DIY Personalized Basket
Make a DIY personalized basket as a gift for a new mom or for someone who knits or crafts. Since they're so versatile, they can easily be repurposed and enjoyed for years to come.
Instructions
Prepare the Baskets and Yarn:
- The baskets come in a flattened pack, but they open and shape up nicely with little effort. Begin by opening up the basket fully and shaping it.
- Find the end of your yarn and knot it. This isn’t necessary, but I like to make a small, tight knot to keep the end from fraying as I work, and I think the knot gives the yarn a nice, finished look.
- Lay the yarn out on the basket to shape the name that you want to personalize the basket with.
- Tip: Look up a font that you like for the name you are spelling. Working by example helps to visualize the end result and can give you a good idea for forming the letters as you work. Using the natural lines created by the rope on the basket is an excellent way to make sure you are keeping the name nice and level.
Create the Letters:
- Pin each letter in place as you go. Work letter by letter to secure them in place as you go. This will keep the spaces even.
- Once the letters are secured in place with sewing pins, check to make sure the name is nicely centered, the letters are evenly spaced, and the name appears exactly as you want it.
- Tip: Do not cut the yarn until you are sure you are ready and everything is in place! I like to wait to cut the yarn until I have glued all the letters in place. This ensures I don’t run out if I happen to need any extra yarn as I carefully move the letters during the gluing process. It is always better to have extra!
Glue the Letters Down:
- Plug in your hot glue gun and get ready to glue the letters in place.
- Once the glue is hot, begin gluing letter by letter. Remove only one or two pins at a time and work slowly making small strips of glue as you go. I like to lift a little stretch of yarn, apply a little bit of hot glue, and then replace the yarn over it. Press the yarn gently into the glue to allow it to set up before removing the next pins and working on the next section of yarn
- Tip: The glue and the yarn are pretty forgiving as long as you pick it up quickly, and you can lay it down again as needed. The yarn is also thick, and if you use the glue sparingly, you can avoid burns pretty easily!
- Keep working in small sections, only unpinning a few pins as you go. Working in small batches like this will help you to keep an eye on the formation and spacing of the letters. I like to save crosses (t’s) and dots (i’s) for the very end once everything is placed.
- For letters like ‘n’, ‘r’ and ‘y’ you can twist the yarn around itself to form a single line. Also, feel free to snip the ends after a few letters and start again wherever it feels natural to do so such as with letters ‘a’, ‘c’ and ‘d’ (or any letters where you naturally go to the top and stop and then trace back down when writing in cursive) This helps to reduce bulkiness, but it isn’t necessary! You can simply opt to work with only one long run of yarn.
- Tip: To keep things nice and neat, make sure to glue the second run right by the first run, and press them close as you glue them.
- Once you are finished gluing the letters, if you haven’t done so already, snip the end of the yarn and knot it before gluing the last section in place.
- Enjoy your new personalized basket or fill it with fun things and gift it to a friend.
Notes
Open the basket first: If it's been flat-packed you'll need to stretch it out a little.
Knot the yarn at the start: A small, tight not keeps the end of the yarn from fraying as you're working with it.
Find a font you like: Find a suitable font online and copy the letters using your yarn.
Pin the letters as you go: It's a good idea to pin the letters as you go, so you can check they're looking good and spaced properly.
Don't cut the yarn yet: Make sure you're 100% happy with how the name looks before you snip off the yarn.
Knot the yarn at the start: A small, tight not keeps the end of the yarn from fraying as you're working with it.
Find a font you like: Find a suitable font online and copy the letters using your yarn.
Pin the letters as you go: It's a good idea to pin the letters as you go, so you can check they're looking good and spaced properly.
Don't cut the yarn yet: Make sure you're 100% happy with how the name looks before you snip off the yarn.
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