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Completed woven newspaper basket full of colorful hand towels sitting on a piece of pink polka dotted black fabric.
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Learn to Weave a Paper Basket of Newspaper

Upcycle old newspapers as you learn how to weave a paper basket of newspaper strips. Great unique May Day baskets, Easter baskets, or decor!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Paper Craft
Cuisine: Craft
Keyword: Art and craft project, family activity, how to make a woven basket out of paper, How to make a woven newspaper basket, how to weave a basket out of paper, how to weave a newspaper basket, how to weave a paper basket, upcycle
Servings: 1 Basket
Author: Shelly
Cost: $1

Equipment

  • Scissors
  • Stapler

Ingredients

Instructions

  • The folded edges of the newspaper sections need to be cut off so the newspaper is in single pages.
  • Fold each page in thirds lengthwise. Get as close to equal thirds as possible. 
    Then cut on the folds. 
    You will need 17-18 strips.
    Fold each strip into thirds and glue the flap down so it stays folded.
    Fold each of these strips again, this time fold them in half. Glue so it stays folded.
  • Lay down 6 strips side by side.
    Begin to weave a strip across these 6 strips- over, under, over, under, over, under.
    The second strip is woven across the 6 strips- under, over, under, over, under, over.
    Weave 6 strips. You will have a small weaving of 6 strips by 6 strips.
    Move the weaving to be in the center of both sets of strips. My strip ends past the weaving were about 9 inches long on all four sides.
    I used a stapler and stapled the cross points on the corners of the weavings to keep the bottom of the basket in place. 
  • Staple (or glue) a strip to one of the side strips on the left of your weaving. Then weave this new strip next to the bottom weaving you have already done. This establishes the pattern of the weaving around the sides of the basket (as you will soon see).
    BUT, when you get to the end of the six strips- fold the strip you are weaving with and begin to weave the six strips on the top of the weaving. Use the same over under pattern you were using before. Can you see that it is continuing the same over under pattern on these next strips? Cool, huh?
    This will lift some of the first six strips you wove on the left of the weaving and begin to lift some of the strips on the top of the weaving.
    Fold and weave across the six strips on the right side of the weaving and then again on the bottom side of the weaving. 
    When you return to where you began weaving, bring the end of your paper strip alongside the beginning of the strip and carefully staple it in place.
  • Start on a different corner of the basket and attach a paper strip to the first strip on that edge with a staple. If the previous side strip started in an “under over” pattern of weaving, this time you will start with an “over under” pattern.
    Weave this second strip around the basket like you did the first, folding and moving across each of the four sides. This will lift the rest of the basket strips up, so they are all vertical!
  • Repeat this process with 5 strips up the side to be like the baskets you see in these pictures and video.
    The baskets we wove have five strips up the side. You can weave 4, 5, or six strips up depending on how tall you want your basket.
  • To finish the top edge
    The paper strips can be folded to the inside and tucked through one of the woven loops on the inside of the basket if you want.
    OR, you can fold each strip and staple (or glue) it down inside the basket.
    Clip and trim the extra parts of the strips once you are done.
    Mold and straighten your basket shape a bit- there, that looks nice.
  • f you want a handle for your basket you can staple on one of the extra strips you made.

Video