I have made these!
What you need is quiet simple and they are fun to make. Site for materials at the bottom of this post! You can buy this cord at most local fabric stores that have home designer fabric.
-Cord for the size of basket you want. (Buy MORE than you think you will need!)
-1" strips of fabric. Tear on the grain if you want a fringe edge look. Or cut with your rotary cutter into the longest trips you can. Stay on grain!
-Bodkin (needle) to thread strips though with stitching coils together or large crochet hook.
-Fabric craft glue.
-Fabric protective spay (optional)
Start by placing about 2" of fabric strip end parallel opposite the staring end of your cord then fold fabric strip down over your cut end (glue in place) and then start to warp around cord, covering the 2 inch tail you already put down. As you wrap, determine how often you need to "sew" into an already wrapped cord to form the bowl, insert using your bodkin or using a large crochet hook to pull the strip through. You can connect your strips in several ways: You can sew them together as you go, you can tie them, or you can do a glue overlap as you go. It is easier to add strips as you go, rather than trying to manage a huge ball of strips. The Basket forms as you determine the number of coils you want. Remember the flat bottom base determines the circumference shape of the basket. After you get the base shape you want, start coiling and threading through as you build the basket up. When you get to the end, fabric stitch through, cover you raw in (glue the fabric over the cord) and pull fabric tail though a coil to hide it and glue in place.
If you have a fabric protective spray, take it outside and give it a misting. It will preserve the nice look longer!
This is such a fun project, and one kids can do too!
I would buy the 3/4" cord
http://www.carolsrugs.com/craft_coiling_cord.htm
