Mini Majestic Easter Gift Basket

There are some patterns that you go back to over and over again, that fit you like a comfortable sweater or your favorite slippers. They're familiar and lovely, and you know they're going to be just what you need. The Lunch Bag Tutorial by my friend Ayumi is one of those patterns for me. I don't know how many times I've sewn this one, but it never fails to be a joy. This time I thought it would be fun to do something crazy and shrink it down to half size for a mini gift bag using the Majestic collection by Gerri Robinson for Riley Blake Designs.

The footprint of this finished bag is only 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" -- such a sweet little size!

I met Gerri for the first time last June when she was kind enough to drive me all over Missouri while we were both teaching at Missouri Star Academy. She and I spent hours together that week chatting about everything under the sun -- fabric design, the quilting industry, our families. I loved every minute of it. Watching her teach was an education in itself for me. She is an incredibly talented and generous lady, and I admire her so much.

I chose just three prints from the Majestic collection for this project in a range of scales. The smallest scale white floral was especially perfect for a tiny bag like this one. These prints all work together so beautifully, don't they?

Whenever you shrink a pattern -- especially for a bag or basket -- there are positives and negatives. Smaller pieces make a much quicker sew, but the logistics can definitely be more difficult as you try to navigate your needle with a more narrow bag opening. The drawstring casing was a bit fiddly, but with some patience and care, I was able to get it right. It took me a while to decide what to use for the drawstring itself until I remembered my box of chunky thread by Lori Holt. This pink was a great match and just the right weight to fit easily in the casing. It's always hard to hit a speed bump when you're almost about to finish a project, so I was awfully glad to have that thread on hand!

Now that I'm looking at this little bag, I'm thinking that it would make a darling mini Easter gift basket. Just toss in some candy and other small goodies, and you're all set.

I have the sneaking suspicion that I may have just launched my next sewing obsession...

Stash & Carry Basket in Quilts & More Magazine

All images in this post used with permission from Quilts & More™ magazine. ©2019 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

The latest issue of Quilts & More magazine is in stores today, and I'm thrilled to have a pattern inside its pages! Of all the patterns I've written over the years, this Stash & Carry patchwork basket is definitely on the list of my top ten favorites.

This sweet fabric caddy is perfect for using your favorite tiny scraps, making it a burst of scrappy, happy color on your sewing shelf! Leather handles (which can easily be substituted with fabric or webbing ones) and an inside pocket for tools or notions are handy additions. The dimensions make it the perfect size for stashing charm packs or folded fat quarters.

I am so honored be a part of this amazing magazine in some small way. Be sure to pick up a copy at your local store. If you make one please share a photo on social media! Use the hashtag #stashandcarrybasket and be sure to tag me @fabricmutt so I can see what you're making. I'd love to see a picture of how you're using your basket too. This caddy can hold anything -- yarn skeins and crochet hooks, building blocks and legos, office or scrapbooking supplies, even bags of after school snacks or special goodies for your guest room. Use your imagination and share your ideas with all of us! I can't wait to see what you make...

The Pixie Cup Tutorial

By popular request, I'm sharing the Pixie Cup Tutorial with you today! These are similar enough to my Pixie Basket tutorial that I thought they ought to share the name, but there are definitely differences.

Keep in mind that when you're working with curves, things are always a little trickier. Go slowly while you're sewing a side piece to a circle piece and don't let it worry you. Here's a great tutorial for this type of sewing, even with ideas for getting the math right if you want to make your circle larger. Honestly, I didn't really do anything fancy while sewing those curves on my cups -- no pins, no clipping, no trimming the seam -- and everyone lived happily ever after. But if you feel better taking these steps, then by all means, do it!

You'll notice from this picture inside the cup that everything doesn't lie perfectly flat. Wrinkles are normal, especially when you're using linen. The inside opening can either be sealed up by machine or hand stitching. I tried it both ways and found that, as usual, machine stitching is faster while hand stitching is neater. Go with what you prefer. Since you're going to fill this cup with something useful or pretty, odds are pretty good that no one's ever going to see that seam anyway.

I've included dimensions for both sizes of basket: short and tall. The patchwork can be whatever you want as long as it fits in the exterior panel rectangle. I give you one patchwork square size option for each version just to get you started. It's also perfectly fine to just use a single piece of fabric instead.

