3. Braided T-Shirt Yarn Nesting Baskets
What This Idea Means
Sustainable and highly tactile, Braided T-Shirt Yarn Nesting Baskets are crafted by braiding strips of recycled cotton jersey fabric and coiling them into sturdy round storage bowls. These soft-sided containers fit inside one another when empty and provide an organic, textured storage option for jewelry, keys, or nursery items.
What You Need
- 3 to 4 old cotton T-shirts or rolls of continuous T-shirt yarn
- Heavy-duty tapestry needle and strong waxed upholstery thread
- Fabric scissors
- Safety pins or binder clips
How to Make It
- Cut T-shirts into continuous 1.5-inch wide strips. Stretch strips lengthwise so they curl into smooth yarn cords.
- Join three strands together with a knot and braid them tightly to create a long continuous three-strand braid. Secure ends with binder clips.
- Form a tight flat spiral coil with the beginning of the braid to create the basket base.
- Using a tapestry needle threaded with waxed thread, stitch adjacent braided coils together using a concealed whipstitch or figure-eight stitch.
- Continue coiling outward until the base reaches desired diameter (e.g., 6 inches for small, 8 inches for medium, 10 inches for large).
- Begin stacking the braid directly on top of the outer edge ring rather than outward to build the vertical side walls.
- Continue stitching upwards for 4 to 6 inches. Taper the end of the braid downward and stitch securely inside the inner rim.
Tips and Variations
- Tip: Pull stitches taut while building the side walls to ensure the basket walls remain upright and rigid.
- Variation: Alternate T-shirt yarn colors every few coils to create horizontal color-blocked rings or a boho spiral effect.