Some may think that rope baskets are pretty enough as is… but I say everything can be improved upon with pompoms! This DIY pom pom basket is a fun, cheap project that only requires a little bit of brain power for measuring, and the end result is magic!
While browsing around for nursery inspo I saw so many swoon-worthy baskets filled with stuffed animals, swaddles, blankets, etc… but most of them are SO expensive, and after spending some major cash on the new baby necessities, the last thing anyone wants to spend $50 on is a storage basket. So, obviously, I decided to make my own.
My DIY pom pom basket will live in my little girls room, and will be a catch-all for swaddles and my Easy DIY Baby blanket , hence the baby pink pom poms… but there is no limit to the possibilities for colors and textures and uses!
Some variations of this project could be:
- Pom poms made from pretty metallic raffia instead of yarn
- Varying sizes of pompoms (Clover pom pom makers come in packs with multiple sizes!)
- Baskets made of flexible wicker, rattan, or canvas, instead of rope
Ok friends, after you’re done brainstorming your own swoon-worthy design it’s time to get to work!
DIY pom pom basket Materials:
- Rope basket
- Tailors measuring tape
- Yarn to make pompoms- 1 medium sized skein
- Matching color embroidery floss or crochet yarn
- 2 1/2 inch Pom Pom maker: my favorite is the clover
- Sharp scissors
- Invisible ink pen or pencil
- Flexible ruler
- Yarn darning needle
DIY pom pom basket in 3 steps!
1. Determine the spacing of the poms on your basket
A. Mark center point of basket
First you’re going to want to find and mark the center point of the rope basket, using the flexible see-thru ruler & marking pen. For the purposes of this tutorial I used a sharpie, but would highly recommend using a pencil or something not so permanent in case you need to adjust the points!
B. Mark vertical & horizontal points around circumference of basket.
You’ll need to use a bit o’ math here my little swooners, so get excited! From the center point measure up 5″ and mark that spot lightly with pencil. After that, return to the center point and measure 5″ down. Now mark that spot lightly with pencil! So you will now have 3 dots in a vertical column, all 5″ apart. These light pencil marks are your midpoints!
Next you will need to determine the pom pom spacing across the horizontal line. To place your pompoms in an even yet staggered way you will need to find 2 measurements. The “SPACING” Measurement for each row of pom poms. And the “SPACING MIDPOINT” measurement for the top and bottom rows.
Measuring
- MEASURE TOP, CENTER, BOTTOM CIRCUMFERENCES: With a measuring tape, measure the circumference around the basket at each point and note them on a piece of paper. My “V” shaped basket has the following measurements: Top- 49 1/2” Center- 46 3/4” Bottom- 43 1/2 “
2. DETERMINE HOW MANY POM POMS YOU WANT ON EACH ROW: I decided I wanted 8 pompoms around each horizontal line of the basket so it will have 4 on front and 4 on back.
3. DETERMINE SPACING BETWEEN POM POMS: Because of the “V” shape of the basket, the spacing between each pompom will vary on each horizontal line. Take each of the circumference measurements and divided them by 8 so that now you will have a 3 numbers with scary looking decimals.. In my case the measurements came to the following- TOP: a pom pom every 6.18 inches, CENTER: a pom pom every 5.84 inches, BOTTOM: a pom pom every 5.44 inches.
You will need to convert these into fractions for easy measuring… I hear you! I am SO BAD at math, so this insanely helpful inch fraction calculator is an absolute lifesaver when you’re a perfectionist *who is simultaneously terrible at math*.
The conversion calculator provided me with the following measurements that will determine the spacing between pompoms on each row. TOP: a pom pom every 6 3/16“, CENTER: a pom pom every 5 27/32“, BOTTOM: a pom pom every 5 7/16”
4. DETERMINE SPACING MIDPOINT FOR TOP AND BOTTOM ROWS
Here’s where it gets fun!
For aesthetic purposes, you will want to stagger the pompoms on the top and bottom rows. Therefore, the points you’ve marked in pencil on top and bottom horizontal lines will act as the “mid point” of each spacing measurement you determined above.
An easy way to find the measurement midpoint is by taking your measuring tape and lining up the 0″ with the top line spacing measurement (6 3/16“) and then fold measuring tape in half to make a dent in the tape. You can either use the measuring tape itself and line up that dent to the top mark on basket, Or you can find the point on the clear ruler (much easier to handle than flimsy measuring tape.) Whichever method you use, you will now make 2 new marks, one at the 0” point and one at the 6 3/16” point.
These marks will determine the first two spots that you will attach your pom poms on the top row. From here continue to measure every 6 3/16” and mark a point for the pom poms to be attached. Repeat this process for the bottom spacing (line up 0″ point to 5 7/16“) so that the bottom row of pom poms will be staggered as well.
For the center line you will start measuring from the center point, every 5 27/32 inches.
Each horizontal line should have 8 points marked.
2. Make your Pom Poms
There are a few ways to make your own pompoms… but only one I can recommend if you’re making lots of pompoms. These pompom makers are primo. They make it SO easy to churn out poms, and the sky is the limit with what you can do with them. That said, they are kind of confusing to figure out at first. For all my first time users I’ve laid out the steps to the perfect pom pom below!
- With both arms of the pompom maker open, select a side to start on. Take the end of your yarn and begin to wrap from the inside curve outward.
2. Wrap yarn 2- 3 times over to create a bulkier pom pom. Finish your wrap at the outside end of the arm so the yarn hangs off the end.
3. Close the arm
4. Begin wrapping the second arm from the inside outward.
5. Repeat wrapping as many times (2-3) as you did on the first arm
6. Close the second arm
7. With sharp scissors, trim away the end of the yarn. Then, insert your scissors into the middle of the maker and cut through the center of the wraps.
8. Using embroidery floss or crochet yarn, tie a long piece (12 inches or so) down the middle, double knot. Then flip the pom pom maker over and double knot again.
Finishing up your poms:
9. Open arms and pull the two center pieces of the maker apart to reveal your pom pom!
10. Trim one end of the embroidery floss/crochet yarn but keep the long one. You will need it to attach the pom pom to the basket.
11. Shake out the pompom and use your sharp scissors to trim the uneven edges to form the perfect pom pom!
Determine number of pom poms to be made: For my basket I have 3 rows with 8 spots marked and so I will need 24 pom poms to fill in each spot. Determine how many pom poms you need and repeat the pom pom making process until you have enough!
3. Attach pompoms to basket
You’ve gotten through the most labor intensive part of your DIY pom pom basket! Next on to the finishing touch!
Using a darning needle, take the pom pom’s “tail” of embroidery floss/crochet yarn and thread it through the needle’s eye.
Push the needle through one of your marked points on the rope basket.
Bring the needle back through above the rope pulling tightly.
Now once more bring the needle through the point and, using the needle, double knot the string on the inside of the basket. Your pompom should be firmly attached and shouldn’t budge when pulled on a bit.
Once you feel that the pompom is securely attached to the basket, trim the remaining tail of the string and repeat this step for all remaining marked points on the basket!
Voila!
And there you have it! Super cheap, super cute, super useful DIY pom pom basket. Can’t wait to hear how your basket turned out and where / what you’ll be using it for! Let me know in the comments below!
