Last year’s Easter baskets are being used for storage. I needed something to put the candy and eggs in that wasn’t going to be then thrown away or contribute to the general clutter. Fabric baskets to the rescue. I used fabric and stabilizer from my stash, and sewed on the Singer model 66 treadle machine.
Photo description: finished bag with the top folded down to make a basket, sitting on the table of the treadle sewing machine.Step 1: 14×20 fabric with iron on interfacing on the bottom 2/3, sewn on the short end, right sides together, then the seam moved to the center.Step 2: 2.25” squares cut from the lower corners of the fabric tubeStep 3: bottom edge sewn togetherStep 4: box corners flattened out and sewnStep 5: Steps 1-4 repeated for the lining, then the two bags put right sides together and the top sewn, leaving a gap to turn the bag right side out, then the gap sewn closed by making a seam along the top edgePhoto description: another bag with fabric with a definitive direction. To get the fold to work, the inside fabric is upside down, so the crows on the fabric stay upright when folded.Photo description: unfolded bag, showing the full height
These bags came out quite tall, but since I didn’t put interfacing on the top third, they fold down easily. The interfacing I used did not stay fused to the fabric, and was quite papery, which would be great for a cat basket, but is slightly unwieldy for a treat bag. I recorded my steps here, but would not repeat these exact parameters. Future projects will involve experimenting with dimensions, and trying a softer interfacing, or maybe even batting and quilting. Hmm.
Critters and Craft 