My Flea Market Cart

Every flea market I've ever gone to, I've found myself lugging some heavy or awkward item around, wishing I had a better means to transport said found treasure.  There were always other, wiser folks flitting around the place with these cute little wire hand carts.  Where on the Earth did they get them??

Imagine my sheer delight when I spotted this baby at... you guessed it!  Goodwill!!  Not only is this hand cart sturdy, light-weight, and fully functioning, it is also vintage.  It folds flat for easy storage and for a mere $3.99, I couldn't pass it up!

It has obviously seen good use.  The black paint is chippy and the wheels show some wear, but nothing is broken and the wheels turn easily.  I certainly don't want to drag a broken down cart around the next big flea market I attend.  I almost always end up with various sized items, including little bits and pieces of junk, so in order to avoid loosing any of my small treasures, a cart liner was in order.  I already had an old woven coverlet that was damaged beyond repair in one spot.  I love the colors and the pattern, so that is what I used to sew my liner.  Four broken sewing machine needles later, this is what I came up with...

 

Look!  My flea market cart is smiling!!  I am by no means an expert seamstress, but I can fake it fairly well with the right vision in my head.  This project is for my own use anyway, so perfection isn't the point.

I put deep pocket "saddlebags" on either side, which helps to hold the whole shabang in place, and provides easy access storage for my wallet, camera, water bottle and snacks.

Vintage embelishments include this wonderful old pom pom trim, and a couple of big bakelite buttons.  I will probably do some more tweeking before I'm done.  I have enough of the trim to add some to the pockets...