The original tute (more like tips or hacks) for making rope and fabric baskets was posted on my old blog that got hacked a million times so we shut it down and got rid of all the spammy-code-filled content. Luckily, Norm had made a backup of my site and he found my original post so I’ve lifted some of my old tips from it, yay! I’ve been asked a lot recently about how to make fabric and rope baskets, so, here it is!
Fabric baskets are super fun to make and great scrap-busters. I like to use up bits and bobs of all different fabrics in them, it gives them a super scrappy, creative, and colourful vibe. This is how I make them, (might be right or wrong but works for me!) and some tips I figured out along the way!
To make a fabric and rope basket you will need:
- A sewing machine capable of zig-zag stitch
- An assortment of fabrics for a scrappy look- avoid fabrics that fray a lot, like linen, satin, rayon, looser weave cottons, etc.. Cotton and quilting cottons work great and don’t fray as much giving you a cleaner look.
- Lots of thread, and a couple (at least!) of bobbins wound
- Glue stick
- A package of cotton clothesline rope- see note at bottom about what kind to look for and where to find it
- New needle in your machine, I use a 90/14 quilting needle, and maybe a backup just in case!
Let’s get started!
First, cut a bunch of strips of fabric, you’ll need quite a few. Cut them freehand, anywhere between 5/8″ – 3/4″-ish wide. If you cut them too thin, the fabric won’t cover the rope very well, and too thick it tends to not wrap and will bunch up/twist.
Grab your rope and find an end. (OMG see my note about your rope before you start, it’ll save you major headaches! Don’t ask me how I know, lol)
Take one strip of fabric and lay it wrong side up and apply a strip of glue on the fabric, about an inch long x the width of the strip. Place your rope near the bottom edge as shown.
Next, fold over the top of the fabric strip, covering the rope end, and press to adhere it with the glue you applied.
We’re going to start wrapping the rope with fabric! Adjust the fabric strip so it is behind the rope as shown above. Then start wrapping the strip around the rope, keeping the strip on a slight bias/angle, with the rope on your left, and the fabric strip working back to front, flipping the tail up and over the top of the rope and back under and around. Wrap the fabric around and around the rope, covering the rope completely as you go.
Once you have a few inches wrapped, coil the end and roll the fabric covered rope into a spiral. This will be the bottom centre of your basket. Keep the rope on your left as you get set up, and then as you work.
(I switched thread colour last second, you got me!)
Place the coil under the machine’s presser foot (Tip: I find using a clear foot super helpful in keeping the rope and needle aligned as you sew), adjust your stitch width and length so it’s a large zigzag, and zigzag across the centre, then backstitch back to where you started. Stitch back and forth across the centre spiral, catching in the centre edges of the rope, then go back to the centre, and start stitching around each “round”, catching in all the edges of each round of rope. This can be a bit tricky to maneuver, just go slowly, catching in both sides of each round as you stitch. A small awl or even the capped end of a pen, can help you turn the piece under the presser foot as you get it started.
Note where the needle is, catching in both sides of the rope rounds, right and left. A foot with a centre mark or split can also help you keep things aligned visually as you sew.
Keep wrapping and rolling, stitching around and around the coil. When you get to the end of a fabric strip, use a dab of glue stick on the wrong side of the strip that is ending, and put your next strip face down on top, overlapping by about an inch, and adhering it with the glue. Keep wrapping, rolling, stitching, and adding strips!
You can see here how the needle is catching both sides of each rope. If you miss a section, you can go back over it and restitch it, no problem!
Here’s how I hold the rope and fabric as I work. As you get faster at sewing these, you can wrap as far ahead as you can then whiz thru a few stitched rounds without having to stop to wrap as you go.
(Ok so I did not take my own advice about re-rolling the rope into a new ball (see notes below) and yeah it got majorly tangled. Don’t do that. )
Once you get the bottom of your basket to the size you want, I wanted mine a bit bigger than usual, this is where the fun starts….
