You have no items in your shopping cart.

Stylish Farmer’s Market Basket

What you’ll need

 Featured Designs

https://www.grandslamdesigns.com/farmers-market-17-embroidery-design

https://www.grandslamdesigns.com/farmers-market-embroidery-design?variant=3

Notes

  • All plastic shoe boxes vary in size, so for this project general directions are given for how the project was created.
  • Adjust the dimensions to fit the plastic shoe box you use.
  • Be sure to add seam allowances to all dimensions.
  • Be sure to add “ease” around the shoe box when figuring the dimensions for the fabric.

Preparation

  • In software or at the machine, center and position the “Farmer’s Market” design under the vegetable design.
  • Add a basting line outside of the designs that will be the dimension of the finished pocket (project was 6" w x 5" h)
  • For the project, the pocket is  6" w x 5" h, plus seam allowances.
  • Print out the designs.
  • Decide on the shoebox to be used. There are many out there, the dimensions fary as do the sides and tops.

  • Measure around the bottom of the shoe box and bring up the tape measure to determine how high you’d like the sides.
  • Measure the length and width of the shoe box; this gives you a starting point to make a pattern.
  • The pattern paper used for this project was a sheet of packing paper.
  • To get an idea of how this will all go together, place the shoebox in the middle of the pattern paper.
  • Bring up a corner of the paper as the corner will be “boxed” when the project is sewn together at the corners.
  • Crease along the corner; this is just a starting point.

  • Be sure the shoe box is centered on the paper.
  • Figure out how high you want the sides of the basket.
  • TIP: some box sides are straight up and down and others have a slope to them which will make the top wider than the bottom of the box.
  • Using a pencil or marker, draw around the box base.

  • Using a ruler, even up the traced lines.
  • Make continuous lines across the paper; this will basically be the fold lines for the fabric when the basket is sewn together.
  • The sides of the basket should be the same all around, so measure and mark those lines.
  • For this project, the sides were measured 8” from the bottom outline of the plastic shoe box outline.

  • Now use a ruler to square up the corners—don’t forget to mark the seam allowances to sew the corners together!
  • The corners were marked 8” square.
  • ½” seam allowances were added to the inside of the corner piece.
  • The slashed lines show what will be cut away from each corner.
  • Finalize the pattern by checking that ll the sides are of equal height.

Stitching

  • If you have a longarm quilting machine, this is a great time to stitch a simple design over the fabric.
  • Load the backing, batting, and outer basket fabrics on the machine.
  • Choose a design for quilting.
  • Quilt the fabrics.
  • For this project, 40 wt. embroidery thread was used in the bobbin and top. The design sewed quickly.
  • If you don’t have a quilting machine, sandwich the fabrics and batting and do a crosshatch design across the fabrics with the sewing machine, or even do some decorative stitching to hole the layers together.

  • Fold the pattern in half.
  • Lay the pattern on the top half of the fabric and pin in place.
  • Note: this fabric was directional, so one piece was cut with the top of the paper at the top of the fabric; the pattern had to be flipped to cut the second piece so it, too, would have the fabric pattern in the correct direction.
  • For a seam at the bottom, draw a line ½” below the fold on the paper.
  • Cut out around the pattern.

  • Repeat cutting the second piece.
  • If the fabric is directional, make sure that the tops of the basket will have the pattern of the fabric in the correct direction.
  • Pin and sew the bottom seam together.
  • Press the seam open.

  • Cut a piece of seam binding the length of the bottom seam; press the seam binding open.
  • Center the seam binding over the bottom seam.
  • Place thread that matches the seam binding in the top and bobbin of the sewing machine.
  • Stitch along both edges of the seam binding through all layers.
  • TIP: you may need to lengthen the stitch length to 3.0mm. Also, using a walking foot on the machine may be helpful.
  • Press.

  • Center the shoe box on the fabric.
  • Test your plans by creating corners on the fabric; crease.
  • Remove the shoe box and place the pattern corners along the creases.
  • TIP: this is the time to make any adjustments before the corners are cut off to remove the bulk.

  • TIP: when doing the project, it was decided more “ease” was needed around the shoebox. So instead of cutting exactly as the pattern was planned.
  • The seam allowance was extended another ½”, a new line drafted for cutting, and the corner cut, making it a 7” corner cut.
  • This was repeated for all corners.
  • If you plan on using the pattern again, be sure to correct ALL corners, adjusting for the new cutting line.
  • It is easiest to quarter fold the pattern and cut all the corners at once.

