This little fabric basket could be useful and charming year-round, but it's perfect at Easter and is happiest when filled with candy. Disclaimer: While sewing this, my second basket, I realized that I should never be telling anyone how to sew anything. Seriously! But go ahead ~ give it a try...
You'll need:
2 x pieces of linen, 3 1/2" x 15 1/2"
1 x piece of medium weight interfacing, 3 1/2" x 15 1/2"
1 x piece of lace or ricrac or your preferred trim, 15 1/2" length
2 x strips of printed fabric for handle, 1" x 9 1/2"
1 x piece of medium weight interfacing, 1" x 9 1/2"
1 x linen circle, 2 1/2" radius (5" across)
1 x fusible light interfacing circle, 2 1/2" radius (5" across)
2 x linen circle, 2 5/8" radius (5 1/4" across)
1 x medium weight interfacing circle, 2 5/8" radius (5 1/4" across)
1 x piece of printed fabric for bow, 1/2" x 15" (or ribbon)
(Sewn with a 1/4" seam unless specified otherwise)
First lay out your 3 1/2" x 15 1/2" strip of medium weight interfacing. Place an equal sized piece of linen on top and the trim on top of that. Line them up edge to edge (without the stagger that's shown above) and stitch together across the top.
It will look like this, and you'll add the second piece of linen on top later... but first you need to make and attach the handle.
Lay out your two 1" x 9 1/2" floral prints, right sides facing each other. Put the equal size piece of interfacing on top. Line up edge to edge, and stitch along the two long edges with a 1/8" seam, as shown below:
See my lovely hooked tool below? Do you have one of these? It's used to pull fabric tubes right side out. Using Liberty lawn, it's fairly easy to pull this tube right side out, but if you're using thicker fabric it may be difficult. (In that case, you might take a 2" x 9 1/2" length of fabric... iron in half lengthwise, then fold in both of the raw edges and iron again so you get a 1/2" x 9 1/2" strip... stitch along each long side about 1/8" in from the edge and now you have a "handle" for your basket.)
Once you've pulled your tube right side out, iron flat and topstitch 1/8" in along the long edges...
Now pin your handle as shown below... centered on the 4" mark from one side:
Then pin the other end of your handle, centered on the 4" mark on the other side, as shown below:
Then I stitch each end of the handle 1/8" from the edge, keeping the pins in about 1/2" from the raw edges, and making sure the handle lies perfectly perpendicular:
Okay, now take your second piece of linen, pin on top of the lace edge and handle and stitch all these layers together, the same 1/4" seam. Then iron open at the seam like this:
Once you've ironed it open, fold in half. Align those two short ends together and stitch that short edge:
Now you have a circle... these are the walls of your basket. Pull the single side of linen down, so that now the interfacing is sandwiched and you will have linen on both sides, facing out. Iron like this:
Next iron the light weight fusible interfacing circle (5") to the linen circle (5"). And here comes a difficult part: Turn your basket walls outside in, so that the lace is facing inside. Then pin your linen circle to the walls, with the interfacing side facing you, like this:
Except, really, it's probably better to pin it with the sharp needles facing inwards, not outwards as I did. Stitch all along the circle, 1/4" seam, taking out your pins as you go along. This part is really difficult for me, but I managed it and I promise you can too. Once you've finished stitching the complete circle, you could go around again with a zigzag stitch.
Phew! Now pull your basket right side out and push the bottom down. You can see below that I had a problem with this basket bottom (no problem with the first one I made) and I got a few puckers but they're kind of cute so ... oh well, glad they're in the back.
Then place two 5 1/4" linen circles on top of the 5 1/4" medium weight interfacing circle. Stitch around the circle edges, leaving a 2" opening. Make small slits all around the raw edge of the circle (see below.) Pull your linen circle right side out, so that the interfacing is sandwiched between both layers of linen. Iron the edges and topstitch 1/8" in from the outer edge, all the way around.
Place your linen circle into the bottom of the basket... see how wonky mine is...
Stitch a bow to the front, fill with candy, and you're done! Yay!
xo amy!
