Unpretentious shopping basket with swing handle in pink and brown

Yesterday, Nacy Jacobs wrote in her blog (www.basketmasterweavings.blogspot.com) about a Free Pattern for a basket available from Baskets of Joy (www.basketsofjoy.com). As I am always on the lookout for free items as well as new ideas, I checked out the site. I downloaded the pattern there for a Vanity Basket with leather handles.

I was impressed with the pattern shown on the side of that basket and decided to make a basket with that pattern myself.

The Vanity Basket has a 11" by 6.5" base. I wanted to make a basket with a swing handle I had available which required an 8" wide base. So I had to amend the instructions and figure out how many pre-cut pieces of cane I would need for a larger base.

I also had very little flat cane left in my storage room. The only colours I had in sufficient quantity were the brown and pink. There was no usable quantities of undyed cane. Fortunately, the brown and pink do combine well in an understated manner.

The finished basket has a fairly large capacity, being 12 " by 8" at its base, opening up to 15" by 10" at the top. Its sides reach 6.5". The patterning of the Vanity Basket shows on the sides of the shopper, but does not stand out quite as much as in that model.

Another source for free basket patterns is www.whbaskets.com. Once a month, Wanda Haight of that company posts there a free pattern. WHBaskets is also the comany from which I buy my supplies including not only cane but the many fine handles her father makes for her. I will be placing an order with Wanda very shortly.