I know that you call them cloth pegs but don’t you like the Finnish name: ‘Laundry Boys’! And if the ‘boys’ have a fun bag – laundry day is going to be pure enjoy!
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| The photo above © Teje Karjalainen |
This ‘LAUNDRY BOYS’ fabric basket is now in England with my SISTER and I think she is hoping even more than usual to have lots of sunny days to hang her laundry outside! She wished something to carry the ‘laundry boys’ on hew arm when hanging the clothes out, so I made this for her Christmas package.
First I had many patchwork ideas in my mind – using one funny fabric with cloths! My sister’s style is more modern than mine, so I tried to step out from my scrap box and I chose for the base this white-grey fabric which has modern buildings on it. It’s from Ikea and more firm than normal cotton. It was a good choice because now it looks like the laundry rope is hanging from the walls between the houses.
When I start to make any fabric basket I think just about what size I want (height and the bottom width) and then I start with the bottom piece. Now I made oval using a plate to make the edges round. Then I took the measurement around the bottom and started to make the main piece (making it a little bit longer and trimming it later).
I quilted the bottom and the main piece with wadding, following the Lines of the buildings on the fabric + straight Lines. My wadding was quite fat and it gave beautiful puffy look for the dresses – Like the wind is swinging them on the Air!
I cut the ‘dress’ pieces just squares and ironed them with fusible Web. After that it was easy to cut the dress shapes from the fabric. I wanted to add some colour and made one orange sun. Also here I used fusible web and then drew the shape of the sun (I could saw it through the fabric).
I stitched the sun with simple stitching a few times around. For the dresses, I used sik sak to make sure they stay nice even after washing. I made laundry rope with a thin, satin ribbon and clothes pegs with tiny pieces from the same ribbon. The bird is from one Ikea’s fabric and I stitched it simply a few times around.
When the main piece was finished, I pinned it with the bottom to be able to trim the main piece as long it needs to be. Then I took the pins away, cut the main pieces for the right size and then sew it with the bottom. I made the lining with cotton fabric. Binding is double folded and I sew it first on the outside (catching now the main basket with the lining). Then I turned it inside and sew so that the stitching shows on the right side just next to the binding.
The strap has a piece of wadding inside and it’s quilted with straight Lines. In these photos, the strap is still with pins because I was thinking a few options on how to catch it. Finally, I simply sew it on the basket. You could also make buttonholes on the two edges of the strap and then two big buttons on both sides of the basket. Like that you can use the basket also for something else without a strap.
If you like to see more details on how to make any size fabric basket, click HERE to see the tutorial I made for the ‘Quilt Story’s’ Holiday Series! Those baskets are around and have little scrap trees on them.
