A Little Valentine Bucket

Materials
Felt  –  20×8 rectangle or 20×6 for a shorter basket
Strips of scrap fabric  – 2” wide – make sure they are long enough so that when you fold them over the cover the felt
For binding top raw edge (if not using a lining): 1 20.5+” strip x 2” wide

Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prepare the Base
Lay your batting or felt flat, long edge facing you.

2. Position the First Strip – place the first strip right side up
    Add the Second Strip (The “Flip and Stitch”)

• Place your second strip right side down on top of the first strip, aligning the long raw edges.
• Sew through all layers (both fabric strips and the batting/felt) along that aligned edge using a $1/4$-inch seam allowance.
• Flip: Open the second strip so it is now right side up.
• Press: Press the seam flat with an iron (be careful not to melt synthetic felt or batting).

3. Continue the Pattern

• Take your third strip and place it right side down on the second strip, aligning the new raw edge.
• Sew, flip, and press.
• Repeat this process in both directions from the first strip until the entire piece of felt is covered, leaving ¼” or less of the felt showing on the edge that will be at the top of the basket if not adding a lining. Leaving no felt showing at the bottom edge. 

4.  The “Self-Finished” Last Strip 

1. Prep the Last Strip: Before sewing the final 2” wide strip down, take the strip and fold the outer long edge over by 1/4-inch toward the wrong side. Press it flat with an iron.
2. Align and Stitch: Place the strip right side down on your project, aligning the raw edge (not the folded edge) with the edge of the previous strip.
3. Sew: Sew your 1/4-inch seam as usual.
4. Flip and Topstitch: Flip the strip over the raw edge of the felt and press. The outer edge is now neatly bound
5. Finish: Instead of leaving it loose, topstitch very close to that folded edge (about 1/8-inch away) to secure it to the felt or batting. This creates a clean, hemmed look without needing a separate binding.

5. Preparing the basket pieces.

Trim off the excess fabric with a ruler to ensure you have a neat and precise 20×8 piece. Then cut in half to have two 10×8 pieces.
At the corners of the bottom raw edges of each 10×8 or 10×6  rectangle, make a 2”x2” notch cut-out in each corner.

6. Assembly
With right sides of strip-and-flip pieces together and top edges aligned, sew ¼” down each side seam towards the 2×2” corner cut-outs. Then sew a ¼” seam across the bottom edge.

Pinch the corners on the diagonal and sew a ¼” seam across each notch. Turn Right Side.

Bag out through the opening in the lining bottom. Hand-sew the opening closed.