A tisket, A tasket, A liner for my basket...

While summering around in Snohomish, I bought an old sewing basket at a thrift/antique store.

It was one more thing to squeeze into the car for the drive home, but I already had a plan for it. Cozette had been playing so sweetly with my Mom's "Calico Critter" toys. Whenever she finished playing with them, she'd clean them up into the wooden basket where they belonged. 

I thought, "This can be our critter basket!"

...but it was...you know...old, and the bottom had a bit of a residue built up in it.

 I knew I'd be making some kind of liner.

How do you like my pattern? It's on a napkin...and some scrap fabric.

Fancy, I know.

The lining fit ok, so I cut out the rest.

Really, I think making the ties was the hardest part. I guess I could have used ribbon, but I wanted it to be well-crafted....and ribbon felt like cheating.

Oh, man. I used so much starch on that fabric. Sometimes I wish I had a little less 100% quilting cotton and a little more low maintenance blends.

I sewed the trim in place before I put the lining and the main liner together. 

One less thing to try to think about.

(And isn't the yellow sweet! I got it at the PA Fabric Outlet a couple of years ago. 

I wish I had it in 5 more colors.)

Pinned everything in place (especially those dang ties), crossed my fingers, and started sewing.

...and it came together just as I envisioned!

Picnicky and cute.

The critters love it too.