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Sunday, September 30, 2012

Honeymoon Basket


My friend Jen from Sunshine Greetings is back!  I hope you enjoy her Honeymoon Basket!

 

 
Background:  I’ve been making these baskets for bridal shower and wedding presents for many years for friends and family and happened to mention this old standby project of mine to friends at a craft get-together.  The fun of this project to me is repurposing an old picnic basket and finding unique items at garage sales, good-will stores or dollar stores to stock the basket with. One girlfriend continued to keep her basket after her honeymoon well stocked to use for spontaneous romantic get-a-ways and/or for making up after silly arguments.  I was pleased she was able to put it to good use for more than one occasion, too.  I had to replace the missing lining in the above shown basket which took a little more work but was easy to do (See Directions for Liner Replacement below).





Contents:
2 wine glasses
2 place mats (made from left-over liner fabric)
4 small plates
4 Napkins (wrap up plates and glasses)
Plastic utensils
Wet Wipes
Vase with artificial rose bouquet
Rolled cookie wafers
Wine opener
Box of Tea light candles (can use battery operated ones)
Several Tea light holders (nice to place around large bath tubs)
Matches
Bath salts
Bath poofs (his and hers)
Body lotion (his and hers)
Lip balm (his and hers)
Tic-tacs (breath-mints)
Headache relief




Other suggestions:  Bubble bath, Andes chocolate mints, gum, fancy scented candle, tapered candles and candlesticks, etc.

Food and Beverage Additions:
Add chocolate, strawberries, grapes, cheeses, and/or crackers, cookies, cake, etc.
Bottle of Wine, Champagne, or bubbly apple cider

Directions for Liner Replacement



Materials and Supplies:
1 yard of fabric
Scissors
Matching thread
Pins
Sewing machine
Marking pen
Velcro
Glue (I used Gorilla Wood glue)


Instructions:

     1.      To attach the liner to the basket, cut four to eight lengths of Velcro strips (1-2 inches long) and glue one side of Velcro strip to inner rim of basket.  Space them evenly along the upper rim.  (I glued one side of the strip in the middle of each rim’s side and 3 along the back and the front so I used a total of six strips for this basket).  Use the other side of the strip to attach to the wrong side of the liner (See Step 9)

     2.      While glued strips are drying to basket, measure the diameter and height of basket.  Add an inch to both measurements for seam allowances.  Add another inch and a ¼ to the top edge of liner for a hem to attach Velcro to (See Step 9) Cut fabric to these measurements (may require two strips depending on width of fabric—just remember to add an extra inch for each additional seam allowances)  Note:  Remember you can always take in if too much material but not vice versa.  Zig-zag edges of seam allowances to prevent fraying.

     3.      Sew strips together to make a tube for the sides of liner for the basket.

     4.      Trace around bottom of basket onto remaining unused fabric allowing for a seam allowance and cut out bottom section of liner.  Zig-zag around edge to prevent fraying.

     5.      Baste 2 lines of gather stitches if bottom of basket is narrower than top (as in the case of my basket) around bottom of tube of material or at corners to help ease a smooth fit of sides to bottom.

     6.      With right sides together, pin bottom of basted tube to bottom piece of liner.  Pull on basted threads to gather up material for a smooth fit. Sew.  Check fit of liner.  Adjust stitching if necessary.  Stitch again over first stitching to reinforce.

     7.       Clip corners of bottom seam allowance of the liner so that liner will lay flat in the bottom of the basket.

     8.      Check fit of liner in basket.  Adjust top hem of liner to lie even with top edge of basket and pin into place.  Roll under ¼ inch edge of hem, sew hem into place.

     9.      Place lining into basket, pin strips of remaining side of Velcro to wrong side of lining to align with the strips already glued to rim. 



Double-check the liner’s fit and then sew Velcro strips to lining. 
     10.  Attach lining to basket.

Notes: 1) With the left over material, I made two place mats that matched the basket’s liner.  2) I usually also include a card with a list of items of the Honeymoon Basket as well as suggested food/beverage additions so that the gift recipient doesn’t have to unpack everything to see what is inside.



Jen, yet another of your wonderful ideas!  Thank you so much for sharing with us all.  

Just a reminder, Jen does not have a blog of her own, so I let her share her ideas with all of us here.  Any comments you should leave for her I am quite happy to forward on to her. 



Inspire Me Monday 
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1 comment:

  1. Jen--I think this is a wonderful idea! :)
    I've always loved picnics and picnic baskets. What a unique way to put them to good use again!
    gail

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