Please do share pictures of your finished cups on social media -- I always love to see your projects! You can tag these #pixiecup (remember -- different from the #pixiebasket!) and be sure to tag me @fabricmutt. Since I've been getting a lot of questions from people about using these projects for classes, retreats, and pop-up shops, I've also added a Frequently Asked Questions section to my tutorials page where you can find all the answers.

Okay, let's sew!

Materials & Cutting

Tall Version
1 rectangle 4 1/2 x 13" of fabric for exterior panel (patchwork option: 8 rectangles 2 1/2 x 3 1/2" each)
1 rectangle 4 1/2 x 13" of batting for exterior interfacing
1 rectangle 4 1/2 x 13" of linen for lining
1 rectangle 4 1/2 x 13" of fusible interfacing (I use Pellon Craft Fuse) for lining interfacing
2 circles 4" diameter of linen for exterior and lining base pieces
1 circle 4" diameter of batting for exterior base interfacing
1 circle 4" diameter of fusible interfacing (I use Pellon Craft Fuse) for lining base interfacing
2 strips 1/2 x 3" of leather for handles (other options: twill tape, double fold bias tape)

Short Version
1 rectangle 2 1/2 x 13" of fabric for exterior panel (patchwork option: 8 rectangles 2 x 2 1/2" each -- you'll sew the 2 1/2" sides together)
1 rectangle 2 1/2 x 13" of batting for exterior interfacing
1 rectangle 2 1/2 x 13" of linen for lining
1 rectangle 2 1/2 x 13" of fusible interfacing (I use Pellon Craft Fuse) for lining interfacing
2 circles 4" diameter of linen for exterior and lining base pieces
1 circle 4" diameter of batting for exterior base interfacing
1 circle 4" diameter of fusible interfacing (I use Pellon Craft Fuse) for lining base interfacing
2 strips 1/2 x 3" of leather for handles (other options: twill tape, double fold bias tape)

Other Supplies
Adhesive basting spray
Thread & needle (if hand sewing the opening closed)
Chopstick or knitting needle
Binding clips

Note: all seams are 1/4" unless otherwise stated.

Instructions

1. Sew together any patchwork pieces. Use adhesive basting spray to fuse the wrong side of your exterior panel piece to the batting rectangle and trim down to the size of the exterior panel (depending on which version you're making). Quilt as desired.

2. Fold the leather pieces in half, wrong sides together, and stitch 1/8" from the raw edges. Line up the raw edges on the top edge, about 3 1/2 inches from each side edge of the rectangle (see above).

Baste in place.

3. Use adhesive basting spray to fuse the wrong side (if there is one) of one linen circle to the batting circle -- or to a 4 1/2" square that you will later cut down into a circle. Quilt as desired.

4. Place the exterior rectangle on top of the exterior base, right sides together, lining up the bottom edge of the rectangle on the side of the circle. Starting 1-2" from the short end of the rectangle, carefully sew the lower edge of the rectangle to the outside edge of the base, stopping about 1-2" before the other short end of the rectangle.

5. Match up the two short ends of the rectangle, right sides together, and sew them together. Then carefully finish sewing the rectangle piece to the circular base. Turn the exterior piece right side out and set aside.

6. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to fuse the wrong sides of the lining rectangle and lining base to the coordinating interfacing pieces. Repeat what you did in steps 4 and 5, using the lining pieces, but this time, do not finish sewing the rectangle piece to the circular base. Leave a gap of 2-4" for turning and leave the piece inside out.

7. Place the exterior inside the lining, right sides together, and clip them together along the top.

Carefully sew all the way around the top opening.

8. Reach in through the hole in the lining and pull out the exterior of the cup, pressing carefully with your iron. Push out the all the edges of the exterior by gently poking a knitting needle or chopstick through the hole in the lining. Stitch the opening in the lining closed either by machine or by hand. This is probably the trickiest spot for sewing around curves, so here I did find it helpful to use binding clips to hold the edges together, removing them one by one as I stitched it up.

9. Push the lining down into the cup and topstitch all the way around the opening.

Fill with goodies and enjoy!

