Sewing a Denim Basket

DIY Denim basket sewn by mom 2006 (Photo copyright Hanna Andersson)
A denim basket, what a fun little DIY project to try out!

I’ve made a fabric basket from old denim jeans. I saw this fun idea in one of my mother’s craft books, and I really liked it. To make a basket out of fabric – what a fun idea, especially since we’ve got so many discarded jeans over here… I want to do that too!

Here I stuffed it full of little things and it works great for storage:

Denim basket for small projects and stuff here with my sock knitting project (Copyright Hanna Andersson)

As you can see I tried storing the Regia yarn (and the beginning of yet another sock) in there too. This project is now taking a breather.

How to sew a denim basket

How to make a jeans/denim basket yourself?
You sew stripes of jeans fabric together from old jeans you really can’t fit into anymore anyway. Then make a round bottom, using a plate of appropriate size as a guide for cutting. Make sure your row of sewn together stripes fits around the circle. I used a pot for measurements. Then you sew the basket wall together with the basket floor.

Ta-daaa!

I made some lining out of my favorite rose fabric and finished the soft basket with a green edge out of another scrap.

Easy, fun and very useful.

Here is a shoot of the lining from above:

Denim basket for small projects here from above to show the lining (Copyright Hanna Andersson)
Denim basket or jeans basket with rose fabric edge and lining.

Detail and close up:

Denim basket detail of the Levis brand tag saved from the recycled jeans (Copyright Hanna Andersson)
Love that the denim comes from a few different sources so it is slightly different colors as well. And the Levis tag saved – for fun.

And yes, it’s a branded basket in real Levis denim. Tihii.

Update: later on, this happened:

DIY Denim basket stuffed full of beads and craft supplies to play with (Photo copyright Hanna Andersson) 2008
The denim basket idea has proven itself many times over. It is sturdy, great to store project in and cute.

8 Responses

  1. Wonderful recycling idea! I really like it! :)

    Just came across your blog, and I am happy to meet you!

  2. Vad fint det blev! Och speciellt med Regiasockor i sig, i den där supersnygga färgen :)

  3. I am so in love with the denim basket. Someday, when I un-earth my sewing machine, I might try to make one. And you’ve been Tagged. Stop by my blog for details…

  4. Nä nu blir jag avundsjuk, det var ju jag som skulle göra den där först.Nu får nog morsan sätta fart, jag vill också ha en sån FIN korg
    puss från mamma