Create a Cute Basket from an Aerosol Lid : The Art of Upcycling

Create your own cute basket from an aerosol lid or similar at no cost to you. You could actually use any lid and make larger (or smaller) baskets. They are great for filling with pot pourri or lavender and I will show you that as an option in this tutorial. Lavender sachets are so useful in cupboards, drawers and wardrobes and also to simply place in your home.

Upcycling is great for sustainable crafting and crafting on a budget so great for us and the planet! I love trying to create items with my scraps and rubbish and I am sure you do too. These make great little gifts and wedding favours. They are also fabulous for fundraisers as they are inexpensive to make and do not take too long.

This tutorial is part of the Sustainable Craft Challenge Blog Hop for June. The theme for the challenge this month is ‘Trash to Treasure’. I thought using an aerosol lid fitted perfectly. At the end of the tutorial you will find all the other projects to try. I really recommend taking a look!

Search your supplies and see what you have already got and let’s get started.

This page contains affiliate links meaning I earn a little commission if you use those links at no cost to you. I only recommend brands I use and trust.

You will need:

Aerosol lid (or similar)
Pretty Fabric scraps
Felt scraps (or similar)
Lace trim (optional)
Glue
Basic sewing supplies
Lavender or pot pourri and netting (Optional)

Video Tutorial for Aerosol Lid Baskets

This video is also available on my YouTube channel.

Prepare your fabrics

Start by cutting out your required pieces:

It is important that your chosen lid has sides that go straight up and down and do not slope in or out. It is okay to have a protruding rim and if it does the height of your lid should be measured from below that rim.

From your pretty fabric cut one rectangle that is 6.5″ by 1.5″ to use as the handle and one rectangle that is the height of your lid times 2 +1″ by the circumference of your lid +3/8″. The circumference is the distance around the lid.

Don’t worry these are shown on the picture below. If you have trouble measuring around your lid (circumference) try using a tool like this one which wraps around items and gives you the measurement. This link takes you to a Reidea body tape measure.

From your felt cut a circle the size of the base of your lid. I recommend drawing round the lid and then cutting it slightly smaller. This will be the base of your basket and you do not want it sticking out beyond the lid.

From your lace trim cut a piece that is the circumference of your lid plus 0.5″.

Build your Basket

Step 1: Adding Lavender or Pot-Pourri

If you are adding lavender or pot-pourri then this step is for you. If not, skip to the next step.

Cut a piece of netting or very thin fabric to cover your basket and hold the lavender or pot-pourri in place. It should be the size of the top of your lid plus 0.5″ in all directions. You could simply place your lid on your netting and cut around it 0.5″ away.

Fill your lid with your lavender or pot-pourri and then glue the netting in place over the lid. I recommend running a line of glue around the lid and then gluing the netting to it. You will probably get glue on you as it comes through the netting!

Step 2: Sew your Handle and Basket Cover

The first step is to press the handle. If you like you can start by pressing the short ends in so that those ends have no raw edges either. Or you could choose to cover those later with pretty bows, etc. It is up to you.

Fold it in half lengthwise and press it. Open it up and, in turn, press each long side in to the centre. Then fold it along it’s length once again and it should have made a lovely handle with no raw edges, ready to sew.

Fold the large piece of pretty fabric in half and pin or clip the short edges together. Sew along this short seam and along the length of the handle. You can do this by hand or on the machine like I have done.

Take the basket cover (the tube) and fold it in half so that right sides are showing. So, the wrong sides should be facing each other. You will now have a tube the height of your lid plus a little bit. Sew along the raw edge to hold the fabric in place.

Step 3: Assemble your Basket

Slide the tube over your lid so that the raw edges fold under the lid. Glue them to the base of the lid. Make sure that you do not pull the fabric down the lid away from the ‘top’ of your basket. The raw edges will want to spring back so you may need to hold them until they stick a little.

fabric on aerosol lid for lavender basket

Now, stick your circle of felt over the base, covering those raw edges.

Turn the lid over and glue your lace trim along the top of the lid. You can make it flush with the top edge or stick it up slightly to hide the lid edge. It is up to you.

Then, glue the handle in place on either side of the lid. Stick 0.5″ down onto the lid so that it is secure. You can choose to cover the handles where they attach or simply leave them as they are.

You now have a completed cute basket from an aerosol lid. If you have not placed anything in it yet how about some sweets or chocolates?

cute aerosol lid basket with sweets in it

Fabulous Sustainable ‘Trash to Treasure’ Crafts

As promised here are all the other great sustainable craft projects for you to make:

What next …

If you are interested in some more lavender sachet / bag tutorials then how about making some lavender ‘teabags’ or what about some ribbon weaving lavender sachets or even some lavender hats.

If you have more aerosol lids that you have been hanging onto in case they come in useful (or is that just me) then how about making a cute gift box. Perfect for jewellery items!

Whatever you make enjoy your crafting and remember to pin this tutorial to make a basket from an aerosol lid on Pinterest so that you can find it later.