If you’d like to know how to line one of your billion baskets you have cluttering up your house, you’re in the right spot.
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Now seriously, you can tie together a whole bunch of random baskets by lining them with matching fabric. It’s quite a beautiful thing.
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All you’ll need is some fabric, a sewing machine, and some thread. Oh, and square rectangle basket.
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First, you’ll measure from how far down you’d like the liner to go over one edge (I did 2 inches), up to the top, down the side, across the bottom, up the other side to the top and then over 2 inches or however far you’d like it to go. Then you’ll add another 1 1/2 inches for your casing for the tie. For example, mine measured 26 inches from one side, up and over and down and back up and over again. Then I added another 1 1/2 inches onto both sides for the casing to make it 29 inches.
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Then measure the width of your inner basket. Mine was 15 inches wide. Add 1/2 inch onto both ends for a seam allowance…….which made mine 16 inches.
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So I cut out my main piece at 29 x 16 inches.
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Then measure the dimensions of the ends of your basket. The width of my ends were 10 inches and I added a 1/2 inch on each side for a seam allowance, making it 11 inches. And the height of my ends are 6 inches. So I added a half inch to the bottom for the seam allowance, 2 inches to the top to be folded over the edge, and then another 1 1/2 inches to make the casing for the tie.
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So I cut 2 end pieces that are 11 x 10 inches.
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Then I found the center of my main piece (on the 29 inch side) and marked it with a pin. And then I found the center of one of the end pieces (on the 11 inch side) and put the two pieces of fabric together, with right sides together.
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Then I pinned all along the 11 inch side (the width of the basket end) until the corners.
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Then I folded the extra sides of the main piece down along the sides of the the end pieces and pinned them into place, making a nice corner with both pieces of fabric. (Man, this is hard to explain…..but keep with me. It’s not so hard to do!!)
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Sew into place. Then do a zig-zag stitch right next to your main stitch, to help keep everything secure and in place.
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Do the same thing to the other end.
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Now, trim any excess/uneven edges.
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Now find the center of one side (of the long sides) and make a cut 2 1/2 inches up.
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Zig-zag stitch both of these raw edges.
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Now fold over the entire upper edge a 1/2 inch and then another 1 inch to make your casing. Sew close to the first fold, securing your casing into place.
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Now you’ll make a tie by cutting out a piece of fabric that is 1 1/2 inches wide by however long your basket is around at the upper edge. Also, make it long enough to be able to tie a bow. I made mine 70 inches long so I cut out a piece of fabric that was 70 x 1 1/2 inches.
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First fold your end in 1/4 inch and then fold each side in towards the middle (iron in place if needed)…..
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…….and then fold this in half.
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Then sew into place, close to the folds.
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Then thread your tie through your casing, place your lining in your basket and make a bow with your tie ends.
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So fresh and clean.
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Add magazines, books, shoes, toys, etc. Use up all of those mis-matchy baskets and liven up your place a bit.