Picnics are exciting moments that come with so much fun, love, and togetherness. You can add a special spark to the outdoor event with awesome picnic baskets. These are baskets that not only carry your food and essential items but also speak of class and elegance.
The only bad thing is these picnic baskets can be expensive. So, how do you avoid spending a fortune on a picnic basket and yet have something beautiful to go with. Your best bet is any of the many Do-It-Yourself options out there. You could go out and make one on your own.
Thankfully, these options are often affordable and easy to make. In this article, we’ll show you how to make a picnic basket with cardboard paper and also how to weave a wood basket. But first, let’s see some fun picnic basket ideas to inspire you.
Picnic Basket Ideas
- DIY Picnic Basket
With a basic basket (usually inexpensive), you can make an amazing picnic basket by yourself. All you need is the basket, tassel trim, paint, and a hot glue gun. Your task won’t be more than applying the paint and attaching the trip with glue. The total cost will rarely exceed $15. It’s even better if you already have a basket and other materials at home. Your basket can be ready in as little as five minutes, although it often takes long hours for the paint to dry out.
Source: https://aplentifullife.ca/diy-picnic-basket/
- Divided Basket Pattern by Noodle
This basket employs a versatile pattern that allows for different items for a picnic event. It’s also a great fit for keeping gifts, towels, and even diapers. It is a structured basket, with a divided liner – where it gets its name. The divider is held in place on both sides of the basket, as well as the bottom. It also has a pocket in from where you can tuck in small items. The Divided Basket Pattern tops off its incredible design with two different types of handles.
Source: https://www.noodle-head.com/2013/01/divided-basket-pattern.html
- His & Hers Natural Woven Picnic Tote Bag
The His & Hers Natural Woven Picnic Tote Bag has a 100% cotton canvas and is made of hand-woven wheat. It is a perfect bag for your next picnic, with its attractive and elegant design. The basket has six outside pockets that can hold various items. You’ll also find open pockets inside to hold smaller items.
Source: https://www.hansonellis.com/eco-friendly-woven-picnic-tote-bag.html
- Contemporary DIY Picnic Basket
If you’re looking to make a contemporary picnic basket on your own, then you can turn an IKEA Viktigt basket into one. All you need are some thumbtacks, a yard of fabric, 1/4″ wood, thread, adhesive Velcro, a sewing machine, and a power drill. The fabric lines the basket to provide a comfortable hold for your items. The Velcro strip is great for storing silverware. For a more attractive design, consider adding a ribbon bow as a finish.
Source: https://www.curbly.com/18081-ikea-hack-contemporary-diy-picnic-basket
- Backpack Picnic Basket
There are times you just want to break out of the box and do the unusual. You can create that intriguing scene when you land a picnic with a backpack picnic basket. Away from the traditional baskets, you have all you need across your shoulders. This backpack picnic basket has lots of space to hold food for four people. It has pockets on the exterior to hold other food items as well. The interior has several pockets that hold items in place, ensuring they don’t jostle as you move.
Source: https://www.asunnyafternoon.com/picnic-baskets/
- DIY Modern Picnic Basket
With a nice basket with a lid, you can create a spectacular modern picnic basket. Materials you might need to make this picnic basket include fabric to line the basket interior, elastic band, scrap paper, scissors, sewing pins, and utensils you would need for the picnic.
Source: https://www.deeryarddesigns.com/blog/diy-modern-picnic-basket/
- Sutherland Jubilee
This is a rectangular handcrafted interwoven basket. It shines with a leather handle on the outside and attractive straps for utensils on the inside. The basket can hold two plastic plates, knives, cotton napkins, plastic cups, and other items. Weighing just four pounds, the picnic basket is easy to carry, durable, and boasts of incredible quality.
Source: https://foodal.com/kitchen/general-kitchenware/guides-general-kitchenware/picnic-baskets/
- Vintage Woven Basket
This is an amazing and elegantly designed picnic bag made of woven wicker. Its trim and handles are made of original leather, giving you a bag that stands out of the crowd. The bottom of the basket is lined with fabric to hold your item in place. You can trust the sturdy wicker to last for a long time to come.
Source: https://www.esty.com/listing/183804240/vintage-women-basket-wicker-straw-bag/
- Shoebox Picnic Basket
Now, making a picnic basket doesn’t have to be expensive. It could be as affordable as an old shoebox and some fabric. You can select a nice, colorful fabric to give your picnic box an exceptional look. Wrap the shoebox with the fabric and stick the fabric edges to the box with fabric glue. Then attach two ribbon handles to the box to help you carry the basket. Consider also lining the interior of the basket with a fabric or you can use a handkerchief. To even make the basket more attractive, add some embellishment as you desire. This is arguably the simplest, easiest, and most cost-effect DIY way of making a picnic basket.
Source: https://100directions.com/make-a-cute-shoebox-picnic-basket/
10. Picnic Tote by Brookstone
This picnic tote by Brookstone is fashionable, convenient, and long-lasting. Is the perfect picnic companion, built to ensure you have a comfortable time outdoor. The basket has enough space to hold plenty of snacks, drinks, glasses, and napkins. What’s even more interesting about this picnic essential is that it has an insulated compartment that retains the temperature of your food.
