How to Make a Vintage Quilt Liner for a Thrifted Wire Basket
Recently, I was in an resale shop when my mother-in-law noticed there was a bargain bin in the back. Of course, I love a bargain so I checked it out. Tucked in the bin was a wire basket with a plain canvas liner. She saw the vision before I did. It only took about 3 minutes before I convinced this was a worthwhile $1.00 investment. If you are looking for a fresh way to enjoy quilts in your daily life, this thrifted wire basket quilt liner is just the thing.
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Wire Basket Quilt Liner
Bargain bins don’t always have amazing things. Sometimes the things included in the $1.00 box are junk items that don’t fit anything in my life. But this bargain bin was different! Once my mother-in-law showed me the wire basket and helped me see the vision, I couldn’t wait to get home and get started.
Now, there’s something you need to understand about my sewing skill level. I consider myself a pretty basic seamstress and have sewn some pretty cool things recently out of old ragged quilts – Christmas stockings, a footstool cover, backpack keyfobs, and even some tote bags. But I always have a pattern, a YouTube video or a family member helping me figure out the next step.
For this wire basket liner, I was on my own. I studied the existing fabric insert. Then I looked at from another angle. A few minutes later, I had a plan. My basket insert would have to be lined since I was planning to use a quilt topper I purchased at an antique store last summer.
I traced a loose oval for the bottom based on the size of the basket liner that was in the basket. Then I ‘guestitmated’ the best shape I could get from the sides of the liner. This is definitely not a pattern I can share but more of a reminder that you don’t need a perfect plan or pattern to create something fun.
About an hour later, I had a basket liner with denim patchwork on the inside and the repurposed quilt topper for the outside. Is it perfect? Definitely not. Could I sell this? Nope. Am I super proud of this? Absolutely.
This was my first time to create something that is more difficult than my standard projects without following a pattern and it turned out pretty good.
So next time you see a discount bin with a basket and a boring liner, take a minute and think about the possibilites before you just pass by. You might just end up with a project that is little too hard, but turns out pretty cool!
