Needed supplies:
-Fabric (dimensions explained further in the tutorial)
-Lace or binding
-Of course, your basket
Measure your basket around
the fullest part. Then add 2 inches for seam allowance and for a relaxed fit. My basket measured 43 ¼ inches. Adding 2
inches made it 45 ¼ inches. I rounded down to 45 inches.
Measure the height of
the basket, inside and out. My basket measured 5 inches on the inside and 6
inches from the outside.
So to make the basket:
-I will need fabric for the
inside liner (45 inches X 6 inches). It will be one piece.
-The pocket fabric
will be longer because of needing room for the pockets. I wanted 10 pockets and
I didn’t want roomy pockets. I needed one piece (63 inches X 5 ½ inches). This
will need to be a little shorter so when you sew the inside liner to the
outside liner, the pockets won’t be sewn closed.
-The outside skirt of the
basket liner is in two parts so it will fit over the handle (22 ½ inches X 6 inches).
-Then the fabric for the
pockets (22 ½ inches X 5 inches). The two pieces are the same measurements
because I don’t like the pockets on the outside of the basket to be roomy
because things might fall out.
Fold over and press ¼ inch
seam on the top of the pocket pieces and stitch to secure.
Pin the sides of the pocket
pieces to the sides of the liner pieces. DO NOT align the top of the pocket
with the top of the lining or you will sew the pockets shut when you sew the
liners together.
When pinning the inside
pocket ends to the inside liner, you will have extra fabric between the ends.
That is normal and will be used up when making the pockets.
Mark where you want the edge
of each pocket to be on the liner fabric. I placed pins every 3 inches. One
stitch line will be the division between two pockets.
The blue pins mark the edge
of each pocket. The red pins hold the folded section of the pockets,
measurement total of ½ inch folded total for each red pin. So each pocket will
have an inch extra for the pocket. The yellow pins mark the center of each
pocket. They were needed to determine where the folds would occur.
*Alternative method, make
gathers before pinning the pocket pieces to the liners. Work the gathers so
each pocket is relatively the same size.
Stitch a ¼ inch from the edge
on the bottom section of the pockets to secure the folds in place.
Sew the sides together with a
¼ inch seam allowance.
After the bottom and sides are secured,
sew the pocket sides in place. I removed the blue pins and drew a chalk line as a guide. I do not plan to wash this
right away, but use it. If you do not plan to wash the liner, do not use a
marking tool that needs to be washed off. Chalk dust can be rubbed off easily.
I used a straight stitch
because I was going to have light objects (sewing supplies) in the pockets. A
zig zag stitch or something different may be needed for heavier supplies (as
well as sturdier fabric.) Decorative stitches are always fun.
Secure the outside pockets to
the outside lining with basically the same method as above. In my case, the pieces were the same size so I was able to
skip the folding of the pockets. The only thing needed was the
stitch line that made the pocket divisions.
After the pockets are
finished, turn the sides of the liner over. Press and
stitch in place. Do this to the outside liner with pockets.
You do not have to
finish the edge of the inside liner because they will be stitched together
creating a finished inside skirt section that is connected all around so no
need for ties.
At this point, I trimmed the
bottom of the pockets, sightly. Then I attached lace and stitched in place. You
can fold over the bottom to finish off if you prefer. I used lace to finish off
the bottom of the inside and the bottom of the outside pockets.
You can skip this step if you
use lace or ribbon to create the ties or if you don’t want any ties at all.
I
made my ties by taking a strip of fabric 32 inches by 2 inches. Fold and press
so the you have a strip 32 by 1 inch. Open and fold the sides to the center
line, press. Fold again so your strip is now 32 inches by ½ inch. Stitch to
secure.
Attach the ties at a spot
that will look nice on the basket. Stitch in place. I placed the ties at 3 inches from the top so my bow
would land about the middle of the height of the basket. Secure on both sides
of the outside liners. You should have attached 4 ties.
Secure the ties so they don’t
accidentally get sewn down in spots that you don’t want. Yes, I learned this one
the hard way.
Pin the top of the outside liner to the top of the inside liner (NOT the pockets or you
will sew the pockets shut). You should have pockets facing each other. Stitch in
place.
This part is for the inside
lining only. Pin right sides together and stitch ¼ seam allowance in place.
Do NOT sew the outside lining
or you won’t be able to get this liner on past the handle.
Your liner is now ready for
the basket. Insert the inside liner into the inside of the basket. Fold the outside pockets over so they are on the outside of the basket and align the ties so they fall below the basket handles on each side and tie
into place.
Ta da!
Here is my basket filled with
sewing supplies. I use my old prescription bottles to hold small items that
might otherwise get lost.
*Hint, glues last longer if
stored upside down. I guess that even a closed lid may allow air into the
bottle ever so slightly. By storing glue upside down, the glue helps seal the
lid better. Make sure the lid is closed so you don’t spill glue in your new liner or
where ever else you might have your glue.
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