DIY Basket From a Foot Stool

3 Materials
This foot stool was made by my grandpa and I've used it as a "shelf" for years. I looked at it one day and wondered if I could make it a basket. My only requirement was that I didn't do anything to permanently alter it. It really couldn't be any easier.
I did a rough measurement and figured I used approximately 40-45 feet worth of rope. The rope is around 1/2″ thick, maybe a little less. It’s a sturdy rope and not stretchy.


I’m sure we got it from Lowe’s or Home Depot and I know there are multiple sizes to choose from. I definitely wanted thick so I wasn’t wrapping for days. Here are the measurements of my foot stool just to give you an idea.
I want to add that I used a rope which had already been cut for previous projects and I attempted to join the cut parts together which only kinda sorta worked so of course I suggest using a rope completely intact. Obvious, right? :D
Since I didn't want it permanent, I used hot glue. It will hold but, I could easily pull it off if I want to and would just need to clean up any glue residue. If you want permanent, you could use wood glue.


I've found this cheat sheet to be very helpful when wanting to know the type of glue to use for a permanent hold between two types of materials.


I dabbed hot glue at the bottom of one of the legs and holding the starting point (so it wouldn't come off) I began wrapping around and around tightly. I was able to let go of the starting point once the pulling lessened.
The end pieces will need to be 'sealed' somehow since you don't want it to fray. I just used some seam binding. At the end of wrapping, I hot glued it and since I used "junk" rope, I did lose a couple layers because my joining them together wasn't offering a strong enough hold. You certainly won't need to worry about this if using a brand new rope.
Heck, it could easily continue being used as a shelf too.
Just remember, hot glue won't be permanent or at least not a strong hold. Also, it depends on what material your stool is that would determine what type of glue to use for the strongest hold. Again, the cheatsheet has never let me down and at least I know when the hold may not be the best.
See, super duper easy! To see more creative DIYs, definitely stop by the blog! I'd love to see you there!
Suggested materials:
  • Foot Stool
  • Glue (will depend on materials you use)
  • Rope
Angie @ Ambient Wares
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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