Add sophistication to your next shower event with this DIY Baby Shower Bassinet Centerpiece. It’s easy to make from a simple item you probably have on hand!
Hi again, my dear Kenarry followers! It’s Sondra Lyn from Sondra Lyn at Home bringing a cute idea for a baby shower!
Have you ever hosted a baby shower?
Hosting a baby shower can be a big job – but it can also be a lot of fun. It can also stretch your creativity! I find it challenging to try and create unusual centerpieces for any event that I help host. For this shower, we needed gender-neutral decor, as the couple chose not to discover the gender of their baby until birth. So we opted for a mostly all-white theme. You would certainly have the option of introducing color.
A fairly large centerpiece was needed, so I came up with this quirky but cute baby shower bassinet that is actually a…
Wait. For. It.
Longaberger basket – which I transformed into a mini-bassinet for the table!
Let me show you how I did it!
How To Make A DIY Bassinet Baby shower centerpiece
You will need a sewing machine to make this craft. But I’ll show you how simple this really is.
I started with the now-retired medium gathering basket by Longaberger, but you can use any basket of similar size. I acquired this basket in the 90’s, and I’m betting there are lots of you who either have one, or have access to one!
Supplies:
- 1-yard broadcloth or other lightweight cotton fabric
- 3-5 yards of tulle
- 3-5 yards of grosgrain ribbon
- straight pins
- section of pool noodle same length as one basket handle
- small cardboard box approx. 10″W x 8″D x 7″H
How to Make a bassinet centerpiece
Just follow these easy steps and you can make your own beautiful centerpiece.
1. Sew Small Pleats in the Tulle
I used my sewing machine to sew small pleats in the tulle. Here are the steps I followed to do it.
- Measure around your basket and cut a piece of your grosgrain ribbon at that measurement, plus an inch or two.
- Fold the length of the tulle in half and then create pleats and pin about every 3/4 inch.
- Sew the strip of ribbon to the pinned pleated tulle with a zig-zag stitch.
2. Make the handle out of a pool noodle
Cut a section of a pool noodle to equal length of one basket handle. Cut a slit in the pool noodle all the way along the length of it.
Wrap pool noodle section around one of the basket handles, securing with strong tape (I used duct tape).
Then take the white cotton fabric and drape it over the basket, beginning at the handle that is covered with the pool noodle.
3. Wrap Fabric Around the basket
Wrap the fabric entirely around the basket, with enough length to drape down about 7 inches from the bottom of the basket (you’re going to sit the basket on top of the box – so this fabric will hide the box).
Just tape and tuck wherever necessary to wrap around the basket – this is not permanent, so it just has to lay good enough to get you through your event!
4. Attach the tulle
Then affix the tulle around the basket by pinning the ribbon to the white cotton fabric with straight pins, concealing the pins behind the grosgrain ribbon (you won’t be pinning the tulle to the handle, just around the circumference of the basket).
5. Add some decorative ribbon
Run a length of ribbon along the covered handle of the bassinet (on top of the handle with the foam on it), and attach a bow, if desired. Now you’re ready to display your mini-bassinet! You can fashion a little ‘baby’ inside with a rolled-up receiving blanket and a little hat.
Or you can make a display filled with disposable diapers as a gift to the newborn! And you can use your imagination and add color or other designs as well!
I hope you enjoyed this little idea for enhancing the tablescape at a baby shower.
Thanks for joining me today at Ideas for the Home by Kenarryâ„¢!
You can see some other ideas for events and gatherings at my blog, Sondra Lyn at Home:
Let’s Talk Weddings – A Bridal Applique
What’s Next?
Need more DIY craft ideas? Check out these other beautiful projects on
Originally published September 2015. Updated September 2019.
Love this! I am helping to host a baby shower for my first grandchild in a little less than a month and this will be awesome for all the outfits I’ve been buying my little peanut since the minute I found out about him!
Thank you!
Oh yay! I’m so glad this project from Sondra Lyn at Home is inspiring you to make one for your little peanut, Candy. We’d love to see pictures about how yours turns out. If you share pics on social media please tag us so we can check it out! Congratulations too on becoming a grandma. I’ve heard it’s one of the best experiences in life. Enjoy every moment!