How to Make a DIY Rag Rug Basket: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide

There is something deeply satisfying about turning old fabric scraps and worn-out clothing into something beautiful and functional. Rag rug baskets sit at the intersection of two beloved crafts — rug making and basket weaving — and the result is a sturdy, colorful, and completely unique home accessory that costs almost nothing to create. Whether you are a seasoned crafter or picking up a needle and thread for the first time, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to make your own rag rug basket from scratch.

What Is a Rag Rug Basket?

A rag rug basket is a coiled or woven container made from fabric strips, typically cut from old T-shirts, denim, cotton sheets, or any textile you have on hand. The technique borrows from traditional rag rug making, where strips of cloth are braided, coiled, or looped together to form flat mats. By simply building upward instead of lying flat, you turn the same process into a three-dimensional basket shape.

These baskets have become wildly popular in the DIY and zero-waste communities because they give new life to materials that would otherwise end up in a landfill. They work beautifully as storage containers for yarn, toys, laundry, plants, or kitchen produce. They are fully customizable in terms of color, size, and texture, and because they are made from fabric, they are soft and gentle on surfaces, making them ideal for use on shelves, countertops, and floors.

Why Make Your Own Rag Rug Basket?

The appeal of making a rag rug basket goes well beyond the finished product. The process itself is meditative and accessible. You do not need a loom, a sewing machine, or any expensive equipment. Most of what you need is already sitting in your home right now.

From a sustainability perspective, this project is one of the best ways to practice upcycling. Old bedsheets, worn jeans, stretched-out T-shirts, and even fabric scraps from other sewing projects can all find a second life in a rag basket. Many crafters keep a dedicated bin where they toss fabric offcuts and old textiles just for this purpose.

There is also real economic value here. A similar handmade basket from an artisan marketplace might cost anywhere from thirty to eighty dollars or more. Making one yourself takes a few hours and costs nearly nothing if you use fabric you already own.

And finally, there is the joy of customization. You are in complete control of the colors, the size, the texture, and the shape. You can make a small, tightly coiled basket for a bathroom counter or a large, open basket big enough to hold a blanket. You can use a single color palette for a minimalist aesthetic or go wild with multicolored strips for a bohemian, eclectic look.

Materials You Will Need

Before you begin, gather your supplies. Most of these are things you likely already have.

Fabric: This is the heart of the project. Cotton is the most forgiving and easiest to work with, so T-shirts, jersey knit fabric, old bed sheets, and cotton pillow cases are all excellent choices. Denim adds stiffness and durability. Flannel gives a soft, cozy texture. Avoid very slippery fabrics like satin or synthetic materials that fray excessively, at least until you have a few projects under your belt.

Scissors: A sharp pair of fabric scissors will make cutting much easier. If you plan to make baskets regularly, a rotary cutter and cutting mat will save your hands.

A large blunt needle or chunky crochet hook: If you are using the coiling and sewing method, you will need a needle with an eye large enough to thread your fabric strip. If you prefer the crochet method, a size N or P crochet hook works well with wide fabric strips.

Thread: For the coiling method, a strong thread in a neutral or matching color will be used to stitch the coils together. Upholstery thread or heavy-duty polyester thread holds up well.

Rope or cord (optional): Some rag basket makers wrap fabric around a cotton rope core, which creates a very sturdy and defined coil. This is a great technique if you want a more structured basket.

Pins: Straight pins help keep your coils in place while you stitch.

Measuring tape: Helpful for planning the size of your basket.

Preparing Your Fabric Strips

The preparation stage is often underestimated, but it is genuinely important. Well-cut, consistent fabric strips make the construction process smoother and produce a cleaner finished look.

Start by washing and drying all your fabric if it has not been recently laundered. This pre-shrinks the material and removes any sizing or residue that might affect how it handles.

To cut your strips, decide on a width. For a medium-weight basket, strips that are about one to one-and-a-half inches wide work well. For a very chunky, rustic look, go up to two inches. For delicate projects or smaller baskets, three-quarter inch strips are appropriate.

For T-shirts and jersey knit fabrics, you can cut horizontal strips across the body of the shirt and then stretch each strip gently between your hands. Jersey fabric curls in on itself when stretched, creating a rounded, ropelike strip that is easier to work with than a flat piece. This is one of the reasons so many crafters love working with old T-shirts for this type of project.

For woven fabrics like cotton sheets or denim, cut your strips on the bias (diagonally across the grain) if you want them to be more flexible and less likely to fray. Straight-cut strips from woven fabric will fray at the edges over time, which some people love for the texture it creates, and others prefer to minimize.

To create long, continuous strips from a single piece of fabric without lots of knots and joins, use the spiral cutting technique. Fold a rectangular piece of fabric in half and cut parallel slices almost to the fold, leaving about half an inch uncut at the folded edge. Then unfold the fabric and connect the cuts with diagonal snips at the fold to create one long, continuous strip. It sounds complicated written out, but once you see it done, it becomes second nature.

Store your prepared strips in a bag or basket as you work. Having a pile of ready-to-use strips nearby keeps the momentum going.

Method One: Coiled and Hand-Stitched

This is the most traditional approach and produces a beautifully textured, durable basket. It requires no special tools beyond a needle and thread.

Starting the base: Fold the end of your fabric strip over on itself and begin coiling it tightly. After a few turns, use your needle and thread to stitch through the center of the coil to anchor it. Continue coiling the strip tightly around the center, stitching every quarter inch or so to hold the coils together. Use a whip stitch or a figure-eight stitch to connect adjacent coils. Keep the tension even and consistent.

