After a big snow storm this week it’s finally sunny and starting to warm up here! Spring is all about babies and I’m headed to a friend’s baby shower tomorrow! Of course I wait to the usual last-minute, but managed to still make a Divided Basket with gingham and leather. I’m really quite happy with how it turned out!

She doesn’t know the baby’s gender yet, so it felt really natural to grab this gingham and add a few personal touches to it. I always have a bit of hesitation when making a gift without knowing if it’s a boy or a girl. I don’t think it matters much for the basket though since I feel like it’s supposed to fit seamlessly into a room and maybe even be usable long after the first year for things other than diapers. Toys and books would be perfect, too!

I omitted the front pocket and added two layers of Pellon 809 behind this really sturdy denim gingham. I can say that I am all about trying different combinations and trying something different. I interfaced the lining pieces with SF101 and it feels sturdy and was easy to sew, too. As many times as I’ve used Soft & Stable or fusible fleece when making these baskets, I feel like this route is a great option as well! I can say that it also made it nice and crisp, so using a little fabric glue at the top made it super fast to get that topstitching done and without much fuss. I really love my Sewline glue pen, but I’m sure other types of glues would work just as well.

I also decided that leather handles would look pretty classy and added a little hand-stamped monogram (is it a monogram if there’s only one letter?) and rivet detail. Filled it up with a few basics: diapers, bubble bath, and onesies and it’s all set for gifting!

Here’s just a few of the Divided Baskets I’ve sewn over the years:

Goodnight Moon Basket || Briar Rose Basket || Bathroom Divided Basket || More Baskets || Baby Gift Set || Habitat Divided Basket || Spring Basket

Pattern: Divided Basket
Fabrics: Robert Kaufman Railroad Denim (I’m pretty sure I got mine from Jones & Vandermeer, but it looks to be sold out) Found it over at Modern Domestic!
Lining is Pebbles in Indigo (from Alexia Abegg’s Sienna collection for Cotton + Steel)