Small Bonnet Basket #1784

This is Small Bonnet Basket #1784 which was handmade here at 1840 Farm on February 12, 2022.  This basket features a pretty collection of spring inspired fabrics including solids and patterns in shades of blue, pink, green, yellow, and lavender. It is stitched together carnation pink colored zigzag stitching.

Our Small Bonnet Basket has a round base measuring approximately 4 inches wide.  It stands 2.75 inches tall and the diameter of the top opening (including the brim) is around 9.5 inches wide. This basket features a large fiddlehead swirl displayed on the rim of the basket which is just over 1 inches wide. 

We made this style of basket several years ago and decided to bring it back this spring.  Long before 1840 Farm had an online shop or Etsy shop, we attended local arts and crafts fairs to sell our baskets and other handmade pieces.  I could always count on meeting the nicest people at those events.  They would ask about our farm, and I loved watching them choose from dozens of baskets until they landed on the one that was just perfect for their home.

I could also count on one other interaction to take place. At every single event, without any provocation, someone would inevitably pick up an egg basket, turning it around to get a better look at it, and then comment to me that it would make a good hat.  It never failed to surprise me that a new person made that comment at each and every event. 

There was only one thing to do: make a basket with an intentional hat shape.  So, I sat down at the sewing machine and started working on the shape of the bowl and the rim.  It took a lot of trial and error, a lot of seam ripping, and quite a few misshapen baskets before I got it just right. 

Our Bonnet Basket is the only style we make that includes a rim to showcase our fiddlehead swirl. It lends a unique and elegant shape to the basket.  Readers remarked that it reminded them of a summer bonnet and the name stuck.  We hope that it will remind you of summer days spent in the garden or enjoying a glorious day outside.  It’s perfectly suited as a decorative accent to add a little of the farmhouse style we love so much to your home, bringing color and texture to any room.  It’s also a beautiful way to display fresh eggs or produce on your kitchen counter or placed on a peg rack in your kitchen or pantry.

All of our coiled fabric baskets are made by hand at 1840 Farm.  Each fabric strip is torn by hand before being combined with other complimentary fabrics and then wrapped around a length of cording, joining the fabrics as we go.  The fabric wrapped cord is then coiled and stitched together using a zigzag stitch on my sewing machine.  I continue to wrap the coil and shape the basket as it is stitched, ending each one in our trademark spiral design. 

We blend new fabrics with select repurposed fabrics to create a pleasing color palette for each item.   Each piece has its own unique color pattern and slight variation in shape.  Because every piece is handmade, each one is a true original.  Our handmade baskets display the raw edge of the fabrics used to create it.  They are handmade in our non-smoking farmhouse.  

I make our fabric items using the same technique my Great Grandmother used over 50 years ago.  She lovingly transformed worn out clothing into useful household items that were used in their New England farmhouse.  While her items were made purely for utility purposes, it is my goal to create beautiful handmade items that can serve a useful purpose in your home.

This basket is part of our 1840 Farm Basket Collection.  Each basket in the Collection comes with a hand signed product tag that includes the date that the basket was finished.  Each basket is numbered and displayed in our photo gallery.

Our fabric baskets can be cleaned by spot washing or in the gentle cycle of your washing machine.  Gently reshape the basket while still damp and allow to air dry.  Overturning the damp basket on top of a bowl will ensure that it retains its shape while drying.

This listing is for the basket only.  Other items shown in the photographs are not included in the sale price.  Those items were used for photographic purposes only.  Their use was intended to show the utility and various uses of the basket.

We also make custom pieces to order.  Contact us if you have questions or would like to place a custom order. We would love to work together to make a beautiful piece just for you. We hope to be sending something special from our farmhouse to your house soon!