Printable Picnic Basket Paper Craft Paper Squishy

Assembly overview

1. Print and cut five pieces. Print BOTH color OR BOTH coloring pages at 100% / Actual Size, without Fit to Page. Measure both 50 mm squares. Use 160-200 gsm paper if your printer supports it. Color first. Gather scissors, a ruler, thin craft glue and clear tape. Cut B, L, H, S1 and S2 on their heavy outlines, keeping every tab.
2. Pre-fold the basket net B. Fold the four long dashed lines around the base and the four short dashed corner-tab roots. Bend walls up 90 degrees from the base, with the basket pattern outside and blank paper inside. Keep the thin woven pattern lines flat. Do not cut the dashed folds or the H mounting pads.
3. Raise all four walls. Lift the two long walls and both short walls around the same rectangular base. Bring adjacent edges together at right angles. Turn the four corner tabs toward the INSIDE of the short walls. The arrows show the remaining walls coming up; no wall is removed from B.
4. Glue all four basket corners. Enlarged C1 corner; base omitted. In a, the dashed outline is its flat starting position: fold the attached tab inward 90 degrees from the long wall. Glue its PRINTED face and press it behind the short wall, as seen from inside in b. In section c, brown edges are printed faces; red dots show glue touching the short wall's blank inside. Overlap: 8 mm. Repeat for C2-C4; keep the rim level.
5. Tape the four upright seams. After the glue grips, bridge each outside corner with clear tape along the full 45 mm wall height, turning the tape onto both walls. The enlarged view shows one corner flattened for clarity. Repeat on all four. Leave the basket opening clear.
6. Fold both support strips. On S1 and S2, fold the narrow 5 mm band inward about 90 degrees along the dashed line. The broad 13 mm band stays vertical against the inside wall; put glue on its BLANK BACK only. The narrow band becomes a horizontal ledge pointing into the basket. Do not glue that ledge flat to the wall.
7. Mount S1 inside a long wall. Measure 6 mm DOWN from the basket rim to the support FOLD LINE, not to the lower edge. Center the 84 mm strip along a 94 mm long wall, leaving 5 mm at each end. Glue the blank back of its 13 mm band to the inside wall. Keep its 5 mm ledge horizontal and facing inward. The diagram looks straight at the inside wall.
8. Mount S2 on the opposite wall. Repeat on the opposite LONG wall. Its fold line must also sit 6 mm below the rim with 5 mm space at both ends. Both ledges face toward the basket center. Do not put a support on a short wall or across an outside H pad. Hold both strips until they grip.
9. Check that the ledges are level. Look across the basket from a short end. Both support folds must be the same 6 mm below the rim and both narrow bands must be horizontal. The enlarged section shows S1 and S2 on opposite inside walls. Adjust while the glue is still workable, then let the supports dry.
10. Fold the shallow lid L. Fold all four 8 mm edge bands DOWN from the top panel along the dashed lines, keeping the checked artwork on top. Fold the four small corner tabs inward. The lid is an upside-down shallow tray; the open underside faces the basket. Keep the top panel flat.
11. Close the four lid corners. Enlarged C1 lid corner; top omitted. In a, the dashed outline is its flat starting position: fold the attached tab inward 90 degrees from the long skirt. Glue its PRINTED face behind the short skirt; b shows the blank inside after joining. Section c shows glue as red dots between the printed tab face (brown edge) and blank short skirt. Overlap: 6 mm. Repeat C2-C4. Keep skirts down and level; dry. Do not glue L to B.
12. Test the lid on the supports. With the handle still separate, place L inside the basket with all skirts pointing down. The two long bottom skirt edges rest on S1 and S2. The top should stand about 2 mm ABOVE the rim so you can grip its edges. The section shows the contact. It should sit level with a small side gap; correct skewed folds rather than forcing it.
13. Curve the handle gently. Remove L for now. Curve H into a smooth arch with its printed face outward. The two 15 mm end zones attach to the basket; the 182 mm middle stays free. Dotted RIM lines are placement references, not sharp folds. Do not crease the arch or cut H into shorter strips.
14. Glue the first handle end. Place one 15 mm end over an H pad on the OUTSIDE of a short wall. Put glue on the BLANK BACK of that end. Align its dotted RIM line with the basket rim; the full end extends down the outside wall. Center it across the short wall. The enlarged section shows the handle outside the wall.
15. Attach the opposite handle end. Bring the free end over the basket and onto the H pad on the opposite SHORT wall. Glue its blank back in the same way, with RIM at the top and the 15 mm end below. Keep the arch centered lengthwise, smooth and untwisted. Both ends attach outside; the lid opening remains clear.
16. Reinforce both handle ends. Let both glued ends grip. Cover each end with a small clear-tape patch that extends onto the surrounding outside wall. The enlarged view shows the tape bridging the end and its edges; repeat on the other short wall. Let the glue dry fully before testing the lid. The handle is for the paper model, not a load-rated strap.
17. Replace the lid from the side. Hold L above either LONG wall with its skirts down. Slide it sideways under the handle, keeping it high enough for the bottom edges to clear the rim. Center it inside the basket, then lower both long skirt edges onto S1 and S2. Leave the lid loose and removable.
18. Lift the lid to open. Gently grip the two long lid edges that stand above the rim. Lift L about 8 mm from its seated position. Keep it level and below the arch. This raises all four skirt bottoms above the basket rim. The arrow shows only the lifting motion; do not pull it up through the handle.
19. Slide it out over a long wall. Keeping L raised and level, slide it sideways over either LONG wall, perpendicular to the handle arch. Keep its short ends inside the space between the handle legs until it clears. The arrow shows the exit route. To close, reverse this slide and lower the skirts onto the two ledges.
20. Finish and use gently. Check all corners, both support strips and both handle ends. Let the glue dry. The finished basket has a removable checked lid and a smooth printed-paper handle. Move it with a hand supporting the base, and use only light paper play items. The weave is printed decoration; this model is not filled with stuffing.