Pleated magazine basket liner

Do you have any handy baskets around your house that could use a little sprucing up? It’s pretty easy to make a custom-fit basket liner. I added pleats, but you could always leave those off if you prefer. Read on to learn how.

Supplies

(Click fabrics for direct links for purchase at Warehouse Fabrics Inc.)

I had 1 yard of the toile and 1/2 yard of the houndstooth.

The pattern

The process

	If your basket is square, you can always use measurements to draft your pattern. Mine had an arch along the front and back, so I decided to trace the basket. The basket was about 1/2″ thick on each side, so I figured that by tracing the outside, I was basically getting the inside measurement plus 1/2″ extra for seam allowance.
	Find your middle point and fold so that you don’t have to worry about being symmetrical. Your lines will be sort of sloppy. That’s OK. Just take a ruler and smooth them out. I had also taken measurements on the inside of my basket, so I used those measurements as backup to make sure my pattern seemed to be the right size. Cut while folded in half so that both sides will be the same.
	Here are my pieces — front, sides and bottom. As you can see, certain parts of the patterns should match exactly in length. For instance, the bottom of the front piece and the corresponding side of the bottom piece.
	Sew the bottom edge of each “front” piece to the long edges of the bottom piece, right-sides together. Press the seams open.
	Sew the side pieces to either side of one of the front pieces, as shown. Press seams open.
	Sew the other sides of the side pieces to the other front piece. In the picture to the left, only the bottom edges of the side pieces are unsewn. Now sew those bottom edges.
	Check that your lining fits. You should have a little extra at the top to act as the seam allowance for the next step.
	Trace the top edges of your pattern pieces to make the front, outer edge of your lining. Decide how low you want it to come down before the pleats start. Then add 1/2 inch on the bottom for seam allowance (the top already has that factored in since you’re using your original pattern piece).
	Sew the side pieces to the front pieces, and you’ll get something like this. Mine was pretty tight fitting because I had those wooden “handles” at the top that it had to stretch over. But it worked.
	With right-sides together, sew that front piece to the lining piece along the top.
	This is what it looks like now. If you don’t want a pleat, you could just finish the bottom edge and be done.
	To make the pleats, cut two strips the width of your fabric (from selvage to selvage). I cut mine 4 inches wide to allow for hem and seam allowance.  Sew your two strips together at one end and press open.
	Hem one long edge.
	I didn’t really measure my pleats. I eyeballed them, but the print I used helped me quite a bit. I would count out the “houndsteeth,” as it were, and fold and press, then pin. Every 10 pins or so, I’d baste with the machine along the top of the pleat to hold it, then I’d press and pin some more. I didn’t need the full two strips. I’d wrap it around from time to time to see if I was close to having as much as I needed.
	Starting at the front end, mark a 1/2 inch seam allowance with a fabric pen.
	Line that marking up with the seam of the basket liner and pin. Wrap the pleated section around, pinning at each corner until you get all the way back around. Mark the point that matches with the seam allowance on the other end. That’s your other seam allowance mark, so trim off the end 1/2 inch from there. Sew the ends together at the marked seam locations.
	Pin the unfinished end of the pleated strip to the bottom of the basket liner, right-sides together, and sew. If you find the circumferences aren’t the same despite the step above, you can always adjust the seam that holds the ends of your pleated strip together. I pinned my sections together and found I needed my pleated strip to be about 1/2 inch smaller, so I just resewed that part and continued forth.

Other views

(Click for bigger views)