How to Make a Coiled Rope Basket (Easy DIY Tutorial for Beginners)
Have you ever looked at a handmade rope basket and thought, “Okay… how do people actually make these things?”
You’re not alone – and the good news is, it’s so much easier (and more fun) than it looks.
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Once you learn the basic wrapping and stitching technique, you can make baskets in endless shapes, sizes, and colors.
It’s one of those projects that feels almost meditative… the kind you can curl up with on the couch and just fall into a rhythm.
In this tutorial, I’ll walk you through exactly how to start the coil, build a sturdy base, shape the sides, and finish everything off with a clean edge.
There’s also a step-by-step video if you’re a visual learner or just want a little extra support while you work.
You don’t need any fancy tools – just some rope, macrame cord, a needle, and a little patience. And once you get the hang of it… oh my gosh… it’s addictive in the best way.
Let’s dive in and turn some simple cotton rope into a beautiful, functional basket you’ll actually use (and probably want to show off).
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Coiled Rope Basket – Printable PDF Pattern!
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More Free Patterns!
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Step-by-Step: How to Make a Rope Basket
Supplies You’ll Need
- 3/8″ nylon or cotton braided rope (just grab a spool, the amount you’ll use will depend on how big you make your basket but you’ll need a few yards for sure)
- 3 mm braided macrame cord in colors of your choice (I used Bobbiny cord)
- NOTE: This is just what I used for this project, but honestly you can use just about anything you have on hand to wrap these baskets. Yarn, macrame cord, fabric strips… there are so many possibilities!
- Large eye tapestry needle
- Sharp scissors
- Scotch tape
Video Tutorial
Check out the tutorial video for this macrame bookmark on my YouTube channel, and don’t forget to subscribe!
Starting the Coil
Find the end of your 3/8″ filler cord and wrap a piece of scotch tape around it. Cut the end sort of diagonally so it’s tapered, and the tape should keep it from unraveling like crazy.
Cut a piece of your wrapping cord that’s about 3 arm spans long (like with your arms spread out on either side of your body).
Lay the end of the wrapping cord over the pointy end of the filler cord so they’re facing in opposite directions but are overlapped by about 4 inches or so.
Then start wrapping over the end of the wrapping cord and the filler cord. This will secure the end of the wrapping cord and hide it.
Wrap until it’s about 2 inches long or so and you can fold it into a “C” shape.
Make sure the bottom of the “C” is sticking out further than the top of the “C” (as shown in the picture above), then wrap over both sides, overlapping the wraps on the bottom of the “C”.
If that is confusing, be sure to check out the video. It’s kind of hard to put into words 😉
Continue wrapping until the whole end of the filler cord is covered.
Keep wrapping for a couple more inches.
Now you’re going to fold it around again, and this time it’ll be shaped like an upside down lower case “e”.
Basically, you’re bending the wrapped section into a tight little coil.
Thread the other end of your wrapping cord onto your yarn needle, and now we’re going to make our first stitch to secure the basket row.
Bring the needle through the center of the starting loop from the back side.
Pull it through, and then wrap it up and around, and then you’re just going to go back to wrapping around the filler cord for about 10 wraps.
(Or however many you want to do depending on the size cord you’re using.)
Making the Bottom of the Basket
Once you get 10 wraps done, sew through the middle of the starting loop again the same way.
Do another 10 wraps and repeat.
Do that until you get all the way around the loop. Now it’s time to start sewing into the previous row instead of the center of the basket.
At this point, your center is established, so now we start attaching each new section to the previous row to build the base outward.
Here’s where you’re aiming for.
Insert your needle through that spot on the previous row from behind and pull it through.
Continue on doing 10 wraps in between each stitch until you run out of your first piece of wrapping cord.
Now we’re gonna add on a new piece of wrapping cord.
If you want to change colors here you can, I just went with another piece of natural.
Make sure you leave a tail that’s at least a couple inches long from your first piece. Cut a new piece that’s 3 arm spans long, and layer the end of it over the couple inch long remaining tail of the old piece, going the same direction.
You’re going to wrap around the old tail and then new tail to hide the tails and make sure it’s securely attached.
Make sure your wraps are right up next to the previous ones so you can’t really see the join, and make sure you still have 10 wraps between stitches.
Just keep on wrapping and stitching until you run out of cord again.
Now I’m going to change colors, which isn’t any different than how we added a piece of cord a minute ago, it’s just a different color.
Cut your 3 arm span piece of the new color of cord, layer it next to the tail of the old piece, and wrap both with the new color. Then just keep on going!
It’s up to you how large you want to make the base of your basket. I wanted mine to be pretty flat and sit nicely, so I went for a few more rows.
Making the Sides of the Basket
Once you’ve gotten the bottom of the basket the size that you want, it’s time to start building up the sides.
All you have to do for that is start pushing the wrapped filler cord up a bit as you go.
The more you overlap it, the steeper the sides of your basket will be.
Then just continue wrapping and stitching like you were, the only difference is how you position the wrapped part as you go.
Keep pushing it up each time and it’ll form a lip around the base of your basket.
You’ll keep wrapping like that until you get the sides as high as you want them to be.
When you run out of wrapping cord, just add on a new piece like we did before.
And of course feel free to change colors as often as you like.
Making a Handle
Once you’re happy with the size of your basket, you can decide if you want to add a little decorative handle.
I decided to, but this is optional and you can just secure the end to the top of your basket if you want.
(If you want to skip it, just skip to the Finishing the Basket section.)
NOTE: I cut my filler cord before starting the wrapped handle, but you don’t need to do that. I did it one way and then changed my mind, so that’s what happened there. lol
Hold your filler cord in the shape that you want the handle to be so you now how much you need to wrap.
Now you’re going to wrap that section with no stitches to secure it to the basket. Just free wrapping for this part!
Push the wrapped section in a little bit, so the handle sticks out from the basket.
Then continue sewing and wrapping the filler cord a bit more so it’s well secured to the basket.
Finishing the Basket
You’ll want to have about 4 or 5 inches at least of filler cord extending out past the handle that you wrap and sew to the basket. That way it doesn’t come undone.
Go ahead and measure that out, wrap the filler cord in a piece of scotch tape at the spot you want to cut it, and cut it off at a diagonal like we did at the beginning.
Then continue wrapping and sewing it down until you reach the tapered point of the filler cord.
Now to finish it off, we’re going to sew around the end until it’s completely covered.
Make sure there aren’t any gaps where the filler cord shows through. If there are, go ahead and wrap back over them until it’s nice and filled in.
Insert the needle under one of the stitches you just made and tie a knot to secure the wrapping cord.
Now you can run the needle under a couple stitches on the inside of the basket to weave in the tail of the wrapping cord a bit, then cut it.
Congratulations, your basket is complete!
It’s normal to have a bump where you finish off the basket, it’s just the nature of it. I think it adds character!
Here’s how the handle looks from the outside.
These baskets are so much fun to make.
You can get a totally different look by changing the base size, the slope angle of the sides, the handle, the colors and the material you wrap with!
Nothing like a fun, satisfying AND useful DIY project!
In Conclusion
I hope you had as much fun making this basket as I did!
Once you master the basics, you can play with colors, shapes, handles, and even mix in different textures to create your own unique designs.
If you make one, I’d love to see it! Snap a picture and tag me over on Instagram @marchingnorth!
Want to check out some more free DIY patterns?