DIY Wire Baskets

Wire baskets are both attractive and handy.  I love that you can sort and organize assorted stuff and it instantly seems neater.  I may purchase some really nice heavy wire baskets for fall decor but they are both heavy and too expensive to use hidden behind closet doors for organizing or in the RV.

These DIY wire baskets work really well, cost a tiny fraction of the fancier ones and are super light which is perfect for the RV.  The best part is you can make them any style and size you want to meet specific purposes.    You can add a panel on the front to hold items vertically or add dividers for sorting.

The RV is in need of some sort of shelving in the tiny shower area, there is no storage in there as the sink is outside the door, perfect for sharing the space but not great for showering.  We went shopping but the purchased baskets were too thick to use on the wall, so I made one instead.

DIY Wire Baskets Supplies

A roll of hardware wire

Wire cutters

Florists wire

Straight edge

gloves and safety glasses

Spray paint (optional)

All the baskets are made using the same method, it doesn’t matter what size you choose to make.    The instructions are photographed making the largest basket.

Step One – Decide on the Size

For my purposes I used a rolled towel to decide on the size, ending up with a basket 18″ by 15″ inches, it will fit four rolled towels.   The profile (thickness) of the basket is as small as possible in the hopes it can hang above the toilet and not get tangled in my hair while in the shower room.

Step Two – Cut the Base

The hardware cloth’s square grid is very handy for measuring and cutting straight edges, simply measure the wire to the size of base you want.  Measure to the nearest wire and cut with the wire cutters.  It’s a good idea to wear safety goggles for this. Once you have your bottom base cut,  trim off the little bits of wire that may be protruding past the end of the wire.

Step Three – Cut and Fold the Sides

Using your base as a guide,  cut the sides.  For this basket, the side piece was cut at 70″ wide and 7″ high.  The base is 18 by 15″ so I cut a piece of the wire 70″ long, for the circumference so I had a couple of inches leftover to trim at the end. Better a bit too long than too short.

Decide on the height you want the sides of the basket to be.  This basket is 6″ high so I cut my wire 7″ allowing me to fold the top over an inch.

After cutting your wire use a straight edge to fold over the top edge of your wire,   this will remove any sharp wires from the top and make the basket stronger.

Once you remove the straight edge, pinch the hardware cloth along a specific wire to make a crisp top edge.

You will end up with a 70″ long piece of hardware cloth with a folded top.

Align the bottom of your basket with the long side panel.  Using a straight edge fold the side panels to correspond with the corners of your basket bottom.   You will end up with three folds and an open seam.

Assembling a Wire Basket

To assemble the baskets all I did was use wire and sew the two sections together by weaving the thread through the adjacent holes in the grid.

Make sure to purchase lightweight wire.  I did one basket with heavier wire and it took three hours to sew it,  the next basket took under an hour because the florist wire was so much easier to work with.

Try and cut your wire long enough but if you find you run out of wire or it breaks,  you can add new wire by laying a new piece of wire along the seam your working on, for about an inch.

Using the existing wire to continue sewing the seam and including the start of the new wire.

Once the new wire has been wrapped in securely, place the last of the old wire into the seam and cover it up by wrapping it with the new wire.

Work your way around all the open seams sewing with wire.  When your done sewing crimp the wire and cut off.

Once the baskets were made, I spray painted them white and let them dry overnight before using.

Optional 10 Minute Cloth Basket Liner

Lately, I have been doing more sewing and upholstery than usual.  I typically like sewing for home decor but I have been doing more of it than I want to.   So these basket liners are made as simple as possible, with very inexpensive drop cloth material that I have bleached and prepped already.  This method leaves sections of cloth cut out, that I suggest stashing away for another project.

For the medium sized 8″ by 11″ basket with 6″ sides.    Measure the three sides 7(side)+8(bottom width)+7 (second side) +4 (folded edge)+4 (folded edge) for a total of 30 inches.

Following the same equation for the length 7+10+7+4+4 = 32″

Cut your fabric to 30″ by 32″.  Fold the fabric into a square.  To make the angles for the sides, cut out 11″ by 11″ out of the corner with the open sides.  Do not cut the point.

Open up the fabric, hold the two adjacent edges together and sew.  Repeat for all the corners.

Once the four corners are sewn you have a little basket liner.

To make the liners more structured,  fold the fabric between two points and sew a seam right along the edge.  Repeat this on the remaining sides.

This makes a nice plain looking basket liner.  It’s crisp and clean and functional.

Place the liner in the basket and fold over the top along the edge of the fabric 2″   press and repeat.

Place the liner in your basket.

Light Weight Towel  Holder

By doing these wire baskets yourself you can make any size or shape for any purpose.    This towel rack is a simple basket, with an extra panel of hardware cloth on front.  The trim is two five inch wide strips of drop cloth sewn around the outside.  Its a very specialized little basket idea for our RV shower room, but I thought I would share it to show you how versatile these little DIY wire baskets are.  I still have more than half the roll of hardware cloth left, and really hope to make more.