I have wanted to make my own pom pom baskets for quite some time. I’ve seen the $100 version making its way around Instagram and figured hey, I can make that! So here’s my tutorial for DIY pom pom baskets. They’re easy to make and look adorable.
First things first, you’re going to need a few supplies.
- Embroidery floss – 5 skeins per color
- Floral wire – it doesn’t really matter what gauge you use
- A good pair of scissors – these are my favorite!
- A basket you’d like to pom pom up
- A slim glass like this one
Grab your beverage of choice and get organized. Heck, while you’re at it turn on the TV and put on whichever show is your guilty pleasure. I’m a Silicone Valley, House of Lies kind of girl. Okay, ready?
Take your first skein of embroidery floss and start wrapping it around your glass. Remember, you want to use a fairly skinny glass. This one is a juice glass with about a 2″ diameter. I wouldn’t go much bigger than this or your pom poms will be ginormous and you’ll need a LOT of floss.
I use 5 skeins of the same color per pom pom for my DIY pom pom baskets and simply tie the ends together when one is nearly done. If you tangle the embroidery floss, don’t worry. Just be patient and don’t pull it hard. I repeat, DON’T PULL IT HARD. You should be able to easily untangle it so long as you haven’t pulled it tight to make a knot.
When you’re finished wrapping it should look like this. Cut about a foot long piece off the end and put that to the side. You’ll use it in just a minute.
Now slide the embroidery floss off the glass and lay it down flat. Slide the extra piece of floss you previously cut behind the bundle you pulled off the glass then tightly knot it around the bunch in the middle. I double or even triple knot it to be sure it stays together. It will look like this.
Next take a piece of floral wire and fold it into a V shape. Stick the floral wire through the bundle so the V falls in the middle of the divided floss.
Charger decided to join me when I held up my arm to show you guys how what this looked like. Apparently he thought he was getting a treat. Sorry, pal!
Next, you’ll want to snip the loops to create that fluffy pom pom. A nice sharp pair of shears makes this easy. This is also the time to take out a disposable plastic bag or a piece of scrap paper and put it beneath your pom pom to contain any clippings.
Don’t try to cut the entire thing at once. It’s better to do it in a few clips so the strands are more uniform in length. I got super excited when I asked Craig to take this photo and saw that he got the action shot of those floss fibers.
When you have finished snipping all the loops, fluff up your pom pom, give the top a trim to even out the edges and fluff it again. You’ll be left with something like this.
Then just grab your basket of choice and poke the floral wire through it. I spaced my pom poms about an inch and a half apart so they would be touching but not gathered too tight. Adjust this to your taste. You can use 3, 4, 5 or more pom poms. Whatever you think looks best!
Want to make my DIY pom pom baskets but aren’t quite ready? Pin the image below and the tutorial will be waiting for you when you are!