How to Make a DIY Cornucopia with Rope for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a time to gather and give thanks. Make this DIY cornucopia with rope, a symbol of a bountiful harvest for your table.
Today, I am joining a few other bloggers to give you some Thanksgiving inspiration. If you have come over from Missy @sonatahomedesign, welcome. I am sure you enjoyed her colorful wheat project.
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to add some fall decor to your Thanksgiving table, look no further. This DIY cornucopia with rope will be the perfect addition. With just a few materials and a little bit of time, you can make your version of this traditional autumn harvest symbol for the holiday season. Let’s get started!
Today, I am joining a few other bloggers to give you some Thanksgiving inspiration. If you have come over from Missy @sonatahomedesign, welcome. I am sure you enjoyed her colorful wheat project.
A Brief History of the Cornucopia Basket
When did the Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving cornucopia become a symbol of abundance?
A popular story in Greek mythology attributes its origins to Zeus and Amalthea. As the story goes, these two were nursing at her goat’s milk when he broke one horn off. He filled it with fruit from their harvest, which then became known as the “Horn of Plenty.”
There is also a myth that suggests that Heracles wore this same design while nursing his animals during battle – an act for which humans have always admired strength, even if they do not know why!
But no matter what you believe about the origins of the cornucopia basket (or if they even exist), we now know what this beautiful object means: plenty!
Supply List
You will need a few supplies start making your own handmade cornucopia. Take a quick trip to the craft store or order what you need easily through the links below.
- Chicken Wire
- Burlap material, about 1-2 yds (this depends on how large you make your cornucopia basket)
- 1/4-1/2″ sisal rope
- Hot glue gun
- Scissors
- Wire cutters
- Pumpkins, fruit, and gourds to fill your basket.
Directions To Make a DIY Cornucopia with Rope
- First thing, cut a piece of chicken wire large enough to form a cone.
- Roll the chicken wire into a cone shape and secure the ends of the chicken wire together.
- Trim the end of the cone until you reach your desired size. I trimmed approximately 8 inches from the open end of the cone as this felt like the right size to me. Feel free to customize the size to your preference.
- To create the shape of a cornucopia, simply bend the tip of the cone upwards. This elegant transformation brings forth the resemblance of a bountiful horn, ready to be filled with an abundance of fruit.
- Wrap the entire wire frame of the cornucopia with burlap fabric, securing it in place using a glue gun. Leave approximately 3 inches of material on the edge, allowing for a clean fold into the mouth of the cornucopia.
Wrapping the Cornucopia with Rope
Next, you want to cover the entire horn in sisal rope. I used a 1/4″ rope and started at the tip of the horn, then worked my way down.
See my images below and watch the video to see this step in more detail. You will want to stop wrapping the rope at the first black line and then start a new section where you see the second black line.
Then, I cut individual pieces and glued them into the space between the two rope sections, leaving 3″ of rope on each end. Once I added all the pieces I could into this center section, I frayed these ends to create a fun look on top of the cornucopia.
I found this to be the best way to wrap the rounded edge. You may be able to use one continuous rope; however, my cornucopia was very large, so this was the best method I found, and I love the look of the frayed edge trim on the top of the basket.
Styling Your DIY Cornucopia
The final step is to style your basket. One of my favorite features of this fall craft is that you can style it in so many different ways and achieve a new look every time.
First, I chose to use a blanket for my tablecloth instead of a traditional tablecloth. The texture and fringe of the blanket give the table warmth and character.
Next, I added some fresh pine greens around the opening of the cone that I picked off a tree in my yard. Then, I added some dried leaves, pumpkins, pinecones, feathers, and a few rusty bells for character.
What materials will you use to style your DIY cornucopia with rope? Yours may be filled with fruit, nuts, or fall foliage. Or you could make mini cornucopias as place cards for your holiday place settings. This versatile craft provides endless Thanksgiving decor possibilities.
I hope you enjoyed this fun tutorial. Give it a try to add a beautiful centerpiece to your Thanksgiving table. Please be sure to send me a picture; I would love to see what you have created.
As we continue our exciting Thanksgiving tour, our next stop is at the lovely home of my dear friend, MaryJo, @masterpiecesofmylife. I’m absolutely thrilled to introduce you to her stunning table decor, which is sure to leave you enchanted and inspired. Have a wonderful day.
If you enjoyed this post, you will love these too….
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Fall Posts to Inspire You!
If you see something you love, click on the image to visit my friend’s blogs.
Bluesky at Home – 11 Thanksgiving Place Setting Ideas
Peacock Ridge Farm – Thanksgiving Tablescape for a Feast
Midwest Life and Style – Thanksgiving Table on a Budget
Everyday Edits – Tips for a Kids’ Thanksgiving Table
Hen and Horse Design – Thanksgiving Holiday Hash
Sonata Home Design – Easy and Colorful Thanksgiving Decor Idea
WM Design House – Thanksgiving Cornucopia
Masterpieces of My Life – Guide to the Thanksgiving Table
Perfecting Places – Easy DIY Thanksgiving Pinecone Wreath
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Welcome to The She Shed: Inside My Design Studio
Most of you probably know that my creative studio, where I bring all my gardening and craft ideas to life, is lovingly referred to as “The She Shed.” But you may be wondering how The She Shed came to be. So, I am sharing the story of its beginnings and highlight some of my favorite…
Wendy, great idea for a Thanksgiving decoration. I have a woven cornecopia but I’ve never thought to make one. Believe it or not, I have all the ingredients to make your lovely project. Such a nice Thanksgiving tradition. Thank you so much for sharing at Celebrate the Holiday.
