Making a sewing basket using the "Blue Tea Party" pattern

Find a lidded small woven basket. This one came from my local Op shop. I think it cost $2.00.Its 8" across the top & about 3 & 1/2" high. Find enough fabric for the lining. I found some in my stash & forgot to measure it before I started but I think is was around 1/2 metre. You also need some wadding, card & PVA glue. A little narrow elastic & a couple of metres of thin good quality ribbon.

I have chosen" The plate of biscuits"image from the Blue Tea Party to use as the top of my work basket. Because I wasn't sure how exact the fit would be I added an extra check to the table cloth all the way around just to be on the safe side.  Follow the directions in the pattern for colouring & stitching. When you have finished give the stitchery a press with a steam iron. The fabric often goes a little weird when you are colouring it & can stretch slightly with the stitching but a steam iron will sort it all out for you. So long as the bottom of my iron is clean, I go straight over the top of the work. 

Cut two pieces of card (not too thin ) to fit snugly inside the lid & into the base. A third piece needs to be cut for the outside top.

Because the top of the basket is slightly curved, I needed to make the card curved to follow the contour of the basket. I cut a small wedge from the centre to the side & then taped the two edges back together again. You will not need to do this if your lid is flat. Cut the wadding for both the inside card circles & glue with the PVA.

Cut the fabric circles for the inside of the lid & bottom a couple of inches larger than the wadded card. Run a row of gathering stitch around the outside edge of each. Place the card circle on top of the wrong side of the fabric circle & pull on the thread. The edges will gather up around the card. Make a couple a stay stitches. Use good strong thread ( upholstery thread ) to run long stitches from side to side at regular intervals across the back of the card until the fabric is firmly attached & nicely stretched.

Glue two layers of wadding (one 1" smaller than the other ) to the top outside card circle. Cut the stitched design into a circle at least 2" larger than the card. Lace the design to the card in the same way as the other covered circles. If you want a very smart look, hand stitch a twisted cord around the very edge before you glue so the ends can be tucked to the under side. Glue the design to the top of the basket with the PVA. I found a baking dish that fit snugly over the top & than added extra weight & left it overnight to dry & set.

Add three narrow ribbons around the outside of the fabric covered inner lid circle. These are good for holding small tools & little packets of this & that. I joined each strip of ribbon at the back with about 2cm of narrow elastic so there would be a bit of give. Once this is done, glue the circle to the inside of the lid with PVA glue. Rest a small weight on it & leave overnight to dry.

Measure the circumference of the bottom basket & double. Measure the length of the side & add 1/2" to the top & an 1" to the bottom. My basket was 24" around & 3" high so my final measurement was 48" x 4 & 1/2". The side lining was cut to this. The short ends were stitched together to make a circle. The 1/2" seam allowance was folded to the wrong side. Run two rows of gathering stitch around the top edge. Pull in until the lining fits the basket.Tie off the gathering cottons so the gathers don't unravel. Glue the gathered edge of the lining to the top inside edge of the basket. Hold in place while drying with a few pins & leave overnight. Straighten the folds so they are sitting straightish & pop the padded covered bottom circle over the top. Don't worry about the raw edges of the gathered lining. It will be covered by the bottom circle.

Voila! One very cute sewing basket......I shall show you more stuff to make on the next tea party blog.

The Button Doll

Designed by Rosie Mac Q.for Teddyworks pattern available on Etsy

"She loves the handmade buttons the best. Each one lovingly hand carved, whittled, painted, moulded and smoothed. little works of art with souls all their own. If she listens carefully she can hear them talking of their travels & all the wonders of the world they have seen. She dreams of the day she no longer has to sell her tiny treasures but can stitch them to her clothing & hold them close."

"The Button Seller" doll was inspired by a friend I meet in my travels who is passionate about collecting buttons. Since then I have met others.

I remember  seeing a pic of a gorgeous gypsy porcelain doll years  along with some traditional pedlar dolls. I also love Babushka dolls. The idea for this doll came from all these places. The doll is a simple 2 piece construction that fits over a storage jar.....for your buttons or other sewing odds & ends. She stands 11 & 1/2" tall & fits over a jar 6 & 1/2" tall by  13 & 1/2" around.

The pic (above) is the design traced &  colour washed onto calico. Its very easy to do. The trick is to make sure the calico you use is UNWASHED. The sizing stops the very watery colour from running through the weave of the fabric. All the details are in the pattern so a beginner can do it. 

All the stitching is finished before the doll is sewn together. I have used basic embroidery stitching with a single strand to keep the flowing lines of the design. The buttons were embroidered but if you have an interesting collection you could stitch your favorites to her after her sides have been sewn up.