To get the sides of your basket to start turning up, literally tip the bottom of your basket up as high as you can make it go, and keep sewing, holding the bottom up and turning it as you stitch.
You will start to notice the shape of the basket starting to turn from flat into a 3D basket, pretty cool huh!
Keep sewing and continue holding the bottom/side up as you go, to create the sides of your basket.
It’s starting to take shape!
Tip: If you need to take a break, change a bobbin, pour some wine ( ;D ) , take a pin and stick it thru the fabric and rope to hold your spot and keep things from unwrapping, ’til you’re back to it.
Once you reach the end of your rope, (literally or not, haha!), make sure to have about 5-6″ of fabric strip left past the end of the rope, (trim if needed). Apply gluestick to the remaining length of the fabric strip.
Wrap the fabric strip around the end of the rope, securing it inside, and then wrap the end of the strip together, adhering it into a narrow end. The glue will help hold it together as you wrap it.
Continue stitching, and hold the narrow end right up against the basket edge and stitch over it, catching it in the stitching and attaching it to the basket edge.
To finish the top edge, continue stitching around the top edge of the basket, letting the needle go over the right edge of the basket top edge when it is at it’s furthest right position. Stitch all the way around the top of the basket, then backstitch to finish off the stitching.
And done! Bet you can’t make just one!
NOTES:
Here’s what I learned:
– Re-roll your rope into a ball, don’t leave it as it comes in the package, it will tangle and twist as you go. Unwrap it and re-roll it into a big ball.
– Use glue sticks to attach fabric strips to each other- it’s faster and easier. Don’t mess around with pins and clips. Too tedious!
– Cut your strips of fabric about 5/8″ – 3/4″ wide- too thin and you’ll have to wrap a million times, too thick and you get bunches and wrinkles.
– You can use regular old cotton clothesline rope you find at the hardware store. Even the lighter poly-cotton blend rope is fine and stitches up nicely. You can usually find it where the clothesline/laundry room stuff is. I refuse to spend $20+ on a 50 foot package of rope at the sewing store when you can buy 100 feet for $10 at the hardware store! I get the kind labelled “Clothesline” at the hardware store, it works better than thinner weights; thinner gives you a lighter and smaller finished piece but takes way longer and uses way more thread and fabric strips. Don’t buy any plasticy, nylon, or the traditional yellow rope, it won’t work and could destroy your machine, and your sanity!
– These suckers burn thru thread like crazy. Like make sure you have a couple of spools in the same colour on hand, unless you want to change colour mid-way or have a big spool to use, and wind several bobbins before you start.
– 50 feet of rope gets you a really decent sized basket.
– Prints get lost, so don’t use any special ones unless it’s like a hidden special gem of fabric you want to work in. It becomes about the colour instead, since you can only see a sliver of the print as it’s wrapped around the rope and the strips overlap. Smaller prints do work well and add nice texture. Big prints just become about the areas colour. I like to mix in bits of velvet, lamé, anything interesting! Sari fabrics are really cool too.
– Proceed with caution, you might become addicted to the process like I did, it’s very zen, and meditative!
Updated October 2017:
Troubleshooting and a few more tips:
- If you notice your machine is skipping stitches (looks like a straight stitch in between zig zag stitches), try:
– inserting a fresh new needle- this method dulls your needle quickly so you may need to replace your needle more often than usual
– using a heavier needle- jeans/denim weight or a heavier Universal needle
– adjust your tension to be slightly looser than normal
– use a heavier thread and ensure you have the same thread top & bobbin - If you’re having problems feeding the rope through the machine, try:
– using a walking foot instead of a regular foot
– lessen the pressure on the presser foot if you can (Janome machines usually have a dial you can adjust)
– ensure the rope is not too thick and is not plastic – standard clothesline cotton/cotton blend rope from the hardware store works great!
