{"title":"How to Make a Coiled Rope Basket With a Sewing Machine","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/crafts/how-to-make-a-coiled-rope-basket","category":{"slug":"crafts","name":"Crafts"},"creator":{"name":"The Birch Cottage","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMwLO4gZcxHqVYEa_f-AaZg","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHaJACFC1g4"},"tldr":"How to make a coiled rope basket from cotton clothesline: coil, zigzag, lift the sides and add handles. An easy sewing machine project.","quickAnswer":"How to make a coiled rope basket from cotton clothesline: coil, zigzag, lift the sides and add handles. An easy project: about 1 hour. Materials cost about $8 to $15. You need 9 things, including 7/32 inch cotton clothesline rope, matching all-purpose thread and clear tape. The 10 steps start with unwind the Cotton Clothesline Rope for the Basket, cut the Rope End at an Angle and Tape It and coil the Rope Center Into a Tight Spiral.","totalDurationSeconds":410,"videoDurationSeconds":410,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":60,"waitMinutes":null,"totalMinutes":60,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":8,"max":15},"yield":"1 rope basket"},"tools":["sewing machine with zigzag stitch","zigzag or open toe presser foot","jeans needle size 90 or 100","pins or sewing clips","fabric scissors","tape measure"],"materials":["7/32 inch cotton clothesline rope (50-80 feet)","matching all-purpose thread","clear tape (optional)"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Unwind the Cotton Clothesline Rope for the Basket","text":"Gather cotton clothesline rope, thread that matches it, pins or clips, scissors and your sewing machine. Find the loose end of the rope and unwind the whole hank. Pam drops the loose rope into a basket on the floor to her right, so it feeds smoothly to the machine without tangling or pulling on the work as the basket grows."},{"number":2,"title":"Cut the Rope End at an Angle and Tape It","text":"Snip off any tape the rope came with, then cut the end at a long slant. The taper lets the very center of the coil roll up tight with no lump in the middle. To stop the end fraying, wrap a small piece of clear tape firmly around it and trim the tape to the same angle. The tape is optional but makes the start much neater."},{"number":3,"title":"Coil the Rope Center Into a Tight Spiral","text":"Take the tapered end and roll it toward itself, around and around, three or four times. Keep it flat and tight, like a snail shell. Hold the little spiral together with a couple of pins pushed through the rope, or with sewing clips. This tiny coil is the center of the basket base, so keep it as round as you can."},{"number":4,"title":"Zigzag an X Across the Rope Coil Center","text":"Set your machine to a wide zigzag stitch. Put the coil under the presser foot and stitch straight across the middle, pulling the pins out before they reach the needle. Turn the coil a quarter turn and stitch across again so you make an X. That locks the spiral together so it cannot spring apart when you start sewing around it."},{"number":5,"title":"Zigzag the Rope Around to Build a Flat Basket Base","text":"Now stitch the rope round and round. The zigzag should land half on the coil and half on the new rope, joining them. Rotate the coil slowly with your left hand and guide the rope in with your right. Keep everything flat against the bed of the machine. Do not lift it yet. Keep going until the base is as wide as you want the bottom of your basket."},{"number":6,"title":"Tilt the Rope Base Up to Start the Basket Sides","text":"To start the sides, slide your left hand under the base and lift it up against the side of the machine while you keep stitching. The rope now stacks on top of the last round instead of beside it, and the walls start to rise. The more you lift, the steeper the sides. Hold the same angle all the way around for an even shape."},{"number":7,"title":"Keep Stitching Until the Rope Basket Sides Are Tall Enough","text":"Keep zigzagging round after round, guiding the rope with your right hand and holding the angle with your left. As the basket gets bigger it will bump into the machine, so let it turn on its side or lean it away from you. Stop now and then to check the height. Pam builds her sides a few inches tall before adding handles."},{"number":8,"title":"Mark the Rope Basket Handle Spots With Pins","text":"Find the center of each side of the basket and mark it with a pin. Then measure an inch and a half to the left and right of each center and pin those spots too. That gives a three inch opening on each side for the handles. Zigzag up to the first pin on one side and stop with the needle down."},{"number":9,"title":"Leave Rope Slack for Each Basket Handle","text":"At the first pin, stop joining the rope to the basket. Pull out a loop of loose rope, about three and a half inches, to form the handle and pin it down so it cannot slip. Then start stitching the rope back onto the basket at the second pin. Measure the loop so the handle on the other side matches, and repeat there."},{"number":10,"title":"Trim and Stitch Down the Rope End to Finish the Basket","text":"Go around at least one more time so each handle is two layers of rope thick and strong. When you reach the end of your final round, trim the rope at a long angle, pin it flat against the side of the basket and zigzag over it a few times. The taper hides the end. Your rope basket is done. Make another in a new size or shape."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-17T14:26:43.670Z","published":"2026-10-17T14:26:43.349Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}