Building the flat base: Continue coiling and stitching outward, keeping everything flat on a table as you work. The flat base should be as wide as you want the bottom of your basket to be. For a medium basket, aim for a base that is roughly eight to ten inches in diameter. For a small basket, four to six inches is plenty.

Building the sides: To transition from the flat base to the sides of the basket, you need to begin coiling upward rather than outward. This is done by angling each new coil slightly on top of the previous one rather than beside it. Some crafters place the basket over a bowl or use their hands to gently shape the angle as they stitch. The angle at which you place each new coil determines how steep the sides of your basket will be. A gentle angle creates a wide, shallow bowl shape. A more abrupt angle creates taller, straighter sides.

Adding new strips: When one strip runs out, simply tuck the end under the coil and start the new strip by tucking it in alongside the old end. A few stitches will secure everything in place. Over time you will barely notice the joins.

Finishing the top: When your basket has reached the desired height, taper the final strip by cutting it at an angle so it narrows gradually to a point. Stitch this tapering end down firmly so there are no loose edges.

Method Two: Crocheted Rag Basket

If you know even basic crochet stitches, you can make a rag basket very quickly using a large hook and your fabric strips.

Starting the base: Use a magic ring to start, or simply chain four stitches and join them into a circle. Work single crochet stitches around the ring, increasing evenly in each round to keep the base flat. A good rule of thumb is to add six stitches in every round to maintain a flat circle. So round one has six stitches, round two has twelve, round three has eighteen, and so on.

Building the sides: Once your base is the desired size, stop increasing and simply work one single crochet in each stitch around the circle. This creates vertical sides. If you want the basket to flare outward slightly, you can add a small number of increases every few rounds.

Finishing: Slip stitch to join the final round, cut your strip leaving a tail of about six inches, and pull the tail through the last loop to secure it. Weave the tail into the inside of the basket using a blunt needle.

The crocheted method is faster than the hand-stitched coiling method and produces a slightly more flexible, textile-like basket. It is an especially good choice if you already crochet and want to use up yarn-like fabric strips.

Method Three: Rope Core Coiling

This method uses a cotton rope or clothesline as the structural core, wrapped with fabric strips. The rope gives the basket significant structure and makes it hold its shape beautifully even when empty.

Cut a length of cotton rope (not nylon or polypropylene, which do not hold stitches well). Begin wrapping your fabric strip tightly around the rope, overlapping each wrap slightly so no rope is visible. Once you have wrapped about three inches, fold the covered rope back on itself and stitch through both layers to anchor the beginning of your coil.

Continue wrapping the fabric around the rope and coiling, stitching the coils together as you go. The stitches here can be more decorative since the rope provides the structural support. Many crafters use a contrasting thread for a pop of color.

This method produces the most rigid and basket-like result of the three techniques. It is ideal for laundry baskets, planter holders, or any use case where you need the basket to hold its shape firmly.

Tips for a Beautiful Finished Basket

A few small habits make a big difference in the quality of your finished basket.

Keep your tension consistent. Whether you are coiling or crocheting, maintaining even tension throughout prevents the basket from warping or curling in unexpected directions. If your base starts to dome upward, your tension is too tight. If it ruffles or waves, it is too loose.

Work from the outside in when joining new strips. Tucking ends toward the inside of the basket keeps the exterior looking clean and neat.

Use color intentionally. Lay out your fabric strips before you begin and think about how colors will transition. Gradual color blending creates an ombre effect. Stripes come from using one color for a set number of rounds before switching. Random mixing creates a vibrant, patchwork feel.

Block your finished basket. If the shape is slightly uneven when finished, dampen the basket with water, shape it by hand, and allow it to dry completely in the shape you want. This works especially well with cotton fabric.

Care and Maintenance

One of the practical advantages of a rag rug basket made from cotton is that it can typically be washed. For smaller baskets, a gentle machine cycle in a mesh laundry bag followed by air drying works well. For larger baskets, hand washing in cool water and reshaping while damp is safer. Avoid putting rag baskets made with a rope core in a machine, as the rope may not dry fully and can develop mildew.

If the basket loses its shape after washing, simply reshape it while damp and allow it to dry fully before use.

Creative Variations to Try

Once you have mastered the basic basket, a world of variations opens up.

Handles can be added by creating loops of coiled or braided fabric attached firmly to opposite sides of the basket rim. These are both decorative and functional.

A lid can be made using the same flat coiling technique used for the base, sized to sit snugly on top of the basket opening.

You can line a rag basket with fabric to create a cleaner interior for storing smaller items or for use as a bread basket at the table.

Embellishments like fabric flowers, fringe, or even buttons can be sewn onto the exterior for a personalized touch.

Nesting sets of three baskets in graduated sizes make wonderful gifts and look beautiful displayed together on a shelf.

A Final Word

Making a DIY rag rug basket is one of those projects that rewards patience and becomes addictive in the best possible way. The first basket you make will teach you more than any written guide can, and by the second or third, your hands will find their rhythm. You will start looking at every worn-out garment and fabric offcut not as something to throw away, but as raw material for something new.

There is a long tradition of textile crafts built around making beauty from necessity — from braided rugs in colonial America to coiled baskets woven across cultures and continents for thousands of years. When you sit down with your fabric strips and begin to coil and stitch, you are joining that tradition in the most personal and practical way possible. And at the end of an afternoon, you will have something genuinely useful, made entirely by your own hands, from materials that cost you nothing.

That is a pretty good use of a Sunday.