Making/buying a liner for a wicker laundry basket

edinburgher

Hey all - hopefully someone on the OS board can advise on my 'mend and make do' enquiry :money:

We inherited a wicker laundry basket (roughly 1m high, 50cm or so diameter getting narrower towards the base) from our landlady and my lovely GF isn't very gentle with it.

As a result, the plastic lining has been completely torn away from the basket and while I don't want to chuck out a perfectly serviceable laundry basket, I can't have us getting wicker splinters in our delicates!

Does anyone know of a website/shop that might sell a liner for a wicker basket, or how I might make one? I can sew reasonably well and can follow instructions

Plastic lining would be ok, but I'd rather cotton as it's biodegradeable and can be washed.

Mummy_Jo

If you still have the plastic one you can try using it as a template to make a new one. I would advise making the template on some paper first - if you don't have a piece big enough just tape together smaller ones.

Then just choose some fabric cut it out and hem it and secure it back in place.

Hope you get somewhere - if you need any more help just shout!

Jo

Olliebeak

Make sure that you leave a 'hemming allowance' around your pattern pieces before cutting out .

Newbird

How about using an old pillowcase if you don't want to sew or need it quick?
Even better you may fit 2 in there, and you can have one for light and one for dark washing, sort as you go...

Mummy_Jo

Newbird wrote: »

How about using an old pillowcase if you don't want to sew or need it quick?
Even better you may fit 2 in there, and you can have one for light and one for dark washing, sort as you go...

Really good and very quick idea!

MrsBartolozzi

Newbird wrote: »

How about using an old pillowcase if you don't want to sew or need it quick?
Even better you may fit 2 in there, and you can have one for light and one for dark washing, sort as you go...

That's what I was going to suggest :T

edinburgher

If you still have the plastic one you can try using it as a template to make a new one. I would advise making the template on some paper first - if you don't have a piece big enough just tape together smaller ones.

Never would have thought of that - have retrieved old liner from bin

Make sure that you leave a 'hemming allowance' around your pattern pieces before cutting out .

In layman's terms, is that a spare bit in case I miscalculate/balls up the sewing?

How about using an old pillowcase if you don't want to sew or need it quick?

Great idea for the short term, thanks - not sure if we'll fit our duvet covers in there tho!

Thanks guys - your brill suggestions are exactly why I brought this tricky problem to the OS board :T

edinburgher

Bought 2m of calico online which should serve for the intended purpose. I know it's not particularly strong, but we don't generate that much washing (honest).

I've cut the original 'template' of material down into its constituent pieces (2 trapezoids? and a circle for the base) - I'm planning to scale them up slightly so that the new liner will sit over the edge of the basket. Not stitching it to the rim will hopefully mean it's less likely to get torn?

savingforoz

What's the best way to attach a liner that's partially come away from the wicker of the basket? It looks like the rest of it is attached with some sort of staple, but I'm not too sure about trying to tack it back up using an ordinary stapler. Maybe some strong glue would do.

maman

edinburgher wrote: »

Bought 2m of calico online which should serve for the intended purpose. I know it's not particularly strong, but we don't generate that much washing (honest).

I've cut the original 'template' of material down into its constituent pieces (2 trapezoids? and a circle for the base) - I'm planning to scale them up slightly so that the new liner will sit over the edge of the basket. Not stitching it to the rim will hopefully mean it's less likely to get torn?

I should allow for quite a big 'cuff' (about 12/15cm?) to go over the edge of the basket. If you wanted, you could also make a sort of 'hem' on the edge and put some ribbon/tape/or even elastic through it so it sort of grips or ties off. The secret is to make it plenty big enough otherwise the weight of the laundry pulls it off and that's really irritating.HTH

edinburgher

Thanks very much maman - I think I will sew in a very rough hem as we have some large bits of ribbon left from fancily wrapped presents which may just fit. I say very rough as I'm a guy and it's a miracle I can sew at all