Bette's Tomorrows Treasures: Pantry Fabric Basket Tutorial

Pantry Fabric Baskets Tutorial

You will love the way your pantry looks with this unique way to organize and store your foodstuff. As and example of what they will hold, 2 five pound bags of flour or 3 bags of rice will fit in the basket.

Feedsack images, courtesy of Deena Davis, are available at http://www.ewenmeprintables.com

Supplies To Make 3 Baskets

Finished size: approx. 9 inches x 6 inches x 6 inches

Main Fabric----------30 inches x 45 inches wide
Lining Fabric---------30 inches x 45 inches wide
Heavy Duty Sew-In Interfacing----60 inches x 20 inches wide
3--8 ½ x 11 pieces of freezer paper
6--8 ½ x 11 pieces of tea-dye muslin
Matching thread

For each basket:

Cut 3 piece A from main fabric
Cut 2 Piece B from main fabric
Cut 3 piece A from lining fabric
Cut 2 Piece B from lining fabric
Cut 3 piece A from heavy duty interfacing
Cut 2 Piece B from heavy duty interfacing

These five pieces will be cut from fabric, lining and interfacing.

Printing the image.
You can buy fabric sheets that are ready made for printing on or print the reversed images that are included on to iron-on transfer paper which you then iron on to muslin.
You can also iron your muslin to the same size freezer paper and print directly on to the fabric. I recommend an Epson printer and Epson durabrite ink which is permanent if you are going to do this as most other inks will wash out.

This is juat a sampling of images available.

Print the feedsack image onto fabric:
Cut the printed image out, leaving ¼” seam allowance all around it. With right sides together, lay the image on a same size piece of muslin. Stitch around, leaving a 2” opening for turning. Turn right side out and press. Place the image on the front of the main fabric, centering it. Stitch it to the fabric all around the outside edge.

You can also print the reversed images on to fabric transfer paper and then iron the image on to the front panel.

Directions:

MAIN BASKET:
Pin the interfacing to the wrong side of the main fabric pieces. Stitch the interfacing to the fabric around all the edges, ¼ inch from the edge.
Do this for all 5 outer pieces. You will be using these stitching lines to sew your basket together so make sure they are accurate seams.

With right sides together, pin a side piece to the bottom piece starting ¼ inch in from the edge and ending ¼ inch from the end. Stitch this seam in a ¼ inch seam allowance, backstitching at the start and finish of the seam, leaving ¼ inch on each end of the seam unsewn. The red line is the stitching line. It is important to leave the ¼ inch unsewn on each side in order to have sharp points on your finished seams.

Sew the other side to the bottom the same way.

Sew the front side and back side pieces to the bottom the same way.

You should now have four sides sewn to to the bottom of the basket.

With right sides together, pin a front panel to the side panel. Stitch from the top edge down the seam until you are ¼ inch from the bottom and backstitch. Red line is stitching line. Before you stitch this seam, make sure the bottom panel fabric is pulled down out of the way of your stitching.
Red arrow shows how this should look as you sew.

Sew the other three sides the same way.

Your outer basket is now finished. Turn right side out.

LINING:

The lining is made the same way as the main basket only you do not use interfacing.
Basket is shown inside out as you will insert the main basket inside it.

ASSEMBLING THE BASKET:

Insert the main basket into the lining, right sides will be together.
Pin together all around the top, leaving a 5 inch opening on one side.
Red line indicates opening.

Stitch around the top edge in a ¼ inch seam.

Pull the main basket through the opening. Push the lining down into the basket pushing the corners out.
Pin the basket and lining together evenly across the top. Fold the open edges in ¼ inch and pin. This opening will be sewn closed as you stitch around the top.
Topstitch along the outside edge and your basket is finished.