DIY Rope Basket

As a maker, I tend to have little collections of odd bits and projects that cluster in corners. Having loved baskets and containers for so long, especially the beautiful woven baskets, but can’t always afford the handcrafted ones that would contain my chaos. I wanted an expedited alternative to making a woven basket, so combined a traditional approach with the magic of a hot glue gun!

1. Tie a knot with the main yarn color you wish to use, about 3/4″ from the end of rope. This will be used to start the basket.

2. Wrap yarn around the end of rope and double knot, keep one strand of yarn from the knot to a few feet in length, and trim the other short.

3. Using hot glue, begin to bend the rope to curve around the wrapped end.

4. Wrap the glued round with a strand of yarn.

5. Glue another round of rope and thread the yarn through a tapestry needle. Begin to stitch every inch, binding two rounds of rope to each other.

6. Continue to alternate using hot gluing the rope and then reinforcing with a stitch every inch. Repeat until the flat round is as wide as the desired diameter for your basket.

7. Once you’re reading to build up the sides of the basket, glue rope to the top of the previous rape layer, instead of the side.

8. To highlight areas with pops of yarn color, similarly to the first step, wrap yarn around rope and double knot before gluing.

9. Continue to stack layers of glued rope atop each other.

10. As you’re ready to finish the basket and add handles, knot yarn and wrap about a 3 inch length of rope.

11. Trim rope and glue in place to create a hoop handle, reinforce with stitching, knot and trip.

12. Fill with your latest craft project, which can now be beautifully displayed instead of crammed in a corner or drawer!​Project by Kathryn Godwin of Studio Cultivate  |  Photography by Laura Sumrak