I was going to hang a curtain rod and thrifty handmade curtains in the dining room… But then I got distracted with fabric and thinking about doing a little something with the chandelier shades… And then this wide, shallow metal basket caught my eye…

What can I say, I’m easily distracted by crafts.

I got it a year or two ago for just a couple of bucks. I love that it is a bit rustic, but also graphic in size and shape. It’s a good combo. But it was asking for a little… well… you know… tweak.

I tore several thin strips–about 1.5″ wide–to braid through the basket. [Have you ever torn fabric? It’s kind of wonderful: therapeutic and effective. You just snip a starting point and rip the length of the fabric strip. It creates a lovely frayed but perfectly straight edge.]

I tied the first strip on and wove it back and forth between the wires, continuing up and down, up and down, the height of the basket.

Of course I love the loose threads and uneven widths. Perfect imperfection.

Once the first strip had a few inches left, I tied on the next. [Then so on and so forth until I’d worked my way around the basket.]

I just tucked in the loose ends as I continued on.

I know it’s a tad late in the season to be adding a “winter coat” to something, but it certainly adds a bit of lovely texture and muted print to a formerly stale piece. This could be really fun with a bold floral woven through for spring… Or red & green come Christmas, wheeee!

And shazaam! Queen of the tweaks strikes again. [I feel a bit like a yarn bomber.] What colors and patterns would you add? Do tell!