– use sewing gloves- I use rubber palm/fingers gardening gloves from Costco - To join two pieces of rope:
– keep wrapping the fabric strip around the current piece of rope until you’re about 1″ from the end of the rope.
– apply glue stick to the free part of the fabric strip up next to the rope and continue, approx. 2″ worth of glue along the strip
– butt up the new rope end to the old rope end and continue to wrap glue-y fabric strip tightly around the join and past it ( hold the joined section tightly to secure it then keep wrapping a few inches ahead)
– then continue to sew as normal.
Enjoy and I hope this tute helps you get started! I’d love to see if you make a basket or two or three, please do share and tag me on Instagram! @cynthiafrenette
Yay!! Thank you! Going to get the supplies tomorrow. I really want to make one!
soooo cool! i’ve been wanting to do this forever. thanks for sharing!
How much fabric would you say you used? I have a pack of 1-1/2 in. skinny strips (a honeybun). If I halved each strip they would be exactly 3/4 in. I’m trying to figure out how many Easter baskets this would get me 😉
Oh wow that is a very good question! It really depends how closely you wrap/overlap as you go and how big the basket is in the end. I’d say maybe 1/2yd to 3/4yard for a good big basket but I’m just not exactly sure as I usually cut a huge pile to pull from and also use a lot of scraps so I don’t really measure. It’s kind of an experiment every time! 😀
Hi, you did not sew the strips together, did you? I think you just glued the new strip to the previous strip, right? Thanks, Barb
I have made several rope baskets , but lately my sewing machines ( phaff and baby lock) have started messing up. My phaff skips the wide part of the zigzag and just sews a straight stich. My baby lock just leaves clogs of bobbin thread. I have tried changing the kind of needle I am using, and several things. Short of throwing both machines out the window, I don’t know what else to do. Any suggestions?
Hi Madaline! Oh no that sucks!
I can suggest trying a heavier needle, and also try using a different kind of thread?
I know my old Bernina used to shred Aurifil thread and would not sew with it at all. I always use just a good quality regular polyester thread, like Gutterman or similar, for baskets & it works fine on my old Pfaff and my new Janome.
Also check your tension maybe?
And try giving your machine a good clean & oil (if needed) inside, often that will help too.
Also if you are using any batik fabrics (which are more tightly woven), it can cause problems, so try with a regular cotton quilting fabric too.
I hope that will help! 😀
I was looking forward to masking a basket as described – I bought the cotton rope and have wound most of the rope with fabric but have now found that the rope is too thick to fit under my machine foot!
What was the thickness of your rope?
Also I bought the rope from a large hardware distributor but it cost $20 Aus.
Maybe I could try to sew it together by hand?
Regards, Toni
Hi Toni, oh no! I just used regular clothesline weight, it’s maybe around 3/16″ or so thick, maybe a bit thinner (I don’t have any on hand right now to check!). You can definitely try by hand, I’ve seen some interesting ways of doing them that way using a crochet hook or a large upholstery needle, Pinterest is a great source for them to find tutorials in different methods. I hope you can get it sorted! 😀
Hi when stitching basket my mouth of basket tapers in making top narrower how do you avoid this
Maybe try not pulling the rope as tightly, the tighter you pull it, it will pull the basket edge in. 😀
I just came across this tutorial and thought I would share a few things from my experiences with making these baskets. I have made about175 – 200 of them, all sizes, ranging from diameters of 3 inches to 12 inches, as well as trivets, coasters and small placemats and chair pads. As you say, they are extremely addicting! The best rope for these is the 3/16″ size and try to find the stiffest product that you can. When I started out, I quickly discovered the stiffer, the better, and was able to buy a rope that had an inner core, believe it or not, of plastic fibers. That rope made the most beautiful, stable baskets and bowls and was not at all difficult for my machine. As I said, I probably made 150 items with that particular rope. Unfortunately, that company has discontinued it and I have had to go back to the softer ropes, but I have been starching all my rope now and it has given me a better finished product, as well as being much easier to work with. If your rope is soft, it takes a lot of work to get the fabric nice and tight and even more work to keep it snug as you are sewing. One other thing, I never use glue for my ends, although I know a lot of people do. Too messy for me! Maybe it is all the practice I have done, but a tightly twisted, overlapped end will actually hold on its own and if I have to, a clip is just faster for me than a glue stick. This is a great tutorial, and I hope it encourages others to give this a try. It is truly great fun and with just a little practice, you can have a lovely item to use, gift, or sell.
