Thanks to a few recent online purchases, I had an enormous pile of long brown packing paper strips in my studio. I couldn’t bear to just recycle it; it seemed to have so much crafty potential. So tasked with the challenge of creating a project to help get organized for the new year, I decided to turn that pile of paper into a woven basket. Folded into strips and edged with stitching, the paper took on a whole new quality that calls to mind upholstery webbing or even leather. This project is super easy to do, takes only an afternoon and is a great way to give new life to leftover materials. Let’s get started! — Brett Bara

Read the full how-to after the jump!

Materials

• long lengths of paper (I used packing paper, but wallpaper scraps or gift wrap would work great, too.)
• sewing machine
• glue or hot glue
• paperclips

Instructions

1. Fold and sew the strips.