How to coil your way to a funky pot
Hinterland Homesteading with Racheal Pascoe
One thing I really enjoy is reusing things around the home. By giving them a new purpose, you have saved them from the bin for now and if they are useful, it also saves what you might have bought at the store for that job. Homesteading is all about saving where you can and its little feel-good projects like this one which can be fun to do together.
Whenever I am recycling or reusing something, I remember my dear old Uncle Jimmy. He was our family master at fixing things and giving things new life! Uncle Jim’s shed was full of tools, he was ready for any project. Maybe an old radio which had stopped working or he might have to fashion something as a solution to another problem. No problem was too big or small! He would take the time to work it out and mend it if possible. In our throw away world, I think Uncle Jim would like to think we are still endeavouring to repair and reuse what we are able to.
This is a fun project, which isn’t difficult, and kids just love it. It can be finished in one session and before you know it, you will be using your new pot. You could use it as a plant pot, storage basket or just a funky talking piece.
What you will need
• One sad old hose that is destined for the bin
• Packet of zip ties
• Old hoses. You can ask around or even check Marketplace, search “free hoses”.
How to make your pot
Start the coil pot by bending over the very end of the hose and secure it in place with a zip tie. Keep following the curve of the hose around, coiling the hose around until you end up with a flat base for your pot. You can choose the size of your pot but be mindful that you will need a good amount of hose to make the walls of the pot.
Once you are happy with the size of your base, make the transition to coiling the hose on top of the very outer coil of the base. Secure the hose every few centimetres, so that you make a strong pot. Work your way up the sides and as your pot grows make sure you stop and take a step back. Have a good look at the pot, make sure you are making straight-ish sides, or else you might end up with a wonky pot!
If you are wanting to use it as a plant pot, maybe line it with plastic and poke a few holes in the bottom. This will stop dirt from falling out the joins.
Once you have made a coil pot, you will see that you can get quite creative with the process. I once made a coil pot out of discarded fire hose reel. It made a nice big heavy pot. If you are wanting a really big pot, you could use several hoses, to increase the length of hose. This would enable you to make a much larger base and the overall size of the pot could be much bigger. If you are wanting a change of colour, you could definitely spray your pot to any colour you want!
I hope you have fun with this project! Happy homesteading everyone.
This is a fun project, which isn’t difficult, and kids just love it.
