Making It My Own: Pom Pom Basket
Ever since I was a little kid, I have always enjoyed making things myself. Sometimes I would come up with my own ideas and designs and other times I would see something in a store or catalog and say to myself… “I can make that for less than half that price.” I did just that for a pom pom basket I made for my living room.
While I was looking for ways to add some color to my mid-winter decor using decorative items I already owned, I found inspiration in my mailbox.
If your snail mail mailbox has been anything like mine the last few weeks, you have received lots of catalogs. Catalogs for clothes, home decor, and more enticing you to buy their wares in the after Christmas buying slow down.
While flipping through a few of the catalogs, I came across these basket and really liked them. I loved the idea of the pom poms on the basket.
I also saw this one with multi-colored pom poms. I love pom-poms! They are right up there on my list of favorite things along with polka dots.
I have a basket that I bought at Pier 1 last year. I used it outside during the summer, but it is now in my living room. I use it to hold my throw blankets when they are not in use.
Inspired from the baskets I saw in the catalogs, I decided to give my basket a little trend up date in the way of colorful DIY pom poms. Best part of the update is that when the trend fades or I tire of the look, I can simply remove the pom poms without any damage to the basket.
How to Make a Pom Pom Basket
I learned to make pom-poms when I was a girl scout in grade school using a piece of cardboard, but you can simply use your hand or a drinking glass to wrap the yarn around to begin to create a pom pom.
I used small skeins of yarn from Walmart to make my pom poms, but you can also use embroidery floss or cotton yard.
supplies needed:
- Yarn – solid or multi-colored
- Cardboard cut to a 4″ x 3″ or a tall drinking glass
- Sharp scissors. For smaller pom poms, use smaller size scissors.
- String
- Begin by winding yarn around the cardboard.
- For a full pom pom, wind around 250 – 300 times. If you want a looser pom pom, wind around less.
- Carefully remove wound yarn from the cardboard. Place a 6 inch piece of string under yarn and tie it very tightly around the center of the yarn. Optional: You can use yarn to tie tightly around the yarn, but string is stronger and it also matches the inside of my basket so it will blend in when the pom poms are tied on to the basket.
- Hold the tied together yarn on its side and cut the loops with a pair of sharp scissors. Repeat on the loops on the other side of the pom pom and check for any uncut loops that may be deep inside the cut yarn.
IMPORTANT: You need to tie the string around the yarn very tight. This is one reason why I use to use string and not yarn as I can pull super tight and it does not break. It can also help to have someone hold the first tie around the yarn in place with their finger as you then tie the string once more to make a knot that will keep the string around the yarn very tight. If you want pom poms to be firm and fluffy, then you need to wrap more yarn around the cardboard.
Another pom pom making TIP: Don’t be shy about trimming the pom pom to make a more compact ball. When I make smaller pom poms, I use the same size cardboard, but trim off quite a lot of the yarn to create a tight firm ball.
5. Shake pom pom and begin to trim it with a sharp pair of scissors. Shake a few more times as you cut the yarn into a ball shape.
If you want to make the pom pom small, use smaller scissors as these will create smaller cuts helping to shape the yarn into a perfectly shaped ball.
How To Attach Pom Poms to a Basket
- Use painter’s tape to mark equal distances around rim of basket for even placement of pom poms.
2. Push one of the two string ties around pom pom into an open section of the weave on the basket. Place the second string in another opening right under the first. If needed, use an awl or tip of a screwdriver to help push the strings through to the inside of the basket.
3. Tie the strings into a knot on the inside of the basket. Cut away excess string.
4. Repeat for the rest of the pom poms.
I chose to use a variety of my favorite colors.
When I want the basket to be plain again, all I have to do is snip the string inside the basket for each pom pom.
Yarn comes in so many pretty colors. I am not a knitter, but I do enjoy finding ways to use it.
I used multi-colored yarn to make pom poms for this door draft stopper. Tutorial here: Dodging a Winter Draft
And this Pom Pom Throw.
I also love this yarn that is sold at Michaels. It has all my favorite colors in in, but it is too thick to make a compact pom pom since the cut ends unfurl easily.
Find it here: Issac Mizrahi Craft Yarn
I did use it to create a colorful doorway curtain for the rec room on the second floor of my house that has no door. :-) I get excited when I see an infusion of colors like these all in one place. :-)
Have you ever used yarn to decorate your home?
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