By Lynsey Ruml

We worked hard to make ClimateGard the most sustainably packaged fertilizer on the market, and a big part of that effort was making the organic cotton bag reusable.

With this quick tutorial, you can turn our organic cotton packaging into a sturdy fabric basket to gather your harvest! Since there’s no measuring required, this basket is an easy, relaxing project with a cute and functional result.

Supplies Needed:

• 4 Climate Gard Organic Cotton Bags (from our 7.5 lb size)

• 3/4 yards Thermolam Fusible Fleece, or stabilizer of your choice

• Coordinating Heavy Duty Cotton Thread

Tools Needed:

• Size 16 Sewing Needle

• Seam Ripper

• Sewing Machine with standard straight-stitch option

All steps in this project use a standard 5/8th’s standard seam allowance. Let’s get started!

Step 1 — Turn your four bags inside out and use a seam ripper to disassemble them. Iron bag pieces and cut off loose threads. These are now your ‘basket pieces.’

Step 2 — Iron basket pieces flat and cut out two pieces of fusible fleece (or interfacing of choice), using a bag piece as a cutting template. Set the jute ties aside and reuse them to trellis your roses or vining veggies!

Step 3 — Affix interfacing of choice to the wrong (non-printed) side of TWO basket pieces, according to manufacturer’s directions. These two will become your OUTER basket pieces. The other two, non-interfaced pieces are your basket’s LINING.

Step 4 — Cut out 3.5 inches square from each corner. When you lay your pieces flat, they should now look like the photo below (throw the leftover squares in your scrap basket to use for our next upcycle tutorial).

Step 5 — Sew-up sides and bottom of OUTER basket pieces, leaving the cut corners open.

Step 6 — Sew sides and bottom of LINING basket pieces, leaving cut corners open AND leaving a 6-7 inch opening on one side of the lining piece, as shown. It is important to leave this opening, so we can turn our baskets right-side out later!

Step 7 — Iron the seams of your outer basket and lining neatly. Match corner pieces, pinning seams together as shown and sew together.

Step 8 — Turn the outer bag right side out and the basket lining inside out. Insert the outer basket INTO the lining and match side seams, pinning together the main basket piece and lining around the top as shown. Your basket should now look like the photo below, with the right sides of the outer basket and lining facing each other.  

Step 9 — Turn the lining right side out through a 6-7 inch opening. Close lining by ironing seam and quickly top stitching close, or hand stitch close if you prefer. Insert lining into basket.

Step 10 — Fold over the basket top to desired height and press tops and seams.

Congratulations! You’re finished. Enjoy your new bag and happy harvesting!

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Order ClimateGard™ Bio Organic Fertilizer

• Cutting-edge microbiology

• No kill formula

• Superior plant nutrition derived from the most ethical, sustainable sources available.

• Produces the same results as conventional fertilizers without the negative environmental impacts.

• Each ClimateGard pellet is infused with micronutrients, silicon, humic acid and a high-performance blend of living bacteria and fungi.

• Delivered in an environmentally friendly organic cotton bag with a compostable inner liner.

• Will continue to enrich your soil long after application.

• $39.95 for 7.5 pound bag | $69.95 for 15 pound bag.