Make an Anthropologie-Inspired DIY Woven Basket

Do you love to use baskets in your home? Have you ever considered making one yourself? By now, you know I love a good DIY project. I love a good hack, too. This Anthropologie-inspired DIY woven basket is a great way to try your hand at making a basket.

Whether it’s a home decor accessory, a paint project, a party decoration, a tablescape enhancement or a gift idea, count me in. I love the opportunity to find new ideas to transform old or unused objects into more decorative and practical uses. This Anthropologie~inspired DIY woven basket was easier than you would think..

I love a simple project like this that is both pretty and practical.

This Anthropologie-inspired woven basket project is such a great item to have in our homes that I hope you will want to make one too.

Easy Anthropologie-Inspired DIY Woven Basket

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I needed a new waste paper basket for a desk area with a small opening below in our kitchen. I needed some inspiration so I went shopping online.

I found this basket on the Anthropologie website. It was $108.00. I don’t think this particular basket is still available.

I also found these two baskets. The one on the left is $198 and the one on the right is $88.

I like all of those options, but the prices were way more than I wanted to spend. How could I get the same good looks for a fraction of the cost? Make one myself!

My DIY Woven Basket Preparation

Since I did not take underwater basket weaving in college, I thought I would use a basket with some sort as a frame to make a woven basket.

After a search on Amazon, I found this simple, white mesh basket. It was the right size (11.75 wide x 14-inches tall), shape, and price.

I would also needed some thick cording to create a woven look. I already had 1 package of this jute cord but not knowing how much I would need, I ordered another one. So I had 2 packages, each 135 feet long.

Plan for the  Woven Basket

My plan for making the woven basket was to use good old Elmer’s glue and brush it on the wire mesh basket. I poured the glue into a plastic container.

Next, I brushed the glue on the mesh basket, starting at the bottom. I attached the jute cord in small sections.

Guess what? This plan was not working. The jute was not sticking to the mesh basket and the glue was running down the sides. I needed to go to plan B.

The Plan B that Worked

When regular glue didn’t work, I switched to the trusty glue gun. This method worked like a charm.

Once again, I started at the bottom of the basket, running a bead of glue for 6 ~ 8 inches. I held the jute cord to the bead of glue and pressed it down, slighting pulling it around the side of the basket.

You can see where the Elmer’s glue ran down the side of the basket. It didn’t show once I covered the basket with jute.

As I continued gluing the jute around the basket, I found it easier to turn the basket on its side. As I glued, I slightly pressed each new row of jute to the previous one, pulling the jute a bit around the basket. This method worked perfectly and I was on a roll.

As you can see here, I started the jute above the bottom of the basket where the mesh began. I did this for aesthetic reasons and so the jute wouldn’t be on the floor.

Making Handles for the Woven Basket

After I wrapped 4 inches of jute at the bottom of the basket, I stopped.  For decorative purposes, I wanted to add handles.

I cut 2 pieces of jute 10 inches long and wrapped 1 around the other. I glued 1 end to the top of the basket and bent the jute to form a handle and glued it.

Then, I started gluing the jute to the top of the basket in exactly the same way I did the bottom, pressing and pulling as I went.

Once I covered the ends of my handles, it was smooth sailing. Where there were little gaps between rows, I filled in with glue.

Also, I liked the look of the white mesh with the rustic look of the jute. I made a 2~inch band of jute at the top, cut off the jute, and glued the end to the mesh basket.

Since I had a 2-inch band at the top of the basket and a 4~inch band at the bottom, I did a little math and determined that I could have a middle band of 3 inches with 1.75 inches between bands.

Using a small ruler, I measured down 1.75 inches from the bottom of the top band and made a pencil mark.

Once I had a mark to go by, I started wrapping my middle band around the basket. The lines may not be perfect, but the end result was fine.

Once I wrapped 3-inch band of jute around the basket, I was done with my woven basket.

I really love the mix of mesh and jute, modern and rustic, metal and organic.  The handles seem to be sturdy and secure.

This project was a different type for me, but it was also super easy, once I started using the glue gun.

It does get a little boring after a while. This is the perfect project to do while watching a movie or your favorite TV show. I didn’t keep track of the exact time it took to complete this DIY woven basket project ~ I stopped for lunch and a few bathroom breaks. I’m guessing around 4 hours total of work time.

As it turned out, I didn’t use all my original bag of glue sticks and I had some jute from 1 package left over.

Here’s another easy hack – using jute twine to decorate glass vases.

An Estate Sale Woven Basket

Ironically, at a recent estate sale where I rescued the teak table (I showed the restored view in the backyard update post.), I also found this awesome woven basket for $7.50. It even has a cute chalk sign to write on.

I’ve been using it to hold some of our throws in the living room.

So, how am I going to use the Anthropologie-inspired woven basket?

For now, I placed it under the counter in our kitchen which was my original desk space. It would also make a planter for a faux plant. What would you do with it? I’d love suggestions.

I love updating baskets. It was so much easier than I thought it would be. I hope that you will PIN it, too. If you like baskets also, I have 2 more basket update projects for you.