Handmade Play Baby Basket and Accessories

Kathy from the studio has been sewing for her great niece Elsie’s 2nd birthday. She has made this gorgeous baby carrier with a matching mini quilt using the Sheri McCulley For Poppie Cotton quilting collection.

“When these fabrics came into the studio, I just thought how lovely the collection looked. All the cute birds and flowers and their colours are so subtle and delicate, I just knew they would be perfect to use them for this project which was for a present for my great niece Elsie’s 2nd birthday.”

“When starting the baby basket my first challenge was to translate the pattern which I had mistakenly ordered in French – ha! ha! The pattern is from AtelierCarolineSew on Etsy. This was pretty straightforward with google translate and my understanding of patterns and numerous photos provided.”

“It was an easy pattern to follow however, I did make some changes for a couple of things that I felt were overlooked in the pattern. For example, when making the exterior of the basket there was no consideration for using a directional fabric like I was using (birds right way up on one side and upside down on the other) so instead of joining the two pattern pieces together to form the basket, I kept the two pieces separate and added a 1/4 inch seam allowance to the centre, then laid them in opposite directions on the fabric I was using. This gave me the pattern direction the same all the way around when making up the basket.”

“After joining the two pieces I used temporary spray glue to fix the exterior fabric onto the hexiform which I was using instead of interfacing, as I felt it made the walls of the basket more sturdy. I then continued to cut the basket from the hexiform and continued to follow the pattern. The mattress and pillow were easy to make and cute additions.”

“The pattern I purchased didn’t have a hood, I had chosen this pattern for the size of the basket but I had seen other patterns with a hood and thought how cute they made the basket look I also felt my niece would enjoy taking it on and off. I created my own pattern by measuring the width of the basket and also allowing for the height of the hood. I took this measurement and drew a straight line on paper and then drew a curved line from one end to the other. It did take several attempts to get the curve right!”

“Once I was happy I cut 2x exterior fabric, 2x interior fabric, and 2x hexiform. I stitched the two exterior pieces right sides together using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, along the curved edge. This created the dome of the hood. I then joined the two lining pieces along the curved edge and placed the interior hood inside the exterior hood, wrong sides together, and stitched around the edges. I finished with heavy-duty studs.”

“I love English paper piecing and just couldn’t resist making this mini quilt (every dolly needs a hexie patchwork quilt, right???) and those little birds were just right for fussy cutting. I felt the basket needed some more cute extra additions for my niece to play with. The lovely Lin from the studio offered to make the crocheted blanket which compliments the colours in the fabrics so nicely and the little Rabbit was made by my son’s girlfriend, Elsa. Thank you Both for your additions.”

“I really enjoyed making this project and adding all the little details, my great-niece loved her present and couldn’t wait to put her babies to bed.”

Materials:
Fabric used: 1/2 meter for the lining of the baby basket & hood, basket mattress & pillow. 1 FQ for the basket exterior.
Medium weight interfacing for the handles.
Hemline 15mm Heavy Duty Snaps.
Fibre wadding for mattress & pillow.
Hexiform Sheet for basket & hood.

Sheri McCulley For Poppie Cotton