Today my friend Zoe is popping over to do a super fun guest post. Thanks for sharing your skills with us, Zoe!
Hello to all my friends here in Mavis’s corner of the web!
1. Choose fabric scraps and rope. I use quilt cotton weight fabrics as that’s mostly what I have. Anything fairly lightweight will work. Heavier fabrics will get too bulky. For rope, I really like cloth wash line. It’s sturdy but not extremely thick, which is necessary to fit under the machine’s presser foot. Piping also works. Keep in mind that the thinner the rope, the more yardage will be needed to make a bowl. For a bowl about 8 inches in diameter you’ll need 8-10 yards of rope.
3. Choose a strip to begin with. This will be the center of the bowl bottom. Hold it in your hand at an angle and lay the rope on with the end of the rope being in the center of the end.
4. Fold down the top corner.
5. Fold left side over.
6. Fold right side down just a bit, at a wide angle.
7. Fold right side over completely to the left and begin wrapping, always wrapping from right to left. Keep it snug but not ridiculously tight.
8. Once you have about 10 inches wrapped, hold the end with a clothespin.Time to begin sewing! Choose your thread (top thread will show on the inside of the bowl, bobbin thread on the outside). Set the stitch to a fairly large zigzag.
11. Slowly turn and keep sewing, making sure to keep rope close to the center circle. We don’t want holes in the bottom of our bowl.
12. Sew until you have about 4 inches of wrapped rope remaining. Time to add another fabric strip. 
Unwrap 3/4 inch of fabric.
13. Lay new strip on the old one.
14. Begin wrapping again, being sure the end of the last strip stays tucked in. The little corner that does stick out a bit will need to be caught in your stitching.
15. Keep wrapping, sewing, and joining ends until bowl bottom is as large as you want it. Mine is about 6 1/2 inches.
16. Tip the bottom up and continue sewing. Keep it tipped so the sides start to curve up. The higher the tip, the straighter the sides. 
Another way to make the sides straighter is to keep tension on the rope as you are sewing. The harder you pull on it, the straighter the sides.
17. I enjoy watching the sides begin to grow!
19. To end, cut the cord at an angle.
20. Wrap to hide the cord.
21. With 5-6 inches of wrapped cord remaining, make a loop and stick the end in between the last two cord rounds to hide it. Secure with a pin. You can see my blue seam ripper pointing to the white pin head.
22. Slowly (don’t hit the pin!) sew the loop in place. Backstitch!
23. Remove the pin and admire your bowl!If you’d rather not sew but enjoy cooking, you can always sample my recipes over at my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
Zoë
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Christine says
This is so cool! This might also work as a workbag or carryall. If I do make one, I’ll send you a picture.
Carrie says
Thanks for sharing! I have always admired these at markets and craft shows. Now I need to get the sewing machine repaired.
L. bryant says
Happy New year Mavis.
Glad to see that you are back to feeling energized. I had 3 years straight where family losses seemed to control our lives . It takes a while but the joy will return!!!
Loved the baskets.
The red wine vinegar will not go bad if kept at a cool temperature. I know it sounds crazy but tomato soup is a really good choice for sick days. Tons of vitamins and it will help with the raw scratchy feeling in the throat.
Two questions:
1. Yesterday you said your daughter would have a gap year in college, what is that?
2. The home that you have in the Northeast. Do you use this as a rental? How do you keep tabs on its general upkeep and security. We have the opportunity to keep a small property in the mountains (8 hour drive) and would love some advice on a “second’ property.
Thanks.
Teresa says
Good Morning Mavis and Zoe!
Is there a way I can print out the rope bowl tutorial? I love the way they look and want to try some. I am rather computer impaired. Is there a “print” button I missed?
Teresa says
OOPS! spoke too soon. I found it! Looks like so much fun!
tia in boise says
What fun! A guest craft post! (Would love to see more!) Thanks! Is that a specialty sewing machine? (Mine gives me fits just turning the corner on a hem of thickish fabric…)
Zoë says
Hi Tia!
My machine is just a regular one, tho it is a high quality machine : a Bernina B350 patchwork edition (I make a lot of quilts). Any machine that can do a zigzag stitch can make these bowls! Have you had yours serviced lately? Could be an internal issue that creates problems with turning. Good luck!
Harmony says
I’m a very ameture sewer and find that my sewing machine really struggles with getting through thick fabrics, so I don’t think it’d be able to handle this project. Do you think that I need a more substantial sewing machine, or do I need to use a different needle for bigger jobs? Any experienced sewers out there who can throw me some advice? I love this project!
Zoë says
Hello Harmony!
