embroidered rope basket - embroidery library · the step-by-step project instructions below to make...

Embroidered Rope Basket

file:///C/Users/christa.davis/Desktop/EL%20HTML/PR2261.html[9/11/2020 8:20:28 AM]


Rope baskets are a sweet and simple way to create a blank canvas for stunning machine embroiderydesigns. Whether you are making your own home decor, or crafting something for a gift, follow along withthe step-by-step project instructions below to make your own embroidered rope basket.

Project Needs & Notes:

- 50-80 feet of 7/32-1/4" thick cotton rope/clothesline- Embroidery design- Embroidery thread- Scissors- Water soluble stabilizer- Temporary spray adhesive- Hand sewing needle- All purpose thread (for sewing the basket)

Designs featured in this tutorial include: - M12761, Indigo Bunting Wreath in Watercolor - M31196, Fresh Strawberries in Bloom Feature

For these rope baskets it's bestto use a lighter stitching design,one that is round in shape. Avoidchoosing a design with solid fillsor many layers of color. Designswith running stitch and only acouple layers of open fills willsew best through the density ofthe rope. Heavier designs willcause the thread to break morefrequently.

In this tutorial, we used 7/32"Evandale Cotton Clothesline,which can be purchased online at

http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/elprojects/pdf/PR2261.pdf

http://www.emblibrary.com/EL/Browse.aspx?Catalog=Emblibrary&Mode=1&Ref=M12761






Amazon, The Home Depot, orWalmart. Be careful to choose arope that isn't too stiff or dense,both of which will make it harderto sew. Without feeling the ropein person, it can be hard todetermine consistency. For bestresults, use a cord that is flexibleand loose enough to coil andstitch through.

While sewing the basket, use a1/8" wide zigzag stitch. This stitchis going to bind the rope togetherside by side as you coil it.

As the thread will be seen onboth sides, also make sure towind a bobbin that matches thethread being used in the topneedle.

Take one end of your rope, andbegin to tightly coil it clockwisearound itself. The cord needs towrap clockwise, as it will makethe base and sides easier to sewunder the foot of the machine asyou rotate it.

Coil your rope until it is about 1" -1-1/2" wide.

https://www.amazon.com/T-W-Evans-Cordage-43-070-Clothesline/dp/B00DKA48OQ/

https://www.homedepot.com/p/T-W-Evans-Cordage-7-32-in-x-100-ft-Evandale-Cotton-Clothesline-Hank-43-070/205326942

https://www.walmart.com/ip/T-W-Evans-Cordage-43-070-21875-in-x-100-ft-Evandale-Cotton-Clothesline-Hank/30541172



Once the coil is 1" - 1-1/2" wide,set it under the presser foot.Make sure the foot is sitting ontop of the coil and that the tail ofthe rope is at the bottom.

It is very important to make surethe coil is still going in aclockwise direction now that it ison the machine.

With the tail directed off to theleft, zigzag stitch straight acrossthe coil. Make sure to backstitcha little at the top where you arestarting to sew to make sure itdoesn't unravel over time.

Where you stop sewing is veryimportant. When you stop, theneedle needs to be on the rightside of the foot (not the left), andit needs to be stabbing into thecenter of the outer most rope atthe bottom of the coil. Do not sewall the way to the outer edge ofthe coil.

Keep the needle down and inplace, so it is stabbed throughthe outer most rope at the



bottom, and is also on the rightside of the sewing foot.

Keep the needle down and lift thepresser foot. Pivot the coil untilthe tail of the cord is coming outtoward the front of the machine.This way, as you continue tostitch, the cord will be pulled intothe needle by the machine.

Lower the presser foot and beginto zigzag stitch around the coil.Go slowly to keep the gapbetween the sewn coil and tail ofthe rope centered under the foot.This way the zigzag will alternatebetween stabbing through theouter edge of the coil and theinner edge of the tail.

Carefully rotate the coil as yousew. This will ensure that the tailgets sewn around the outer edgeof the starting coil. Your coilshould be growing as you sew.



Continue to sew the tail onto theouter edges of the coil until thecoil is about 1" - 2" larger thanyour chosen design. Forexample, the design we havechosen (M12761) is a little under7" wide and 7" tall. We sewed thebase coil of our basket until itwas about 8" wide.

Once the base coil is larger thanthe chosen design, do not backstitch or cut the rope. Instead, liftthe foot and needle, and pull thebase off of the machine, creatinga long tail of both the bobbin andtop thread.

