Cotton Basket Liners

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Cotton fabric for the main body of the liner
• Contrasting cotton fabric for the bias tape
• 25mm Bias tape maker (or 1/2 inch double fold bias tape)
• Basic sewing supplies

DIRECTIONS:

1. This basket liner is made of two main pieces: one long piece that will wrap around the sides and fold over the edge, and one bottom piece.


2. First, measure around the perimeter of the basket. Next, measure up from the interior bottom and over the basket lip about 3-4 inches. The perimeter measurement will be your long piece length and the measurement from the interior bottom will be your long piece width. Cut the long piece out of your cotton fabric, and sew its short sides, right sides together.


3. Measure the width of the basket handles and cut an opening at the top of the long fabric piece that is the same width and about 3-4 inches long.


4. Determine the placement of the second handle opening by folding together the long piece of fabric, centering the first opening and using the first opening as a guide to cut the second opening on the opposite side of the long fabric piece.


5. Position the long fabric piece inside the basket, and measure the open area at the bottom of the basket, adding the seam allowance to your measurement.


6. Cut that fabric piece, pin it right sides together to the bottom of the long fabric piece and sew it together, one side at a time, leaving a small gap at each corner where extra fabric bulk from the basket sides will gather. Do not worry about that extra fabric - you will cut it off in the next step.


7. Flip your basket upside down, and place the basket liner wrong side out over the basket, matching the openings to the handles and matching corners together. Pinch in the corner fabric bulk and pin; mark a line that follows the basket side and repeat for all four corners. Sew along your marked lines and trim off the extra fabric bulk.
8. Place the liner in the basket and create the bias tape to trim the edges and to make the fabric ties.


9. First, trim the openings. Open a fold of bias tape and match its raw edge to the raw edge of the liner and position it right sides together. Sew down one short side, following the crease of the bias tape and continue to sew down the short side, a half inch past the end of the opening. Backstitch and take your needle out of the fabric. Match the raw side of the bias tape to the raw side of the opening’s bottom edge. Make a sharp mitered fold at the corner, fold the fabric bulk over your sewn line, and reinsert the needle at the corner where you left off, making sure that the fabric bulk is out of the needle’s way.


10. Sew down the bottom edge in the same way you did for the side and when you get to the next corner, sew past 1/2", as before. Repeat the steps for mitering the edge, and then sew up the second side of the opening. Make a cut in the seam allowance at the two corners, making sure not to cut through the stitching. Fold the bias tape over the raw edge and pin in place on the other side. Use something sharp and pointed like a seam ripper or the tip of your scissors to help tuck the fabric bulk into the fold at the mitered corners. Topstitch the bias tape and repeat all steps for the second opening.


11. Finally, trim the top of the liner with the fabric ties. Measure the length of the remaining sides' raw edges and add about 10-12 inches for each tie length. Center the bias tape to the raw liner edge, match raw edges and place right sides together and sew bias tape following the crease line. Fold the bias tape over the raw edge and pin. Tuck the raw edges of the tie ends in, fold, and pin in place. Topstitch across the bias tape and repeat steps for the remaining edge and ties.