Hello friends! I was so busy trying to decide whether to do the predictable Christmas post for you that I hardly noticed that Christmas whizzed by and made the decision for me! So in a mahoosive face -saving exercise where I pretend to know the actual date and what day it is, I decided to ignore Christmas entirely and give you a Happy New Year pattern instead!
What could be better than a pattern which allows you to create something really useful AND dig into that stash – as you can see, you do not have to make these from the same fabric. They look pretty cool in different patterns.
I really wanted to begin 2022 with a free pattern for you (because I know how popular they are) and because it is the best way that I know of saying thank you for your support so far. So please allow me to introduce (with a suitable flourish), the Cornwall Storage Basket.
I love a stylish and pretty storage option – I am twice as likely to use it too and if it is easy as well, then we have a giant bonus going on. This storage basket is a fabulous option for a craft project on-the-go and I tend to take mine from room to room, wherever I need to work (which in this weather is as close to the fireplace as possible!).
The addition of some very simple pockets in the lining turns this storage bin into a project basket.
So what do we need?
- 1/2 yd. canvas or similar weight fabric*
- 1/2 yd. cotton lining fabric
- 10″ of 1 1/2″ wide cotton webbing for the tabs
- 1 yd. Style-vil foam interfacing (Vlieseline)
- Fat Quarter G740 fusible interfacing (Vlieseline)
*I am using two different fabrics for my basket so I need less of each. I have put in the measurement if 1/2yd because that is the fabric allowance overall. Have a look through your stash and see what you can come up with. This would be a great project for Quilt-as-you-go too and I have a tute on how to do that here.
That’s about it actually. You will also need your usual sewing things of course and do take the time to match all of the threads to the fabrics. It is well worth it in terms of style.
NB: all seam allowances are 1/4″. These cutting instructions are for the larger basket only. I made a smaller one from other bits and pieces and to do this, I simply took 2″ off the measurements for the larger one. I left the pockets out too because I ran out of this scrap of lining fabric. Honestly, anything goes!
Cutting
From the canvas:
- 2 panels 13 1/2″ wide x 9″ tall for the front and back outer panels
- 1 piece 9 1/2″ wide x 30″ long for the base outer panel*
*If you are using a strongly directional fabric, cut this into two pieces and join it in the centre bottom so that from the ends, everything is the right way up.
From the lining:
- 2 panels 13 1/2″ wide x 9″ tall for the front and back lining panels
- 1 piece 9 1/2″ wide x 30″ long for the base lining panel
- 4 pieces 13 1/2″ wide x 6 3/4″ tall for the internal side pockets
From the G740 interfacing:
- 2 pieces 13 1/2″ wide x 6 3/4″ tall for the internal side pocket interfacing
From the webbing:
- Cut the piece of webbing in half to make two tabs 5″ long.
TIP: there are no cutting notes for the foam interfacing. The idea is to press the panel to be interfaced and then pin or hold it onto a slightly larger piece of interfacing and use a machine basting stitch narrowly right around the outside edge. Keep a gentle tension on the panel so that it doesn’t warp or pull. Then trim the foam back to the seam allowance.
Here’s How:
To begin with find something round (I used a saucer) to trim the side panel lower corners round on both pieces of outer and lining
Attach the outer panels to a piece of foam interfacing
And trim the foam back to the seam allowance
To make the slip pockets, interface two pieces of the pocket panels with G740. These will become the pocket outers on both sides.
Now take an interfaced pocket panel and an un-interfaced panel and with the right sides together, sew the top edge only.
Flip the panels the right way out and press that top edge. Topstitch narrowly twice along the top with stitching lines about 1/4″ apart. Repeat for the other pocket.
Round the bottom corners with your chosen round thing
Lay a pocket onto a side panel with the interfaced side of the pocket facing up and baste the pocket on
These pockets are not very useful as large pockets and they can sag as well so I like to segment them up with a vertical seam or two
We are ready to put things together now. The base panel may need to be trimmed on the top. I always allow a little extra in a gusset panel like this because we are all using a different object to round those corners and that makes a difference. It is better to have something to trim away than have a panel which is too short. One other thing to remember, when you put the base panel onto the sides in the lining, leave a 5″ turning gap on one side. You only need to do this on the lining.
To fit those long base panels perfectly every time, find the bottom centre of the side panels and the centre of the long base panel and mark them well
Then match those marks up and pin or clip
Sew the panel on and trim if needed. Do exactly the same on the outer panels. Don’t leave the turning gap this time though. It is a good idea to notch the corner curves at this point. This is a simple trick which makes them sit perfectly. Make little triangular snips around the curve being very careful not to cut the stitches
Turn the outer the right way out and gently push the corner curves into place.
Fold the webbing in half and baste with some stitches to keep it neat I added a little label first but this is absolutely optional.
Add a tab to each end of the trimmed long panel
Now with the lining inside out and the outer the right way out, pull the lining on over the outer and line the seams up perfectly. Sew right around the top edge leaving no gaps.
Turn the basket out through the gap in the lining and then close that gap either by hand or machine. Stuff the lining down inside and topstitch twice around the top edge with the stitching lines about 3/8″ apart
I find that these fabric baskets (especially the larger ones) can gape in a pretty unattractive way and there is a really easy fix – you need to stitch the corners. To begin with, I add some clips to the corners like this
That helps to mould the interfacing and these strong clips really compress the corners nicely, making them easier to stitch. Then come back in with a nice big needle and thread and simply stitch each corner. I have used a strong thread here for its decorative effect but you really don’t need to. Any good quality thread will do the trick. You will really notice the difference.
So there you have it! A really useful fabric basket. You can actually adapt these pretty easily too by simply subtracting an inch or so from each measurement. That can give you great scope for making smaller ones too. I did this to use up some fabrics from my stash and also some scraps of interfacing – waste not, want not our grandparents might have said!
I hope that you enjoyed this pattern and got some inspiration. Please tag #thefolkartfactory on instagram and show me your makes.
Until next time, stay safe and happy sewing!
Hugs
Debbie xx