Cut these two threads longenough that you can easily tiethem together. Then, tie themtogether in a double or triple knotalong the inner edge of the tailwhere the stitching ends.

We are stopping at this point as itis easier to embroider the basewhile it is still flat. Afterembroidering, you can make thesides as tall or steep as you'd like



without having to worry aboutthem getting in the way whileembroidering.

To make sure the design iscentered on the base coil, use aprinted template and center it onthe base. Use an air-erase pen tomark the center point and thehorizontal and vertical axis linesof the design.

A template (or print out) of adesign is an excellent tool to helpwith placement. If you do nothave embroidery software,Wilcom Truesizer is a freeprogram to use.

Extend the axis lines using aruler and an air-erase pen. Thiswill make it easier to place thebase coil correctly in the hoop.

https://www.wilcom.com/en-us/products/truesizerproducts.aspx



Water-soluble stabilizer is greatfor coil baskets as it can be easilyremoved. There are a coupledifferent kinds of water-solublestabilizer. Some are clear andplastic, like Sulky Ultra Solvy.Others are soft and fibrous likeVilene. Vilene is used in thisexample.

For best results, we will befloating the coil rather than tryingto hoop it. Floating involveshooping the stabilizer firmly byitself. Then, the fabric (or coil inthis example) is glued onto thestabilizer with temporary sprayadhesive. Hand sewn stitchesare used around the edge forextra security and will be shownin a later step.



First, hoop a piece of water-soluble stabilizer by itself. Makesure it is hooped tight and taut.

Spray the backside of the coilbase with temporary sprayadhesive, and smooth the baseonto the hooped stabilizer.

Make sure to match up the drawnaxis lines on the coil with the fourmarks on the hoop. Doing soensures that the design will sewperfectly in the center of the coiland will not sew over the edge.

With a hand sewing needle andthread, hand sew the coil ontothe stabilizer. You only need tosew around the outer edges ofthe coil. Make sure the base iskept smooth and flat against thestabilizer and that it stays linedup with the marks on the hoop.



Attach the hoop onto theembroidery machine and centerthe needle over the center of thedrawn lines. Load the embroideryfile. For this project, werecommend using a 75/11 sharpsewing needle. This type ofneedle has a finer point and willmake smaller perforations in thestabilizer and rope. Follow thecolor change sheet andembroider the entire design.

When the design has finishedsewing, remove the hoop fromthe machine. Using a seamripper, remove the bastingstitches.

Once all of the basting stitcheshave been removed, trim awaythe excess stabilizer from aroundthe back side of the embroidery.



To sew the sides of the basket,place the coil back under thesewing machine, so the foot isright over where you stoppedsewing before. Make sure the coilis still going clockwise.

Place your hand under the base,and tilt it up. Be careful, but keepyour hand as close as possible tothe foot of the machine. Keep itas close as you are comfortable.

With the base tilted up, begin tosew the tail onto the outer edgesof the rope coil. Again, you will beusing a zigzag stitch. Make sureto backstitch a little at the start sothe stitching doesn't unravel.Because you are tilting the baseup, the walls will begin to form.

Carefully continue to stitch as thewalls are created. Keep theexcess rope uncoiled at your feetas you sew. The more you tilt thebase up, the steeper the wallswill be.

Keep sewing until you're happywith the height of the coil basket'swalls. For this demonstration, wemade the walls of the basketabout 3" tall.



To finish the basket, trim the tailof the rope so that it is about5"-6" long.

Create a loop by turning the endof the rope in. Make sure that itsits between the outer most layerof the basket and the remaining,un-sewn section of the tail.



To help hold the hoop in place,carefully pin it where you wouldlike the loop to start.

Slowly stitch the last of the tailonto the basket. Sew the raw endof the rope both to the top edgeof the basket as well as the startof the loop. Make sure tobackstitch a little, so the stitchingdoesn't unravel over time.

Follow the manufacturer'sinstructions to remove theremaining water-solublestabilizer. For Vilene, simply soakthe basket in water for a fewhours. If desired, you can evenhand wash the basket.



Discover lots of machineembroidery ideas and inspirationon the Embroidery LibraryPinterest page.

Pin it yourself using the "Pin It"button on this page.

Questions or comments? Let us know! Send an email to us; the address is [email protected].

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embroidered rope basket - embroidery library · the step-by-step project instructions below to make...

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