Wow Sally thank you for the awesome tips! 😀
I don’t use glue either and I wrap alot of rope before I start mine. I do that while watching tv. I have used clothesline but cotton cording works the best. I was getting skipped stitches with the clothesline with the inner core thing.
Thank you I learned a lot! I have made several bowls and I buy my clothesline from Amazon. How on earth would you starch your clothesline as suggested in previous comments? These bowls are addictive but they are great gifts! I will look for you on Instragram.no
I am going to be starting this new hobby. I started quilting about 18 months ago and love it. Now I have a use for all my scraps and some squares I don’t like.
Also, I love the bowl hat on your dog. I had to look twice because I thought you had my dog. LOL. My cocker has the markings very similar especially on the face. Yours appears more tolerant.
Thanks for the tips
Paula H
South Carolina
thanks for the help & tips. I had been looking for help and was so glad to find you
Thank you again
Do I drop the feed dog on my sewing machine to make a cloth line fabric basket cause it’s hard to get it under feed dog
Hi Shirley, you shouldn’t need to drop the feeddogs, but if you can lighten the presser foot pressure on your machine, it helps!
I wonder if piping cord would work as I am not sure I can get cotton clothes line. What do you think?
Hi Margarete, it might work, depending in the weight/thickness, you might have to experiment with it a bit! 😀
I just made my first one and I think it turned out cute! Thanks for the directions!
I’m loving this!! It’s like a happy day at summer camp! I bought a jelly roll of batiks and decided I didn’t like the darker colors. They were perfect however for a whole bunch of smaller bowls. I’m going to fill them with candy and give them away for Easter. Thanks for the terrific directions. 🙂
I would dearly like to make this basket but the rope won’t fit under the presser foot. I am using a 9mm poly rope on a Brother machine. Is it the machine I’m using or is there a way to adjust the presser foot. There is no mention of this in the instruction booklet.
Our sewing club made these at one of our monthly meetings. Such fun! The member who taught us the technique had us use sisal rope. It’s great! Stiffer than clothesline and holds the shape beautifully. We got it at wal-mart for about $4.95 for 100 feet. I have a vintage Kenmore heavy duty machine and it sewed quite easily.
I have made several of these bowls. I use old fashioned clothes pins instead of pins to hold ends together as I wrap. Can you suggest how to put on a handle that will look nice? Judy
I basically make mine the same as you – if I want a more finished look I iron under a little on each strip top edge after sewing several together to make at least a 45 inch strip which is easy to work with. As to the rope line I put mine on the floor & put my foot on it to keep it taut while coiling the fabric on .
What a wonderful tutorial! It felt like my instructor was right by my side. And yes this project certainly is addictive. Thank you so much. Maybe you could show us how to make a lid for our basket?
Hi there
Just working on my first basket hopefully bag . Great tutorial! Can you tell me what the best way is to add rope to the existing rope? I have so far only been able to find at Wallmart a cotton cord 1/8 ” at 45 feet long so to make a bigger and higher bag basket I need to add rope together. Any help would be much appreciated
Jacqueline
I have a Janome Horizon 8200QC. Would I be able to make this on my machine? Worth a “jean” needle?Thanks in advance.
