Easter

Celebrate Green by making an easy Easter basket that can become an heirloom

This basket is simple to make and as cute as they come. Children as young as three can help and most six or seven-year-olds can make it themselves.

1. Cut 3" wide strips of fabric on the bias. (Across the fabric grain.) Don't worry if the strips aren't exact.
2. Lay a piece of 1" diameter rope (or if you happen to have any cotton piping lying around, that's even better) in the middle of one of the strips.
3. Wind a piece of yarn tightly around and around the outside of the fabric encasing the rope. When you finish the end of a fabric strip, just add another on. Don't worry about it looking messy. That will just add to the charm.
4. Keep wrapping and winding until you have a coil at least seven feet long. This will make a small basket. If you want a bigger one, double the length of the strip.
5. Note: If you want to, you can sew the yarn on periodically which takes more effort, but can save time in the end because it will keep the yarn from unwinding as you continue to add more strips and rope.
6. Once you've got your long, snake strip, thread a large embroidery needle with strong thread, ribbon or yarn.
7. Wind a circle with your strip for the bottom of the basket. Instead of sewing as you move along, simply slip the needle over the strips next to each other, round and round you go. (This sounds a lot more complicated than it really is.) Make the bottom as large as you want, then begin to tighten the circle a bit to build up the sides. Make the sides as tall as you want. Cut the strip.
8. Cut a length for a handle and sew to either side of the basket.
9. Cut a few leftover strips of fabric into shorter lengths and tie on either side of the handle for additional decoration.