How to Make Lariat Rope Bowls
"Lariat" is another term for lasso, derived from the Spanish verb "reatar," meaning "to tie up." Lariats became a necessity when horses were domesticated and humans began to adapt a pastoral lifestyle. Historically, lariat rope has been made of many things, including horsehair, hemp, and cotton, but modern lariat rope is primarily made from stiff nylon. Crafters use lariat to decorate objects, such as clocks or picture frames, but the most common use for lariat rope is for producing baskets and bowls. Making a decorative lariat bowl is easy, fun, and inexpensive.
Things You'll Need
- Desired length of lariat rope: 3 to 5 feet makes an average-sized bowl
- Wooden board 9 inches by 13 inches with 1-inch by 1-inch raised segment in center
- Mask
- Soldering iron
- Decorative objects (beads, tassels, ribbon)
Instructions
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1
Wind one end of the lariat rope tightly around the one-by-one raised segment on your wooden board. This segments acts as an anchor to hold your bowl in place while you work.
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2
Don your mask and make one full coil revolution with the rope. Solder with the iron by applying pressure to the tip for approximately 10 seconds. The soldering iron will melt the rope so it acts as glue to hold itself together. The soldering iron will discolor the rope, but you can use it to your advantage by making the scorches into a pattern such as columns or diamonds. Continue coiling, soldering as you go so your bowl stays together, until you reach the size you desire for the bottom of your bowl.
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3
Wrap the coils upward, placing each successive coil on the outer rim of the previous coil so the bowl tapers outward, soldering as you wind. Solder the bowl from the inside until you can no longer get the proper angle with the iron. Then you will be forced to solder on the outside.
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4
Solder the end of the coil to the bowl and arrange the end as decoratively as you can when the bowl reaches completion. One method is to solder the rope one to two inches from the end so you can fray the end of the rope to look like a tassel.
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5
Decorate your bowl with your choice of objects. Buttons, beads, sequins, or shells can be sewn on or secured with an epoxy glue. Most lariat bowls are not decorated.
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Tips & Warnings
Lariat rope can be purchased at most tack stores.
Using an existing ceramic bowl for a prototype is an option, but lariat bowls are typically constructed freehand.
If you run out of a length of rope prior to completion of your bowl, solder together the end of another rope to the end and proceed as directed above. This can also be used as a decorative tassel if it hangs outside your bowl.
Never touch the end of a soldering iron as you will receive a nasty burn.
Always store soldering iron in the stand it came in to avoid accidental damage by burn or fire to your property.
Lariat rope bowls should not be used for eating out of and are not intended for outdoor use due to potential damage from natural elements.
