Creating a Basket out of an Old Kitchen Pot

A metal kitchen pot from the thrift store becomes a unique DIY storage basket with a little glue and sisal twine from the craft store.

CREATE | Published August 27, 2014

There are days when I want to create, but feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that I have purchased to use for DIY....too many choices to work on with no clue about what to do with anything. Normally during those times, I go shop for more so that I can feel inspired by something new. And yes, this just makes the problem worse! Is this a problem that you have as well?

Yesterday, though, rather than going to my local thrift store to find something to create for you, I went to the pile of stuff in my basement that I was going to be donating to Goodwill. I got to "shop" through things that I wasn't seeing any value in anymore. Not only did this avoid adding more finds to my stock, but it was free!

I chose a sauce pot out of the pile and brought it upstairs to figure out something to make.

Believe it or not, choosing a random item and forcing yourself to figure out something to do with it is wonderful for developing a little creativity. It focuses your attention on just one item and allows your mind to really ponder what could be made out of the item in front of you.

I thought for awhile about how I could transform this into something useful while sticking with the style I'm trying to develop. And what I decided on was turning this metal kitchen pot into a storage "basket" using hot glue and sisal.

Can I just say that this project took maybe 15 minutes and I am totally in love with the result? The simple DIY project created a container to decoratively store just about anything from towels in the bathroom as I'm showing here to mail in an entryway or toys on a shelf. Imagine what you need to store and it could probably go into this pot!

Now that it is done, I'm picturing the same technique done to a 9x13 inch baking pan to sort things that need filed in the office.

So here is the simple process for doing this yourself....

HOW TO MAKE A STORAGE BASKET FROM A KITCHEN POT

Supplies you'll need to make a storage basket from a kitchen pot:

Old metal pot or pan
1/4 inch sisal twine
Hot glue
Jute twine (optional)

STEP 1: The handles need to be removed from the sides of the pot. (There were metal pieces attached to the pot that went inside the handles, but I just folded these over against the pot with a hammer. Your pot may or may not have these.)

STEP 2: Using a glue gun, wrap the sisal around the pot, gluing every so often to secure it to the metal. The pot I was using had a lip around the top, so I started gluing the sisal on just under it.

STEP 3: Take the sisal down to the bottom of the pot, and then cut it wherever your want the back of your basket to be.

STEP 4: It looked a little plain to me, so I decided to add two basket "handles" as well.

STEP 5: Even with the two sisal loops as handles, it still seemed like it was missing something, so I wrapped jute twine around the handles so that they looked like they were sewn onto the basket. This is easier to do before the handles are glued onto the pot.

And about 15 minutes later your project is complete! This is such an easy project that anyone can do with a random pot or baking pan you might find (or have on hand!).

I really love the texture of the sisal and think it pairs perfectly with the metal band around the top of the pan. What you do think of my newest thrift store transformation?