Hand Stitched Basket Liner

We frequently had baskets full of bread at dinner when I was a child - wicker baskets lined with little checked towels.  I never adopted this practice as an adult which is odd, because I love it.  So set out a pretty little basket lined with a dishtowel the other night and thought, "Oh how charming."  My husband thought, "Oh what was the last thing you used that towel on?"  The answer: probably scrubbing the floor or something else disgusting.

So I set about making a little basket liner.  I traced a little turkey cookie cutter onto a flour sack towel I had lying around (clean and unused) cut into a 16 by 16 inch square, I think.  I outlined it with a simple running stitch because I have other things to do.  

I squared a fat quarter approximately 17.5 or 18 inches.  I folded a clean edge under around the flour sack towel and stitched around the edge.  I started off hand sewing a very pretty blanket stitch to attach the plaid backing but again, I have other things to do.  You could hand sew the whole thing.  You could, in fact, do whatever you want because I'm not the boss of you.  The running stitch appealed to me because it's something a young girl could manage - gingerbread men or snowmen or something... a young girl could actually manage this whole project... but I did have fantasies involving French knots etc. 

OK so - wouldn't this be the sweetest thing as a teacher or hostess gift?  A basket, the liner, perhaps a scone mix and some tea for Christmas morning?  I think this is what we will do for our teachers.  Because I am a wee bit addicted.  I think we will end up with a basket liner for every day of the year.

And well, you should probably iron it.  See: other things to do.

Comments

[Juli]

A young girl or the sewing challenged like me could do it. :) My daughter is surpassing me in her skills now. I might have her try something like that.

[Regan B]

there is just something about simple stitches on flour sack material that take one back......have you read the stories about flour sack dresses? anyway, i made some hand towels for my bathroom in a similar fashion to this basket liner that you made. i was hesitant at first, thinking about all of the dirty little hands that would be wiped clean on such WHITE, carefully handstitched towels, but i did it anyway because i wanted them to remember that i loved them enough to let them "use" something i had made. i might just have to stitch one of those liners up really quickly to wrap my oatmeal rolls in! thanks for the idea and happy thanksgiving.

[Meredith]

Beautiful! Happy Thanksgiving sweetie!

[cici]

what? you're not supposed to use the same towels you mop the floors with???

well, yours is cute anyway.

[Diane]

Very sweet, Jenn. You never cease to amaze me with your ability to create pretty things.

My favorite line of this post: "You could, in fact, do whatever you want because I'm not the boss of you." :)

[Kristen Laurence]

I love it, Jenn. Terrific gift idea! Flour sack towels are my favorite for drying dishes. I love their smooth, thin-but-durable texture.

[Cheryl M.]

I love it! Pretty stitching, fabric and colors - looks like delicious bread! :)

[Marybeth Whalen]

Another cute idea is to take pieces of linen and let the kids stamp with fabric paint-- different shapes for different holidays. My kids did this in a class years ago with fall leaf stamps in different colors and I still use it every Thanksgiving!

[12ontheinside]

"I squared a fat quarter". What language is this? :)

[kira]

lovely! I must do that some day. Have a great Thanksgiving.

[Lori]

really pretty. we do this, too. :^)

[Chrissie]

Having read your last week of posts in one night, I must ask, "Are you crazy?" How on earth are you doing all this? And lastly along with 12ontheotherside, what the heck did you say about a fat quarter? Is it a problem from Math U See?? Lastly, to quote your favorite and mine, "Good grief." You make me tired. Said like only a sister can say...

[Sharon]

Love it. Inspirational.

[Alexandra]

Hi Jennifer, I had a nice visit w/ your sister. Tell her James is missing her.

So here is a question for you. How can I get my girls into embroidery considering I don't actually do it. Your turkey traced stitching thingy seems like a good start. The girls are 7 and 9. I'd love to buy them something in this vein for Xmas. Thanks for your input.