Easter Chick Basket

Your child will be the hit of the Easter egg hunt with this colorful basket adorned with a bright yellow chick. It's also a perfect holiday centerpiece or decoration. Thanks to STYROFOAM Brand Products, creating this animated basket is hop, skip and a jump down the bunny trail. For easier assembly, read our tips first and then follow the step-by-step instructions.

Materials:

• STYROFOAM Brand Products:
  • 1- 6" ball
  • 1- 4" ball
  • 1- 5-quart plastic bucket
• Felt:
  • 1-1/2 yd. yellow
  • 1-1/2 yd. lavender
  • 1-2/3 yd. plum
  • 1-1/8 yd. orange
• 1- pair 25mm wiggle eyes
• 1- bag of yellow feathers
• 1-1/4 yd. print fabric
• 1- large silk flower
• 12- clothespins
• Wire:
  • 1- 18" 16-gauge stem wire
  • 7- stems 26-gauge wire
• Easter grass
• Scissors
• Wire cutters
• Glue gun and glue sticks or white tacky craft glue

For pattern, click here.

Steps:

1. Cut (6) 2" x 36" strips of lavender felt. Cut (2) 2" x 36" and (1) 3" x 36" strips of plum felt.
    
2. Turn bucket upside down. Center one lavender strip on bucket bottom; pin ends of felt strip to bucket brim with clothespins. Glue strip to bucket at center point. Repeat with second lavender strip, making a cross on the bottom of the bucket. Glue remaining lavender strips to bottom of bucket like spokes on a wheel; pin ends to bucket brim; carefully glue together strips where they overlap on bottom of the bucket.
    
3. Weave (1) 2" plum strip around bottom edge of bucket. Begin and end weaving under same lavender strip, securing with glue. Weave another 2" strip above the first, forming a checkerboard pattern.
    
4. Finish weaving with the 3" strip of plum felt. Fold excess felt over brim and glue in place. Trim ends of strips to 3"; glue ends to inside.
    
5. Center and glue a 9" circle of plum felt inside bucket. Glue a 6 1/2" x 28" strip of plum felt around the inside of the bucket, securing top edge neatly.
    
6. For chick body, cut 6" ball in half. Lay half of ball, rounded side down, on center of a 10" yellow felt square. Stretch and tightly pull felt up and around half ball; glue in place. Cut excess felt off back of ball.
    
7. For head, bend one end of 6" length of 16-gauge wire into hook shape. Glue end of hook and insert it 1 1/2" deep into 4" ball. Place ball on center of 14" yellow felt square; gather and stretch felt tightly around ball to wire. Tightly twist 2 strands of 26-gauge wire around felt and stem wire; cut excess felt to 2" past wire. Glue a 1" x 7" strip of yellow felt around the neck of the chick to cover wire twist.
    
8. Poke a small hole close to the edge of the chick body. Glue and insert the head stem into the body, opening the gathered edge at the neck and pressing the head onto the body securely.
    
9. From yellow felt, cut (2) large feathers (pattern A), (2) small feathers (pattern B), and (2) eyelids (pattern C). Fold the large feathers over slightly as indicated by dotted line on pattern A; glue onto back of body (see photo). Glue body to basket front. Glue gathered edge at back of neck to basket brim. Slightly overlap small feathers and glue on chick's chest.
    
10. Cut (4) feet (pattern D) and a 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" beak from orange felt. Stack 2 feet together and glue; repeat with remaining feet. Glue feet to bottom of the body (see photo).
     
11. Fold beak in half diagonally and glue to head. Glue wiggle eyes and eyelids in place.
     
12. Cut (2) 2" x 24" strips of fabric. Tie one strip around neck in a bow; glue silk flower to center of bow. Tie second bows to basket handle.
     
13. Glue feathers between the layers of large felt feathers and around neck. Poke a small hole on top of the head; glue and insert 3 feathers. Fill basket with Easter grass.

®™ Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company ("Dow") or an affiliated company of Dow. For more project ideas, please see styrofoamstyle.com.