Fish Bread Basket

Finished size, 7” by 14” by 2.5”

Materials Required:     One hank (100 feet) of clothesline

                                    Various scraps of blue cotton cloth

                                    ¼ yard of dark blue fabric for coils

                                    Several small pieces of various orange fabrics for fish appliqué

                                    6” by 12” piece of Wonder Under® or other fusible web

                                    Thread

Making an oval base.  Start with a length of clothesline and fold it over, as shown below.  The length of this first piece will be the basis for the size of the finished basket.  For a 7” by 14” base, for example, start with a seven inch piece.  With all of the oval baskets that I have made, it seems to work out that the length of center piece of cord ends up being the width of the finished base.  It does not have to be so, you could keep sewing and make the base larger, but for me these proportions seemed correct. Keep the free clothesline in front and to the right side.

Be sure to wind your clothesline into a ball before continuing.  Tie it with a length of scrap fabric and you can let it out as you need it.  You'll have to move the ball in and out of the machine throat often, so this will prevent tangles.

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Continue coiling and sewing until the base is the desired size.  Keep the clothesline attached and wound in the ball and tied.       

  

 Step 2.  Change the thread at this point to something that coordinates with the fabric.  Add a piece of fabric to the center of the inside bottom of the basket.  In the bread basket example, it will be covered by the fish appliqué, so it can be quite large.  In other examples, the size will vary.  In some of the baskets, I started out with a quilt block left over from other projects.  This piece should not extend over the edge, but if it does, treat it as the fabric pieces in the next step.  Stitch this down at the edges, using the zigzag stitch, or other decorative stitch.  Don’t worry if the fabric puckers a little, you’ll have many puckers and pleats as you sew, but all the stitching flattens them out. 

Step 3.  Now turn your base over.  Sew patches of fabric around the edges, letting them extend over the edge.  Be sure to keep these patches loose and on top; don’t let them get caught and sewn to the other side.  They should extend over the edge at least one inch or more.

End one piece of fabric at the point that the loose clothesline is attached to the base and add another just under this point.

When the entire clothesline base is covered, turn over and fold the patches from the other side down and stitch.  There will be some pleats in this layer.  Once the edge is completely covered (add fabric pieces as necessary), began to add patches in the center, stitching as you go. You'll just need to cover any area that will not be covered by the applique.   Start at the outside edge and continue stitching in a spiral pattern, using a zigzag or decorative stitch, until the entire piece is covered with fabric and there are no loose edges.  This uses quite a bit of thread, but makes a very sturdy base for your basket. 

                                                                                                                       

Tips:  Be sure that the uncovered clothesline (in the ball) does not get caught under the base.  If it does, you’ll know it.  Just remove from the machine and pick out any stitches.   While sewing in a circular pattern, keep moving the ball in or out of the throat of the machine as you turn the base.  I find that moving in a counterclockwise direction is easier.  I’m right handed, so it may be that clockwise might be better for left-handed people.  The direction really doesn’t matter, as long as it is consistent.

Clip any loose threads immediately.  They easily get caught and are harder to remove once they have been stitched over. 

If the machine seems to be struggling, change to a larger size needle, or put in a new needle.  Also, check and make sure that there is not a big build up of lint under your bobbin case.  Let the machine do the work; don’t try to force the clothesline through. 

Be sure that the presser foot is in the down position.  Because the clothesline is so thick, it may feel like it is lowered and it isn’t.

If you find you don’t like a piece of fabric you’ve used, just cover it up with another piece and keep sewing.

Vary the size of the patches.  Using all of one size is monotonous.

Once the base is covered, its time to add the applique.  Use any image you wish, I did a fish and used strips sewn at an angle (as shown below) to make it more interesting.  I'm not giving you a pattern for this, so use your own imagination.  Use Wonder Under or some other fusible to adhere it to the basket base.

5.  Iron the appliqué onto the center of the bottom of the basket base.  Be sure to iron it on the inside, not the outside of the base.  The extra clothesline cord should be on the right side of the base when the loose end is extended toward you.

6.  Stitch the fish appliqué using a straight stitch and going over the outline several times. 

7.  Make the transition coils.  Cut the ¼ yard of fabric into 1” strips using a rotary cutter. (This can also be done with scissors; they don’t have to be a perfect 1”)

Begin by securing one end of a strip right next to the beginning of the clothesline, then wrapping and sewing with a zigzag stitch.   As you sew, begin to tip the bottom up at an angle, so that the bottom touches the left side of the sewing machine.  This will cause the sides to rise.  Make 3 or 4 rounds of coils with the strips and then continue to coil with just the clothesline until the sides reach 2.5 inches in height from the base.  

8.  Cut the cord and even the end of the clothesline by sewing over it a few times and trimming.

9.  Stitching on the inside of the basket, add patches to cover the clothesline, leaving some to overhang the edges, just as was done on the base.

10.  Now its time to “flip” the basket. Because it is easier to sew on the inside of the basket, turn it inside-out.  This is not difficult to do with a basket this size.  The outside is now on the inside.  Add more patches, covering all the edges.

11.  When all surfaces are covered, flip the basket back to the original position and it is finished!

Here is variation on the technique, using a round base and no appliques.  Its 3.5 inches high and 8 inches across.

  

 I'll take some pictures of some of the others I've made over the weekend and publish them on Monday or Tuesday.  Hope you have a great weekend, let me know if you make one of these.