  • Open the pattern, place the pattern bottom along the seam line.
  • Cut the first two corners on one side.
  • Flip the pattern over, again with the bottom of the pattern along the center bottom seam line.
  • Pin the pattern in place and cut the corners.
  • TIP: the corners cut off the fabric are the perfect size for matching pot holders! Just bind using coordinating bias binding.

Embroidery prep and hooping

  • Prepare to embroider the pocket.
  • Print out the template of the embroidery design as prepared.
  • Starch and press the fabric well.
  • Load the embroidery design on the machine and set the fabric colors.
  • Hoop the stabilizer.
  • Spray the fabric with temporary spray adhesive, making sure the fabric is large enough for the design, plus seam allowances to sew the pocket.

  • Stitch Color 1, the tackdown line for the fabric.
  • Stitch the design following the color sequence.
  • Trim the fabric ½” outside of the tackdown line.

  • Cut a second piece of fabric for the lining of the pocket, the same size as the embroidered fabric.
  • Place right sides together.
  • Stitch all around the pocket, using the placement line as a guide, and leaving an opening for turning at the bottom.
  • Trim the corners to reduce bulk.
  • Turn the pocket right side out, forming the corners well
  • Turn in the seam allowances at the opening.
  • Center the pocket on the front of the basket fabric.
  • Stitch the pocket to the basket front on the left, bottom, and right sides.

  • Sewing the basket corners.
  • Bring each corner together, pin, and sew a ½” seam.
  • Using the bias binding, cut a strip the length of the corner seam, plus ½”.
  • Turn the end of the binding up ½” and pin over the seam, beginning at the corner.
  • Stitch the binding to the seam, meeting cut edges.
  • Flip the binding over the seam and sew down the folded edge.
  • Repeat for the remaining three corners.

Final Steps

  • Turn the basket, right side out, forming the corners well.
  • Insert the plastic shoe box; it should fit nicely with a bit of ease around all the edges.
  • Remove the plastic shoe box to complete the basket sewing.

  • To make the handles, cut the extra quilted fabric 5” w and the length of the handle from corner to corner.
  • For the project, the handles were cut 5”wide x 25” long.
  • Press the long edges toward the center.
  • Press the folded long edges together.
  • Top stitch along both long edges.

  • With cut edges matching from the inside of the basket, pin the edges of the handles at each corner of the basket, crossing at the top.
  • To make the handle part, cut two pieces of extra quilted fabric 3.5” wide by 7” long.
  • Place the fabrics, right sides together, and sew along each long side.

  • Turn the piece right side out.
  • Press.
  • Fold the piece in half and stitch a ½” seam allowance along the short cut edge.
  • Stitch again ¼” away.
  • Trim the seam close to the last seam.

  • Turn the handle right side out.
  • Remove the pins on one side of the basket and slip the ends of the handles through the handle just made.
  • Pin the handles back in place, making sure they remain crossed.
  • Sew the handles in place at each corner; double stitch for added security.

  • Using the remaining bias tape, sandwich the top of the basket inside the bias tape.
  • Begin at one of the side seams, leaving ½” for a seam allowance, pin the bias tape in place.
  • At the other end, add ½” for a seam allowance and trim the bias tape.

  • Stitch the ends together at the side seam using a ½” seam.
  • Match the bias seam to the side seam.
  • Pin the bias tape in place.
  • Top stitch the binding in place with three rows, catching the ends of the handles.
  • Press the seam binding.

  • Bring the handles up at the inside of the basket and stitch them in place through the binding.
  • Because market vegetables can make the basket heavy, do two or three rows of stitching to make sure the handles will securely hold the basket contents when filled.
  • Repeat for all the handles at each corner.

  • Thoroughly wash and sanitize the plastic shoe box.
  • Insert the box into the basket.
  • Be sure to wash the plastic box after each use, and the fabric basket as necessary.

 

 

By the "Grand Slam Designs" Team

Leave your comment
Comments
3/27/2024 9:05 AM
GREAT IDEA!
Free Design Warnings

3 free designs per week with no purchase,

6 free designs per week with $35 purchase, or

9 free designs per week with $75 purchase.

Close
Close