This basket bag trend is absolutely one of my favorites. It's like carrying a little picnic basket on your arm. I saw this JADETribe bag on Instagram, checked it out and the price seemed way too high for me. It also seemed pretty easy to try to make. So I sought out a basket bag on Etsy that fit the shape I was looking for, got some string and created this little designer dupe ;)
Supplies You'll Need for this Project
• Straw bag // I found this Etsy shop online called LakeOfLife the bags are made in Thailand and it is so well made. I highly recommend the shop! Fast shipping too! The bag I purchased was $20.
• Yarn // any color you want! I wanted to keep mine white so it would be neutral.
• Super Sharp Scissors // Fiskars 8 Inch Forged Scissors
—These ones in particular are great. You want them to be super sharp because when making your pom pom, you have to cut through a lot of strands at once and you want a clean cut.
• Optional PomPom Maker // This isn't a necessity, the tutorial below shows you how to make them without one. The one I have is this one here
• Needle and Thread // You want a thick, sturdy needle. The thread color should match the color you choose for your poms
First you want to unravel a bunch of your yarn. Start wrapping the yarn around your hand like below. I wrapped it around my hand about 75 times—it only takes about 2 minutes. Once you have done that, cut the strand.
Then you want to slide the bunch off of your hand—keep it as neat as you can. Cut another strand of yarn, about 7 inches long. Tie the strand around the bunch in the middle. Tie it as tight as you can—double knot it.
Take your scissors, and cut each side of the loops like below.
After both sides are cut, you want to fluff around the strands so they are in the shape of a PomPom (it will be really messy). Then trim, trim, trim! Trim around all the sides so the strands are equal and you have a sphere shape. You can make it as imperfect or perfect as you want!
Next you want to thread your needle! Knot the ends pretty good, I tied mine three times. You want the knot to be a bit larger. Then sew through your pom pom once, and then go back thought it again. Make sure you are sewing through the middle of the pom.
Next you want to sew it on to the bag! This is why you want a thicker, sturdy needle. You want to pierce through a section where the woven strands meet. I would recommend sewing through at least twice. Make sure they are on pretty good! And then repeat with the other two poms! I started with the middle pom to make sure all 3 would be centered on the bag.
And well-ah!! Have fun rocking your bag!
Much love <3
-A
