These gift baskets were just brown paper bags

Sunset, Dec, 1990

Recycling takes a fanciful turn with these yarn-decorated gift baskets. Each is made with four brown paper bags. Three of the sacks-slipped into one another and rolled down at the rims-form a trio of plump, stacked coils for the basket sides; a fourth bag, with bottom cut out, rolls into a sturdy handle that slips over the basket.

You thread yarn through the bags with an embroidery needle to add color and hold the layers together. A child age five or older can easily manage the folding and sewing, although an adult might guide hands on the first few rolls of a bag's rim to make sure the paper doesn't tear. At triple-bag strength, the baskets can support a fair amount of weight; use them to convey anything from homemade cookies or jams to a pretty house plant.