monarae1
- Oct 8, 2022
- 4 min read

SEW SATURDAY: How to Make Eco Conscious Faux Leather Gift Baskets with Dupioni Silk Lining

Follow along on how to make your own gift baskets out of gorgeous faux leather with a silk lining for your gift giving baskets this year for Holiday Season.

We will discuss:

Supplies
How to construct your basket

The idea to make my own baskets derived from the fact most gift sets come in a box or a generic wicker basket. I wanted to make a basket that can be used long after the contents of the basket are gone. A GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING.

This blog contains affiliates including Amazon. If you purchase an item from one of those affiliates I may receive a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Supples & Equipment

1. Sewing Machine--Most of you have a sewing machine but if you are in the market for a new one. Sewingmachineplus is a great place to find that perfect machine. They also have free financing.

Any sewing machine will do for this project as long as you have a Vinyl Foot. Faux leather is actually vinyl. A regular foot may not allow your material to glide through easily causing your stitches to look uneven. You can test a small piece first before purchasing one. My machine came with a variety of different feet so you may have one in your stash somewhere. However, they are not expensive--usually under $10

I found this amazing set of presser feet set that contains 32 different foot feeds for any kind of project you may be doing. If you are following along with me we will be using most of them if not all of them in my future blogs.

2. Faux Leather--you can purchase faux leather from Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's, Sallietomato.com (if you purchase from sallietomato use code MONARAE for a 10% discount), however, this gorgeous eco conscious faux leather was used for this project.

Amazon has many faux leathers in 12" x 53" rolls that are under $15. I love the holographic faux leather rolls--come in black, blue, champaine gold, pink, green, purple, red, silver, turquoise, & yellow.

3. Thread. I was using cotton thread on the shiny vinyl--I HATED THE LOOK. So, I did some researching and found this amazing thread for my faux leather projects. It is pricy but really makes a difference in the overall look--HOLOGRAPHIC SHIMMER THREAD. I bought the 7 spool set--cheaper and I will use each color. But if you are only doing one color you may opt for the single spool.

note: The holographic thread is a metalic thread. You may need a metalic needle if your thread breaks alot while sewing your seams. I did use a microtex needle which seam to work just fine just because I didnt have a metalic needle on hand.

4. Rotary Cutter, Ruler, and sharp Blade--if you dont have one--this set is the one I use for most of my projects. The refillable blades are relatively cheaper if you buy set of 10.

5. Silk Fabric- Dupioni Silk--which I have fallen in love with for making many other projects. So, I thought I would use this for the lining.

Dupioni silk is slightly thicker and easier to sew than some other kinds of silk. I chose this lovely iridescent blue--just because I didnt have any pink in stock. However, I think I really like the blue due to the iridescent blue hues in the pink faux leather.

THATS IT FOR SUPPLIES.

LET GET READY FOR THE FUN PART--CUTTING AND CONSTRUCTING.

Deciding on how big to make your basket depends on what measurements to cut your pieces. I opted for a shallow type basket with a 5" gusset. So, I cut mine 9" x 14" need 2.

Sew the bottom seam 1/2 inch.

2. Mark the bottom corners--using a ruler that has a 2.5" corner--this ruler is my absolute favorite ruler. I have used it so much the markings are wearing off. But it has a boxed corner setting to help measure your gussets. (2.5" marking will result in a 5" gusset).

3. Take you bottom seam and press open with your fingers (NEVER USE AN IRON ON FAUX LEATHER--IT WILL MELT).

Sew the seam open--makes your bottom look very professional.

4. Sew up sides--I like to sew 1/4" but you can sew your sides any size but remember to be consistant for both sides and your lining. The lining must fit into this perfectly.

5. Cut out your corners and sew--I have attached another blog that explains this process.

6. Cut and sew your lining the same way.

7. Iron the top of your silk lining down 1" and fold your faux leather down 1".

This blog contains affiliates including Amazon. If you purchase an item from one of those affiliates I may receive a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Place your lining inside your basket and pin. Remember we don't pin cork or faux leather you will need to use clips. I rarely pin anything anymore--I use my clips for about all my projects. Simply because I hate being poked by pins--I bleed easily and that is simply a nuisance.

I have mentioned before--I like tins so I buy and collect the tins that these wonderful clips come it--but there are so many to choose from.