Source: https://brookstone.com/products/the-chiller-with-picnic-tote
- Canasta Grande Basket
There’s no better way to bring elegance to your outing than coming with this Canasta Grande Basket. Its traditional design is a perfect reflection of simplicity and class. Besides its amazing look, it has lots of storage space for anything you want to carry. The long, sturdy straps are there to ensure you have no problems moving the basket. Although the basket has no accessories attached, that gives you room to fit in anything you want.
Source: https://www.asunnyafternoon.com/picnic-baskets/
- Country Picnic Basket
This is another handmade interwoven basket on the list. The Country Picnic Basket stands out for its oval shape and elegant wooden appearance. It has two wooden lids on top to cover your wares and there’s a strong handle right at the top also. The basket finishes off its awesome design with a nave and white-striped fabric running on the top edges.
Source: https://overstock.com/Home-Garden/Country-Picnic-Basket-Navy-White-Stripes/28236949/product.html/
- Lined Picnic Hamper
The Hillside Picnic Basket is a rectangular basket, made entirely of wood. The wooden strips are carefully woven to give a traditional, yet aesthetic design. The basket has no compartment and has a large storage space. It can hold meals for more than three people, cups, utensils, and picnic towels. The basket also boasts of a strong lid that’s equally made of woven strips. It has two strong handles that fall perfectly to the sides when not in use.
Source: https://camillestyles.com/entertaining/parties/10-best-picnic-baskets/
- Fabric Basket
This cute basket comes from a combination of different fabric materials. With over 10 inches in height and width, this basket can carry a lot of items. The bottom and sides are strengthened by Timex to prevent any floppiness. The basket has a lot of interior pockets to hold several items and there’s a strong drawstring attached also.
Source: https://knitboxing.ong.id.au/2007/03/28/up-to-no-good/
How to Make a Picnic Basket Out of Cardboard Paper
A paper basket is an inexpensive way to make a fabulous picnic basket yourself. The process is straightforward and gives you a great basket at the end. Let’s get into it:
Tools:
- Brown paper (preferably size A2)
- Hot glue gun
- Scissor
Steps:
- Cut the cardboard into strips (about 2.5 inches wide) along the long side of the cardboard. You’ll need about 12 strips, but that depends on the size of the basket you want.
- Once the strips are in place, start weaving. Line some strips on a flat surface and place other strips over them. If you’re using 12 strips as suggested, place four strips horizontally and 4 strips vertically. Ensure that the strips are all of equal lengths and that their ends meet perfectly with one another.
- Use the glue gun to glue the strips together at each corner. Doing this will ensure the straps stay in place when you begin to weave the sides.
- The next step is to fold and unfold each of the strips.
- Starting at one side of the square, add a new strip, apply glue so it stays in place. Then weave in the new strip.
- Fold the new strip so it creates a corner. Each time you go around a corner, glue the strips together. Keep weaving in the new strip and fold it at each corner until you’ve weaved all four sides of the basket.
- When you’ve gone all the way around, glue the end of the strip to the inside of the basket.
- Similarly, add two more strips and then cut off the excess end of the strips.
- Cut the last strip into two halves. Use one half and add glue to each end and attach to the top of two opposite sides of the basket to create the handle.
Remember, if you want to make a much bigger picnic basket, you should use more strips.
How to Weave a Picnic Basket
Step One: Weave the picnic basket’s sides and assemble the frame
- The first step in creating the picnic basket’s sides is to re-saw on a band saw a series of eight-inch thick weaving strips that will be woven together to form the panels of the baskets frame.
- Next is to run the strips through a planner to make them flatter.
- Lay the narrow vertical stripes in the top and bottom rails for our picnic basket’s long sides on a benchtop.
- Use a series of a one and half-inch spacer blocks to check the spacing of the vertical strips.
- Lay the strips on the grooves that are plowed into the bottom rail of the basket.
- Use a pencil to mark the approximate position of each of the vertical weaving strips on the bottom rail and use it as a guide to where to apply glue into the groove.
- Then glue the vertical strips into the groove of the bottom rail.
- Next is to insert the horizontal weaving strips into the free end of the vertical strips and then pull them down.
- Alternate the horizontal strips under and above the vertical strips as you put them.
- Apply glue to the grooves in the top rail and ends of the vertical strips. Then attach the vertical strips into the grooves of the bottom rail.
- Flatten the ends of the woven strips. Then glue the corner styles to the top and bottom of the horizontal rails on the long side of the picnic basket.
- Use clamps to hold everything together.
- Repeat the same process for all the sides of the wooden basket, save that you’re using shorter strips for the short sides of the baskets.
Step Two: Glue the Sides Together
- Insert one of the short sides of the basket to one of the long sides with glue. Apply clamps to hold the long and short sides in place.
- Glue the other short side to the same long side and apply clamps.
- Then place the whole assembly upright on the benchtop and then glue the other long side on the open ends of the short sides.
- Apply regular clamps to hold the entire assembly in place.
Step Three: Make the Bottom
Here, you can decide to use weaving strips to create a bottom side and glue to the bottom end of the basket. Alternatively, you can use flat wood and attach it to the bottom of the wood with clamps.