Hi Cathy, you should be able to no problem, thats the same machine I have and it works beautifully! I find I just had to lighten the presser foot tension a bit to accommodate the rope and adjust the stitch length. You can always do a practice one first to see how it works! Happy stitching! 😀
We are hosting a quilt show in March and I am going have a table on what to do with scraps. It is a free demo and I make these bowls all the time from my scraps. Would you mind if I used your instructions to give out on “how to” to people interested in learning? I will provide your information and website on the flyers along with your instagram tag. I know it says to share but wanted to make sure this would be ok.
This is so awesome!!! Excellent instructions, thank you so much! I received a very large decorative basket with handles on it from a ‘bestie’ friend for Christmas and I was just overwhelmed with its beauty and creativity. Started hunting for a site for these and finally found yours. What a wonderful presentation. Thanks so much.
Great tutorial! I’ve been making bowls and trivet for some time and, initially, the first few beginning rounds were painful. I tried knitting needles and pencils to keep the cord tightly wound (and to prevent stitching through a finger!). Then I found the perfect tools to use – a pair of wooden chopsticks! I cut them down to about six inches in length for easy maneuvering. Note – don’t try plastic chopsticks – they slip on the fabric .
Love it. Thank you for the inspiration!! Made two small ones already!
This was a great tutorial.Thanks for the tip about the yellow cord. I thought I got a bargain at the Thrift store, but now will have to find another use for it and stick to cotton cord. I wonder why the yellow cord would damage a machine. I have a new Bernina 770QE and would cry if this would damage it. Once again thank you.
The yellow rope is plastic so it would totally ruin your needle/machine since it’s hard- stick to the cotton to be safe! 😀
GREAT tutorial!
I have made several of these bowls myself and i have found that if i cut my strips 1″ wide i can finger fold 1/4″ of the top of the strip while wrapping which gives it a nice finished look with no raveling.
I have started to make rope baskets, using an old singer. Had a lot of trouble with nesting after awhile. It just can’t hold up. Looking for new machine. I had a dealer tell me no sewing machine could holdup for long. Recommended a commerical one, $12,000! Do ya’ll have to have your machnes worked on alot due to sewng rope baskets. I do not enjoy seeing clothes so I use mine mainly for baskets. Any suggestions would be welcomed.
It could be tension, either top or bottom thread.:)
Hello!:)
Thank you for the tutorial!! I started my basket and I am about halfway through and my machine completely jammed! I cleaned out the thread but the machine is seized and is really resistant when I try and turn the hand wheel.
I am worried that the rope is too hard on the machine? I am only using 7/32″ cotton rope.. so it doesn’t seem like that would be an issue!
I really want to finish my basket and make more but I am worried when I get my machine back from the shop that it will just break it again!! Any advice?
I am using a Bernina 830 Record.
Thank you!!
Hm I’m not sure! I’d make sure you have a new needle, and the same thread top & bobbin, and maybe loosen the tension slightly. 🙂
I would agree with Cynthia, perhaps try a denim needle. and slow the speed right down to the slowest. Takes more time but it worked for me.
Good luck
Hello, I’m looking to buy the cotton rope in UK but there’s a lot out there. can you give me an idea of mm or plait of the rope you used please? Washing line rope here comes in different thicknesses so buying onlne is tricky. Thank you …. looking forward to having a go, yours are stunning and the tutorial is very user friendly …. especially the tips!
Hi Jean! I don’t have any on hand to measure but it’s cotton rope, and it’s maybe 1/4″ diameter? It’s not super thick. Sorry to not be of much more help at the moment! 🙂
Thank you for this tutorial. I have admired these baskets at craft shows and thought I would like to try making one, but was too busy making my own products to even think about trying anything new. Now I have lots of product because all my shows are canceled and the stay at home orders gives me lots of time to try new things. Thanks for such clear instructions and tips. Wish me luck.
I’m addicted! You’re clear, easy-to-follow tutorial inspired me! Thank you Cynthia!