking shears

Applique (optional) and iron

Directions:

1.  Cut two lengths of fabric the same size.  Measure the diameter of your basket and subtract one inch.  This will be your length.  (e.g. My basket was 37″ around, so I cut my fabric 36″ long.)  Your width will depend on the height of your basket and/or if you ironing on an applique.  The bunny pictured here is 5 x 7, so my cozy had to be at least 6 inches wide.

2.  Cut your ribbon into 4 equal pieces.

3.  Layout your pieces as pictured, with your fabric wrong sides together and your ribbon placed between the layers.  Pin in place.  Stitch all the way, one lap around the track!

4.  Pink the edges if you’d like. (Just a note: I only pinked the long edges.  The short ones aren’t visible behind that nice, pretty bow!)

5.  Here’s where you would iron on your applique, following Heather’s super simple to follow instructions, but your cozy would look super cute just by itself, too!

6.  Wrap around your basket, tying the cozy in place.  Trim your ribbon.