Cardboard Tote

Materials:

large piece of corrugated cardboard at least 47" long*
craft knife with break off blades
acrylic paint in several bright colors
yardstick
paintbrush
clip clothespins

* Producer Linda Watson was able to obtain the cardboard at a box store. Large corrugated cardboard cartons are also available for the asking at appliance and furniture stores.

Note: It is important to note that when reading the directions this sounds difficult to make but this is so only because you are working with the heavy cardboard. It is, after all, just basic over-and-under weaving.

Steps:

1. Flatten cardboard and paint one side with bright colors and designs. Feel free to paint free form as the cardboard will be cut up and woven together so the pattern will be totally random.

2. Turn cardboard over. Draw and cut out 1-1/2" wide strips as follows:

nine strips 32" long
three strips 43" long
eight strips 47" long
two more 47" long strips for back up

3. Place the three 43" long strips horizontally wrong side up on tabletop. Butt them up to each other lengthwise and draw a line crosswise to indicate the middle. Place one of the 32" strips perpendicular to the others over the center line. Weave it between the three strips so it goes over the first, under the second and over the third. This is easiest to do if you just lift up the center strip, place the vertical strip in place and return the center strip to position.

6. Repeat the weaving with a second 47" strip but start in a different place, perhaps on the other side of the basket. Pull up all the strips that were down and fold back all of the strips that were up. Keep moving the clip clothespins to hold things in place as you go. Be sure to keep this second vertical strip above the first one so you are building the side of the basket.

7. Repeat these two rows two more times so you will have six rows in all. The vertical strips will no doubt be uneven so cut them all off with a scissors to even them up along the top surface of the basket. They will be fairly loose so glue them all together to hold in one solid strip. You may prefer to sew them together with embroidery floss. On the basket shown both steps were taken.

9. Cut a length of masking tape or a length of strong paper and glue it to the top edge to cover the exposed ends of all of the weaving strips. Paint to match the basket. Using strong cord, six strands of embroidery floss or suede laces go around the top of the basket with a blanket stitch (figure E). On the small basket used for demonstration these were stitched using a large needle. On the full sized basket it was possible to do this just using fingers to push the lace through the holes where the strips intersect.

10. Add two grommets to each side of the basket about three strips in from each end. Cut two lengths of thick nylon rope. Knot one end, pull the other end of the rope through one of the grommets from the inside out, pull the other end through the other hole on the same side from the outside in and knot the other end. Repeat on the other side of the basket. Now it's a tote!