Any machine should be able to handle this project as long as it can zigzag stitch. You could try a denim needle (size 90 or 100) and see if that helps. And use piping instead of wash line. The wash line is more dense and might not work with your machine. Good luck! Feel free to email me with more questions! zoedawn @ msn . com
Teckla says
Hi, Harmony
Most machines have a dial or lever that allows you to adjust the presser foot. Mine, a Kenmore, is a dial inside the left door that opens to the light above the needle. You may need to change the pressure so that’s it’s less on whatever fabric you are sewing–I have found that bulkier fabrics need less pressure and lighter fabrics more. Check your machine manual if you have one. The above tips are also good ones. Additionally, check to make sure your feed dogs are fully engaged and that your presser foot is correctly/fully seated. Again check your manual for information. Crafting is such fun. Best of luck!
Marcia says
That looks really cool!
Rhonda Relyea says
Thank you so much for this beautiful tutorial! My mom made these years ago and I always wanted to add them to my bucket list of crafts to do. I’m retired now so this was a great reminder.
Pat in clackamas says
Wonderful little baskets!! I love them!! Thanks Zoe for takin the time out to share with us!!! Whats next??
Melanie says
After looking at the photo between points 14 and 15, I couldn’t help but think that it would make a great trivet for placing hot dishes on the table! A perfect gift for those who like to set their table matchy-matchy with the plates and napkins or for different holidays. 🙂 Thanks for the great tutorial!
Kim says
Really neat! How would you clean these badkets? Do you think they could survive a gentle washer cycle? Thanks!
Angie says
I have never seen a basket with the loop sticking up like that. Is it supposed to be a handle? Can I somehow just continue to sew it down to it is laying down flat?
Zoe says
Yes you can just lay it down flat instead of making a loop. It is purely decorative. It isn’t sturdy enough to use as a handle.
Connie says
Thank you Zoe for the inspiration. I noticed in the photo above that there were baskets with 2 handles. Do you have a tutorial for that as well?
Zoe says
I do not! It’s not too difficult, though. The only tricky part is getting them centered with each other.
Figure out where you want the handle(s) and then when it comes times to form them, just loop the rope up as high as you want the handle and don’t sew at that section. Start sewing again where the handle comes down. Continue around to other handle and do the same. Then the second round of rope will be sewn right on top of the handles. I like two or three rounds of rope for the handles, one isn’t quite sturdy enough.
If this doesn’t make sense, send me an email and I can take some pics for you. zoedawnshop (at) gmail (dot) com
Sue says
Just curious, what do you sell the baskets for?
Carmel Archer says
Thanks so much for sharing the fabric bowl tutorial – very well explained and great pictures. Can’t wait to use up all my scraps. Well done
Ree Belinskey says
I looked all over for the “print” button for this tutorial, but could not find it. Talk about tech-challenged! Thanks
Mavis Butterfield says
Hi Ree,
At the end of the post there is a green printer button. Press that and then you’ll see a little mountain {image tab}. Hit 0% to print the directions WITHOUT photos. I hope that helps.
Ree Belinskey says
Thanks Mavis … if it had been a bug it would have bit me! 😉
Fran says
I make these too, but no matter how hard I try my side’s don’t come out straight. They are always slanted. And then there is that darn zigzag stitch. Mine sure don’t come out as nicely as yours do. What is the secret to that.
Zoe says
Are you giving the rope equal tension as you sew? Don’t pull hard at some points and then relax at others. Hopefully that helps!
Casey says
Hello! I have been trying to make these bowls recently and have been having a lot of trouble. I originally got my instructions from a different site and they suggested that a polyester rope would work. So with my first attempt I used a polyester blend rope and it didn’t work with my sewing machine. For my second attempt I used more durable thread with a heavy duty needle. This still did not work. So for my third attempt I bought a cotton rope that has a polyester core (closest product I could find in stores to plain cotton). I also made sure this rope was smaller in width to help my machine. BUT IT STILL WON’T WORK. Can I please get some advice? Do I need to find 100% cotton rope or could this possibly be a problem with my machine? I have a Simple 2263 Sewing Machine. Thanks!!
Zoë says
Hi Casey! Hmm. I use many types of rope and have never seen any difference in how my machine handles it so I’m guessing it’s a machine issue. Without testing it myself, I’m not sure what to advise. What exactly is the issue? Thread jam? Needles breaking? Feed dog not pulling rope through?
Donna says
Thank you. It took a long time to find clearly written and pictured instructions for these types of baskets. I no longer make them and I want to give my supplies away but couldn’t find my instruction sheets. Now I can carry on with my donation!