Make Your Own Vintage Wire Basket Out of a Coat Hanger

I was in Pottery Barn the other day and fell in love with some great looking vintage wire baskets. Once I flipped the price tag the love affair quickly ended. I decided to try and make my own affordable version out of some leftover wire coat hangers from the dry cleaners. This craft project is basically free if you have tons for these hangers floating around. If not you can buy a pack of ten for like $2 at any super store.

To Make Your own Vintage Wire Baskets You Will Need:

15 - 25 Wire hangers
Floral Wire
Wire Snips or Clippers
Pliers
Wooden Dowel (Optional)
Primer (optional)
Antique White Spray Paint (optional)

The first step of this somewhat simple craft project is to make three circles. I made 2 the same size and one a few inches smaller. My two bigger pieces measured 10 inches around and the smaller piece measured 8 inches.

Start by opening up all of your wire hangers with your pliers. You might as well do this all at once and get it over with for the entire project. Untwist the engaging part of the anger first. Then bend the triangle shape open. Flatten all of the hangers as smoothly as you can.

Make your circles out of one hanger each. You can only make the circle as big as your hanger is.

Cut or snip any excess wire hanger off with your clippers. I find that a small handsaw can cut these wire hangers as well, but clippers are easier. Carefully use your pliers to twist the ends of the circles together.

Start applying the outside of your basket. I like to go ahead and measure how tall I am going to make the vintage inspired basket and pre cut my wire hanger pieces down to size. You three circle will be the horizontal spaces. Start by lopping you first wire hanger around part of one of the big circles. At the opposite end of the hanger loop it around the smaller circle. In the middle of the length of hanger attach the second big circle. Use floral wire to wrap around the circle and the straight piece of hanger to attach them together. Work in one direction wrapping the floral wire around. Cut it off and form an X shape by wrapping it around in the opposite direction.

Work around the three circles repeating this process. I like to space my vertical straight wires about ever inch or so. You can do more or less though.

Now, you can leave the basket with just these vertical lines are cut more wire hangers to weave in and out horizontally. If you do this you should space them the same distance apart as all of your other hanger wires.

Now it is time to add the handle to the vintage wire basket. You can make one of two different handles.

The first handle is simply a wire hanger piece looped over the top of the vintage wire basket. Use your pliers to bend the ends around the opposite points on the vintage basket. You're done!

The other handle adds a wooden dowel for detail. Cut a three inch piece of wooden dowel. Drill into each end until you hollow out the entire center. Put your wire coat hanger handle through here and then fasten with pliers as before.

Tips:

-If you are having trouble getting your hanger straight simply cut off the end where the hook was. This will eliminate a lot of wrinkles. You can also hammer the entire piece to give it a uniformly vintage weather look. Hammer the wire hanger pieces before you assemble them.

-Paint your vintage wire basket with a coat of primer, then a coat of antique white spray paint ot get the same look as mine!