Cotton clothesline baskets!

This is a tutorial for an easy-to-make and extremely useful basket. Nicholas' mom first taught me how to make these a few years ago, and I've been making them ever since. You need to have a sewing machine for this project, but it
doesn't have to be anything fancy. In addition to the machine, you'll need to grab some clothesline.

I got both of these at Ace Hardware. I think they run about $9.99 for the 100 feet package. The most important
thing is that you get the cotton and not the nylon kind. Also, you'll want to get the thinnest stuff you can find.
This is medium load, 12 lb-strength clothesline.

Then you'll want to grab some thread. What color or kind you use is completely up to you. I like variegated
thread because it creates a bit more festive of a look. I started out using this metallic spool,
but I found that the metallic thread kept breaking, so I stopped.

Get your bobbin and your machine all ready to go...and remember even if your bobbin isn't on your side,
Ryan Gosling is. This is the part where your pets will start helping you craft. Aren't they thoughtful?

To start making the baskets, you first need to make a base.
Using your hands, wrap the clothesline around itself a couple of times...like so.

Then you're going to sew across the circle in a few different directions to hold it all together.
This project is done using the zigzag stitch. You'll understand why in a few moments.

Make sure this little circle is nice and secure. The rest of the basket is built off of this.

Now you're ready to start expanding the base. The basket is sewn together by turning this circle as you go.
The zigzag stitch sews the last round of clothesline to the next wrapping of clothesline. Make sense?

This is what it looks like up close.  You'll just keep sewing around and around in circles until
the base of your bowl is as big as you want it. You can make little bowls or big bowls (baskets).

Peanut is overseeing the whole operation.
I wanted to make a really big bowl for my some yarn that I've accumulated.
The base is almost ready!

 Peanut says it's just about there.

When you're ready to start sewing the sides of your bowl, you simply urge the clothesline to start
climbing up instead of building out. I know this sounds strange, but you really do form the
walls by lifting the base up and encouraging the walls to build out from there.

This is me urging the walls to form.

You can see that after twice around, it's starting to work.

Voila! You have walls!

The rest of it is a piece of cake. You just keep sewing until you have the size that you want.
I decided to go until I used one entire spool of clothesline (100 feet).

Almost there...

And I'm officially done.

To end the basket, sew back-and-forth over the end piece a few times.

Very easy and very satisfying. 

 
The basket is perfect for some of my yarn, and Peanut immediately showed me what else baskets are good for.

Peanut!

You know she's comfortable when she starts "grooming" in the basket. 

A new favorite. 

Peanut is pleased and so am I!

More variations:

• You can wrap the clothesline in any fabric you want. Simply glue strips of it around and then sew in exactly the same way. I've seen this done but have yet to try it.
• I've also thought about dying the cotton line before sewing. I think that would look so charming.

GO FORTH AND GOOD LUCK!