The Pixie Basket Tutorial

Say hello to your new favorite quick project! This cute basket is the perfect size for binding clips, mini charm packs, or any other small notions you want to collect in your sewing room. It also makes a darling little gift basket for tiny presents (hint: Easter is coming!). Beyond that, you can use this to hold jewelry, crayons, office supplies, party favors, candy, clothespins, makeup, recipe cards, small toys -- just about anything! Best of all, you can easily sew one of these -- even two if you're quick -- under an hour.

Finished Size: 2 x 3 x 4 1/2’’

Fabric:	For:	Cutting:
10'' square pink kitty print	Exterior basket accent	Cut 2 strips 1 1/4 x 8’’
10'' square green stars print	Exterior basket main	Cut 2 rectangles 3 1/4 x 8’’
10'' square pink scissors print	Basket lining	Cut 2 rectangles 4 x 8’’
10'' square batting	Exterior interfacing	Cut 2 rectangles 4 x 8’’
10'' square muslin	Lining interfacing	Cut 2 rectangles 4 x 8’’
5’’ twill tape, 5/8’’ wide	Basket handles	Cut 2 pieces 2 1/2’’ long
Other supplies: adhesive basting spray

1. Sew a 1 1/4 x 8’’ accent strip along the top 8’’ edge of a main exterior rectangle and press the seam open. Fuse the wrong side of this exterior panel to a 4 x 8’’ rectangle of batting and quilt as desired. (I simply topstitched a line 1/8'' above the seam on the accent strip.) Repeat with the pieces for the other exterior panel.

2. Clip or pin the two exterior panels together with the right sides of the fabric facing each other. Make sure that the seams where the accent and main pieces meet match up on both sides. Sew all the way around three sides of the exterior panels, leaving the 8’’ sides of the accent piece open. Be sure to backstitch at the start and finish of your seam.

3. Box the lower corners. Push down on a side seam so that it lies directly on top of the seam on the lower edge of the main panel, creating a triangle of batting on that side. Use your ruler to measure off a 3’’ line down the side of that triangle facing the basket (the side seam should be resting at the 1 1/2'' line). Use a pencil or fabric marker to trace that 3’’ line and then use your ruler to measure and cut a 1/4’’ seam just beyond that. Check that your seams match up before stitching down that pencil line. 

Repeat on the other side of the basket.

4. Turn the exterior right side out and push out the corners of the basket. Fold a piece of twill tape in half so that the short ends meet. Baste the raw ends together to form a loop. Center the loop on a side seam of the basket so that the raw ends line up with the opening and baste it on place on the exterior of the basket. Repeat with the other piece of twill tape on the other side seam.

5. Fuse the wrong side of a lining piece to a 4 x 8’’ piece of muslin using the adhesive basting spray. Repeat with the other lining panel and muslin piece.

6. Clip or pin the two lining panels together with the right sides of the fabric facing each other. Sew all the way around three sides of the exterior panels, leaving a 3’’ gap in the middle of the lower 8’’ edge and the other long side open. Be sure to backstitch at the start and finish of each seam.

7. Box the corners of the lining exactly as you did in step 3. Keep the lining turned inside out.

8. Slip the exterior inside the lining (right sides of the fabric touching) and clip or pin all the way around the top opening, being sure to match up the side seams. Sew all the way around the opening.

9. Pull the exterior of the basket out through the gap in the lining. Tuck the raw edges of the lining back into the gap and close it up by sewing 1/8’’ from the edge, backstitching at both ends. Push the lining down into the basket and press it carefully.

10. Topstitch 1/8’’ all the way around the opening. To give the basket a more boxy shape, press all the creases at the corners and edges.

That's it! If you make a Pixie Basket of your own, please be sure to share your pictures on Instagram and Pinterest. Tag it #pixiebasket and tag me @fabricmutt.

And for those of you who, like me, won't be able to make it to QuiltCon in Pasadena this weekend, my friend Julie of The Intrepid Thread is hosting a fun online event called QuiltNon. If you make one of these Pixie Baskets and post it on February 18-21, you'll be able to get in on the fun -- that means prizes, my friends! She'll be sharing all the details on her blog soon, so be sure to head over there to check it out. And if you want to pick up a few fabric goodies from her shop while you're there, well that's okay with me...

Happy sewing!