Thank you, Carol. It was pretty easy to make, however, I may have made it sightly smaller next time.
I love your cornucopia Wendy! It’s the quintessential piece for a Thanksgiving feast. You did us an amazing job and I love how you used your materials. And the styling is stunning. Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours. XO- MaryJo
This is all so pretty Wendy. I love the colors you’ve used and the textures. You’ve inspired me to take out my cornucopia and get creating!
Thank you, Susan, I wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving.
Wendy
This is such a great project.
Thank you Rachel.
Wendy, this is such a beautiful Thanksgiving project! You’re so creative, my friend!
Thank you, Kim. Your words mean the world to me.
This is STUNNING, Wendy. I absolutely love it. I want to make a cornucopia for my Thanksgiving table this year and I’m going to use yours as inspiration. Pinned!
Thank you, Jen. It is fairly easy to make. However, I would suggest making yours a bit smaller than I did. Only because it became heavy from all of the rope.
Such a beautiful DIY! And I love learning the mythology behind the cornucopia!
Thank you, Missy. I hope you are enjoying the fall season and getting ready for the Thanksgiving holiday.
This is so inspiring! I love how you personalized your cornucopia! Thank you for sharing your beautiful decor ideas!
Thank you, Robyn. I always enjoy sharing with you.
Wendy, your cornucopia is amazing! I need to make one. Hugs to you.
Thank you so much Renae!
OK, this is really clever!! Definitely have to remember this one!
Thank you so much Jennifer!
Wendy, I think this is my favorite fall DIY, it’s so creative and classic. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Thank you so much Ann, I agree that the cornucopia is so classic and will always be in style. I hope you are enjoying that beautiful fall weather you are having.
The cutest ideas! I love your DIY cornucopia so much! So much fun to party with you!
Happy day!
KariAnne
Thank you KariAnne, It is always a treat to share with you too!
Wendy what a gorgeous centerpiece! It looks so beautiful! I want to make this one.
Thank you STacy, my advice would be to make it smaller than mine was as it was rather heavy, lol!
This is such a pretty DIY project! Perfect for Thanksgiving. Can’t wait to share it tomorrow. Pinned
Wendy,
This is such a clever idea and I’m so excited to share it tomorrow on the roundup
Thank you Rachel. The round-up was so fun and full of amazing inspiration for Thanksgiving.
Wendy this is stunning! Saving this for Thanksgiving! And I hope you will consider linking up on a link party I just started cohosting for a chance to be featured because I love this idea my friend!
https://www.ourtinynest.com/2022/10/05/wednesday-link-party/
Hi Nicole, I am so excited you love my idea and for sure I will be linking up. Thank you for letting me know and sending me the link. I hope you re having a great weekend.
Just popping in to say I love this DIY and will be featuring it this week on Farmhouse Friday! It’s seriously gorgeous and so clever! Thank you so much for linking up. Please link up again soon. Happy Fall! Pinned
Thank you so much Cindy, I am very honored. I appreciate you hosting the link party so much.
Wendy, your cornucopia turned out great!! I’ve thought of making one but haven’t got around to it. Maybe this year! 🙂 Enjoy yours decorated for fall and I’m happy that I was able to feature your post at Share Your Style #361 this week for you. 🙂
Enjoy your weekend and happy fall,
Hugs,
Barb 🙂
Hi Barbara, thank you so much and I apologize for getting back to you so late. I have been traveling. I was at the interest conference, and now I am at the Achieve conference with no internet. UGH!
Thank you for the feature, I so appreciate you sharing my blog post. Hugs rights back to you.
Wendy this is so clever! Love the cinnamon rust and your beautiful pumpkins.
Thank you so much, I am so honored. Have a great weekend.
Amazing project, Wendy!! So creative with your materials!!
Thank you, Rachel. I have just discovered this fun way to make things look rusty, now I want to put cinnamon on everything, LOL.
Wendy, this turned out amazing! I love this idea! Please share at our Home Imagined Party (ends today, Thursday at 5pm). Great job! Hope to see you there.
Oh Man, I missed it, I will get there next week I promise. What day and time does your party start?
Great project! Your Thanksgiving table will be amazing!
Thank you Missy, I am looking forward to hosting Thanskgiving.
I love how pretty this turned out! I’ve always loved cornucopias! Great job Wendy!
Thank you Susan, It was a very fun project to work on, kept my brain going for sure.
Came out great Wendy! I like how the sisel is frayed. Nice decorative touch.
Thank you Kathy! I had to come up with an interesting way to cover that rounded bottom and the loose ends helped. It does add a nice touch.