Scooter Basket

This make is full of mistakes but I am really proud of it and think it looks fab! 

I was inspired by the bike basket post from UCreate's Fat Quarter series.  The same week, E told me how much she liked a plastic basket on another child's scooter.  And, I had some of this fabric left over from a tablecloth.  Serendipity.

The fabric is from Ikea and is actually upholstery fabric.  The twill weave and slightly water-repellent texture make it perfect for bags. 

I didn't follow the original instructions entirely, I wasn't using a fat quarter so I cut my sides as one long rectangle with a single seam at the back.  I cut the base as a rectangle with rounded sides.  I also used two layers of heavyweight interfacing for structure, instead of the plastic embroidery mesh, and I sewed the lining to the inside as I don't have hot glue.

The straps are just folded over lengthwise and sewn on 2 sides, I then inserted them into the top seam as I stitched the lining to the outer layer.  I really should have researched some proper bag-making instructions for the lining attachment.  Instead, I got really lazy and just top-stitched the back of the top closed.  I am sure there is a better way, but I was getting worried about too much turning making that lovely, stiff interfacing soften.  Plus, hey, it's a child's toy and it is going to say nice for about 5 whole minutes so why stress over perfection?

I lined the basket with leftover red spot fabric.  Red is the favourite colour of the moment.  I love it when E gets involved in choosing her materials.

The Velcro is sewn over the top because I accidentally bought stick-on (non-brand) Velcro which was dreadful.  It sticks harder to itself than the surface, then when I tried to stitch it in place, the adhesive got stuck all through my machine needle, including the eye, and tangled in all the thread.  It was a mess.  I'm giving that "hook and loop tape" to the kids for crafts.  I salvaged some patches of Velcro from my pile of men's shirts and used that instead.

Final cost: £3.00 for 1m of interfacing (lots left over); £1.50 for dud hook-and-loop-tape = £4.50 for gorgeous, custom, way-nicer-than-plastic, scooter basket!