Liberty Print Hamper by Janet Crowther

Good-bye plastic hampers! This beauty will not want to sit behind the door and out of sight. I chose a lively Liberty print to infuse a bit of fun into an otherwise ordinary, everyday object. With wood and leather handles, this stunner is also lightweight and easy to transport, so you won’t be ashamed to walk your laundry down to the corner laundromat (I’m looking at you, city dwellers).

Excerpted with permission from A Well-Crafted Home Copyright©2017 by Janet Crowther. Photography by Julia Wade. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.

Skill level: Advanced
Finished size: 22 × 15 inches

Step 1

Materials Needed:

SUPPLIES
4 leather strips, cut to 9/16 inches wide x 10-1/2 inches long
Two 5 x ½-inch-diameter round wooden dowels
Heavy interfacing, cut as follows:
• Two 22-1/2 x 48-inch pieces
• Two 16-inch-diameter circles
2-1/2 yards of Liberty fabric or cotton print, cut as follows:
• one 25 x 52-inch piece
• one 16-inch-diameter circle
2-1/2 yards of canvas fabric, cut as follows:
• one 25 x 49-inch piece
• one 16-inch-diameter circle
Thread in coordinating color
Nylon upholstery thread in contrasting color for sewing leather

TOOLS
Small binder clips
E6000 glue
Iron
Tape measure
Straight pins
Sewing machine
Tailor’s chalk
Leather needle for sewing machine

Step 2

Fold 1 leather strip over each wooden dowel lengthwise so that the ends of the leather meet. Using a small binder clip, join the 2 sides together, leaving a bit of ease to slide out the dowel. Repeat this on the opposite side of the dowel. Remove the dowels, keeping the clips in place.

Step 3

Put a small amount of glue on 1 end of a dowel and very gently ease the dowel back between the leather. Repeat with the opposite side. Be careful not to get any glue on the exposed leather. Glue the leather to the second dowel the same way. Set aside and let the glue dry for at least 12 hours.

Step 4

Iron an interfacing circle to the wrong side of the Liberty circle. Iron an interfacing circle to the wrong side of the canvas circle.

Step 5

Iron an interfacing panel to the wrong side of the Liberty panel. (Several inches of the Liberty fabric will not be interfaced.) Iron an interfacing panel to the wrong side of the canvas panel.

Step 6

Double over the long piece of canvas with the interfacing side out. Pin the 49-inch side and sew a 3/8-inch seam from the top to the bottom. Secure with several anchor stitches on each side.

Step 7

Place the canvas bottom in the newly created canvas tube with the interfacing facing out. Pin the circle to the tube in 8 places, with the pins spaced evenly around.

Step 8

Using a short basting stitch, begin machine-stitching the tube seam with a 3/16-inch seam allowance. Gently guide the fabric underneath the presser foot, easing in the fabric as needed. Once you’ve completed the circle, remove the fabric from the sewing machine and make sure everything is sewn properly. Return to the machine, reset the stitch length to medium, and sew again around the bottom circle, using a 1/2-inch seam allowance.

Step 9

Double over the long piece of Liberty fabric with the interfacing side out. Pin the 52-inch side and sew a 5/16-inch seam from the top to the bottom, beginning and ending with several anchor stitches.

Step 10

Position the Liberty bottom into the newly created tube with the interfacing facing out. Pin the circle to the tube in 8 places, with the pins spaced evenly around.

Step 11

Using a short basting stitch, begin machine-stitching the tube seam with a 3/16-inch seam allowance. Gently guide the fabric underneath the presser foot, easing in the fabric as needed. Once you’ve completed the circle, remove the fabric from the sewing machine and make sure everything is sewn properly. Return to the machine, reset the stitch length to medium, and sew again around the bottom circle, using a 1/2-inch seam allowance.

Step 12

Fold over 1/2 inch of the top of the Liberty fabric and iron. Turn the Liberty tube right side out. Place the canvas tube inside the Liberty tube and smooth the fabric.

Step 13

Now fold over the extra Liberty fabric to the inside of the tube so that it forms a cuff over the canvas. Sew a 1/4-inch seam on the folded edge of the Liberty fabric.

Step 14

Flatten the upper tube in half, making sure that the seam is a few inches from the side fold. Find the center and mark it with tailor’s chalk. From the center point, measure to the right and left 25⁄₈ inches, and mark the 2 places with pins. Remove the center pin.

Step 15

When the glue on the leather strip handles has dried fully, remove the clips. Place 1 side of the leather on the handles where the right pin is located. There should be 2-1/2 inches of leather tucked over the top of the tube Secure with a binder clip.

Step 16

Put the leather needle on your sewing machine. Set the stitch length to 6 stitches per inch. The first stitch will be taken from the top of the tube at the center of the leather; leave a long tail on the top and bottom threads. Stitch along the center of the leather 2 inches, leaving a long tail on the top and bottom threads. Repeat these steps for the other side of the handle.

Step 17

Remove the clips from the right and left sides. Pull the tails to the reverse side and knot them.

Step 18

Position the laundry bag in the sewing machine to make a diagonal stitch on the leather strip. This seam will be located ½ inch up from the bottom of the leather—just meeting the center stitch.

Step 19

The first stitch sewn will be 1/4-inch above the right hand leather piece, traveling across the leather and ending up on the fabric. Secure with several anchor stitches on the fabric but not on the leather. Repeat this step for the left-hand side of the handle.