Don't throw that old tablecloth away, turn it into a cute fabric basket

It's a problem all too familiar to most craft enthusiasts: too much stuff and nowhere to put it. From yarn and knitting utensils to spare fabric and scrapbooking items, these are things you don't want to get rid of, but also do not want lying around your home either.

Fortunately, this project not only puts some of that spare fabric to use, but also leaves you with a shabby-chic storage option for those extra items. With the help of an old tablecloth and the directions below, you'll be enjoying your very own fabric basket in no time.

- Tablecloth
- Seam ripper
- Stiff canvas
- Lining fabric (fat quarters are ideal)
- Iron and ironing board
- Elmer's clear glue stick
- Iron-on interfacing
- Rotary cutter
- Cutting mat
- Rulers
- Sewing machine and/or serger
- Thread cutters
- Pins
- Fabric pencil

1. With the help of your seam ripper, remove a portion of the tassels or trim from the tablecloth to be used on the basket later.

2. Cut your lining, outer fabric (tablecloth), and canvas to desired basket size with your rotary cutter on the cutting mat. If using fat quarters for the lining, you may only need to trim an inch from both the shorter sides and the long side when folded in half. Simply trim the tablecloth and canvas to match that size. Be sure to trim four additional strips of tablecloth along with the fusible interfacing to serve as the handles of the basket; these should be 2" x 10" in size.

3. Flat the canvas and the tablecloth with the iron, then line the canvas with the glue stick and press the tablecloth into the glue. Now that the fabric is glued together, baste the sides with your sewing machine, sewing each side individually rather than all the way around, and working with parallel sides first.

4. Fold your outer in half, pinning the edges, then sew the sides.

5. Fold the fabric inside out and measure straight across the corner with the ruler, marking with the fabric pencil, then sew across. Trim the pointed corners once sewn. Repeat this step with the lining.

6. Place the four strips of handle fabric with their interfacing counterparts, then pair them together so there are two sets of two fabric/interfacing strips. Place the pairs together with the tablecloth patterns facing each other. Pin and then sew their edges together, turning them right-side out once sewn.

7. Now you'll have two complete handles. Iron them so they lay flat, and then pin the handles to the sides of the basket. Next, pin the lining to the outer shell at the top, with their right sides facing each other.

8. Sew the top edge, leaving a small space open to turn the lining. Once the edge is sewn, use that space to turn the basket right-side out.

7. Iron that top edge so it lays flat, and then pin the trim from Step 1 to the top edge and sew it in place.