A global field guide to design, (life)style and secret finds
est. 2007

  1. Make & Do by Beci Orpin: Pompom Baskets

    Pompom baskets, just one of the amazing projects in Make & Do by Beci Orpin, published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $39.95. Full step-by-step tutorial on WeeBirdy.com.

    Pompom baskets, just one of the projects in Make & Do by Beci Orpin, published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $39.95.

    Beci Orpin is back with her third amazing book, Make & Do, and I'm delighted to give you a sneak peek in this very special excerpt on Wee Birdy today! I've chosen to feature her pompom baskets project, because they are really easy to make and you can give them a festive touch for Christmas. In fact, a Christmas tree would look gorgeous in one of these baskets. The pompom baskets tutorial is just one of 25 projects created by Beci in Make & Do, designed to beautify your home or studio space. In the book, Beci invites you into her own studio, and introduces you to all of the different materials that she personally loves to use: textiles, paper, wood and found objects. Make & Do is a wee ripper of a book and would make the perfect Christmas present for all of your crafty and creative friends and family.
    Beci Orpin in her home studio. Photography courtesy of Beci Orpin and Hardie Grant, via WeeBirdy.com.

    Beci working in her home studio. Photography courtesy of Beci Orpin and Hardie Grant.

    Take it away, Beci... One of my theories in life is this: if you put a pompom on something, it instantly becomes better. This can be applied to many things, including cushions, headbands, cats and, now, wicker baskets. This is an easy project – but with maximum impact. The hardest part might be finding the baskets. I searched many places: the Swedish flat-pack furniture store came up trumps, and I also found some in our local discount store. You will need * wicker baskets * pencil * masking tape * paintbrush * acrylic paint * pompoms, with long strings * wool for pompoms * scissors LET's GO 1/ Use a pencil to draw your design onto the basket. TIP/A pencil is best for this; if you use a felt-tip pen in a dark colour, the outline may still be visible once the design is painted. Use a pencil to draw your design onto the basket. From 'Make & Do' by Beci Orpin, via WeeBirdy.com. 2/ If the design has straight edges, mask off the areas you don’t want to paint. Mask off the areas you don't want to paint. From Make & Do by Beci Orpin, via WeeBirdy.com. 3/ Paint the design using acrylic paint. You will need two coats of paint to get an even coverage. Paint the design using acrylic paint. From Make & Do by Beci Orpin, via WeeBirdy.com. 4/ While the paint is drying, make your pompoms. Make sure you leave a long string on the end of each pompom for tying. Make your pompoms. From Make & Do by Beci Orpin, via WeeBirdy.com. 5/ Thread the long pompom string through the basket and tie a knot on the inside to fasten it. Thread the pompom string through the basket. From Make & Do by Beci Orpin, via WeeBirdy.com. 6/ Work your way around the basket, securing the pompoms in place. Secure the pompoms in place. From Make & Do by Beci Orpin, via WeeBirdy.com. STYLE/ Tie a cute headscarf around your head and fill your basket with fruit. Pop it on your head and ta-da – Carmen Miranda! Project and images extracted from Make & Do by Beci Orpin published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $39.95 available in Australian stores nationally. It's also available online via Booktopia. Make & Do by Beci Orpin, published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $39.95. Tell me: do you love Beci and making pompoms as much as I do?
    Posted at 11:54 am in Books, DIY + Craft Tutorials
    Permalink
    Tagged ,

As seen in