I had been seeing all over Instagram references to the “one hour basket.” Various posts of cute little fabric boxes or baskets that were tagged with #onehourbasket or #hourbasket. Finally I found the source. The one hour basket is a free pattern available on Craftsy. You can get it here! It’s put out by Hearts and Bees who is a duo of seamstresses. So I had to see what the hype is about.
First off, it is a fast basket to make, especially if you follow the instructions on the pattern. Which I did the first time. I always like to play by the rules the first time I try out a pattern. But of course, after that I typically make some modifications so it turns out more how I like. Here are the changes I made to the original pattern:
- I trimmed the fusible interfacing by 1/2 inch on all sides so that it didn’t add bulk to the seams.
- I pressed my seams open, again to reduce bulk although I don’t think this makes a huge difference.
- I used 1/2 inch seam allowance on the corners (but this was because I didn’t realize the instructions said 1/4 inch until later 😛 ).
- I did completely different handles although I used the same measurements to cut the fabric for them as for the original pattern.
So all the cutting follows the original pattern. It’s only the construction that I did differently.
For the handles, I stitched them in strips as per the original instructions. In the ones here, I did the stitching with decorative 12wt white Aurifil thread and I love how it matches the quilty-looking fabric. Then I pressed under 3/8 inch and then pressed 1.125 inches on either end so there were no raw seams exposed. Then I sewed them to the sides using a square stitching pattern. Each one was stitched 1.25 inches below the top (or 1.75 if you’re doing it before attaching the lining) and 2.5 inches from the seam to the outer edge of the handle. This gives a little bit of space between the handle and the bag, making it easy to grab.
The first time I tried this kind of handle, I sewed it through the outside and lining. Unfortunately, this leaves seams on the inside. I kept my stitching clean so I don’t think it looks bad, but I wasn’t a huge fan. I would do it this way again though, if my thread matched the lining because I think it adds some extra stability in keeping the lining in. In general, I think I’ll just go with whatever way looks best in the future.
I made two for Halloween. One for me and one for my mom. I thought they’d be fun to put the candy in. The one I made for myself was my first practice of doing the trimmed fusible fleece and the handles, so I didn’t do the extra bit with the orange bottom as I did for my mom’s since I knew I could always do the “standard” way for my mom’s if I messed up mine. As it turns out, I like the basket even more with my modifications!
Candy goes in there!
