Valerean

After rehabbing basket #2 from the pair I thrifted, I really didn't have a lot to do to it. The sides are nice and I like the airiness of the woven material, as I plan to use it as another project basket. The bottom was the problem, as it was not entirely solid but woven loosely with big gaps. I took a ball of sage green yarn from my scrap bin and crocheted a flat circle in single stitches to serve as a bottom liner. I didn't use a pattern, but just increased in the round for fifteen rows until it was the right size. As with the first basket I then sewed the bottom liner to the basket with big stitches so I can remove and launder it in the future if it gets soiled. Now I can put small items like stitch markers in the basket and not worry about them slipping through the gaps in the slats.

I want to use the rectangular blue basket I thrifted as a project bin, but the interior is a bit rough and would likely snag things. I went digging in my quilted pieces stash and found this vintage pillow sham that I've always wanted to use for something, and decided to make that the liner. I folded the sham first and pinned it in place to see if it would work with some tailoring. It's a bit thick, but I like the combination. I cut and sewed the sham into a basket liner. It's not perfect, but it was hard just getting through my heavy-duty sewing machine. Using a very long upholstery needle, I sewed the liner to the basket. I could have hot-glued it, but I prefer to be able to remove and launder the liner (so I used big, loose stitches that I can cut when I do that.) The finished basket. This is perfect as a bin for small crochet projects. Very happy with how it turned out.

The two baskets I thrifted last week look pretty clean (and I'm careful about checking out what I want before I buy), but I still like to give them a clean before I use them. Both are made of natural fibers (wood and rattan) so it's not a good idea to get them wet or immerse them in any manner. First I spray a towel with Lysol cleaner and wipe them down inside and out to remove any dirt. Although the baskets don't smell, I still spray them with disinfectant spray and let them sit out in the sun for a day or two. After that they should be fine to use. I might line them with fabric or just use as they are. When you're thrifting baskets condition is everything. Along with how clean the basket looks check out how sturdy it is. You may find a few broken pieces (my rectangular basket had one small broken piece inside) but if they don't make the basket rickety you can trim any jagged ends with scissors (for thicker materials, tin snips work well.) One t...