Turn an Old Tomato Cage Into a Storage Basket

Make a colorful, fabric storage basket out of a tomato cage and cotton twine with this simple and super-affordable tutorial.

Blue twine basket full of yarn balls

Admire Your Colorful Creation

It’s hard to believe that this bright, fun basket was once a tomato cage. It’s perfect for holding yarn or even a plant and adding a little color to any space.

You won’t believe what an old, rusted tomato cage can become with this simple DIY project. Using only a few simple and inexpensive materials that cost less than $5, you can upcycle a tomato cage into a colorful basket perfect for holding craft supplies, decorations and more.

Upcycled Tomato Cage Basket
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Materials + Supplies

  • tomato cage
  • wire snips
  • 2 balls cotton twine in colors of your choosing
  • 1 yard pom-pom trim
  • hot glue gun
  • scissors

Prep Tomato Cage

Start by removing the top two rings of the cage using wire cutters. Cut just below the second ring.

Person holding a tomato cage

Prep Tomato Cage

tomato cagewire snips2 coordinating colors cotton twine1 yard pom-pom trimhot glue gunscissors

Prep Twine

To make our basket, we chose two coordinating colors of cotton twine. You can also use two of the same color. You will save a lot of time by combining both colors into one yarn ball before you begin weaving. Simply put the two colors together and wind them into a small ball. It’s best to make multiple smaller yarn balls than one big one. Keep each a bit larger than a golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball.

Three balls of blue twine

Prep Twine

To make our basket, we chose two coordinating colors of cotton twine. You can also use two of the same color. You will save a lot of time by combining both colors into one yarn ball before you begin weaving. Simply put the two colors together and wind them into a small ball. It’s best to make multiple smaller yarn balls than one big one. Keep each a bit larger than a golf ball but smaller than a tennis ball.

Create the Basket Bottom

With the larger of the two tomato cage hoops facing up, tie one end of the twine onto a vertical support (Image 1). Make a knot. Run the twine directly across the hoop to the other side and over the top of the hoop (Image 2). Loop twine around the edge, back up through the center and over the opposite edge (Image 3). With each pass of the twine, work in a figure eight: Loop twine around each edge, up through the middle, over the center and then under the opposite edge (Image 4). Leave approximately 1/2 inch between each loop. The bottom of the basket will begin to form a bowtie. Pause occasionally to adjust your twine and spacing. Keep the twine taught, but not tight — pulling too tight will cause the basket to warp.

Continue Weaving

Continue working around the entire circle until you’ve reached the starting point (Image 1). Tie the ends to the tails from the starting knot (Image 2).

Add Pom-Poms

Flip the basket over so the bottom touches your work surface (Image 1). Use a hot glue gun to glue trim to the entire top edge. Fold the trim over the edge to cover the wire (Image 2). Pom-poms should sit along the basket so they are facing out. Remove any excess using scissors (image 3).

Weave the Sides

Starting at the same vertical support, tie off the yarn. Run the twine up and over the top edge of the cage (Image 1). For each gap in the bottom weaving, add two vertical stitches (Image 2). Much like weaving the bottom, work in a figure eight pattern. Run the twine over the top hoop, back through the center and then around the front side of the bottom hoop and back through the center again. Remember to run the twine AWAY from you around each hoop (Image 3). If you run out of twine, simply tie on a new ball and continue (Image 4). When you reach the beginning, tie off the twine (Image 5). You may have to take a few moments throughout the process to even up your loops. Keep them taut but not tight and with equal distance between each. Don’t worry too much about your pom-poms — we will fix those in the next step.

Straighten the Pom-Poms

Rotate the basket assuring that all loops are even. As you do this, you will need to find the best spaces to pull out the pom-poms. You will likely need to move a few loops to keep everything evenly spaced.

Admire Your Colorful Creation

It’s hard to believe that this bright, fun basket was once a tomato cage. It’s perfect for holding yarn or even a plant, and it adds a little color to any space.

Blue twine basket full of yarn balls

Admire Your Colorful Creation

It’s hard to believe that this bright, fun basket was once a tomato cage. It’s perfect for holding yarn or even a plant and adding a little color to any space.

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