There’s something about a porch dressed for fall that takes me right back to cool Midwestern evenings, with leaves skittering across the driveway and a pot of soup waiting on the stove inside. These rustic porch spheres are one of those projects that look fancy enough to make folks think you picked them up at a little country shop, but they’re made from simple chicken wire, thick jute twine, and two humble pantry staples that help give them body and texture.
If you like decorating with natural materials and you don’t mind a little hands-on shaping, this is a satisfying project for beginners and seasoned makers alike. I especially love that you can make all three in an afternoon, and because they’re oversized and sturdy, they have that nice “collected over time” look that works beautifully in crocks, baskets, or tucked beside pumpkins on the porch.
Materials
Instructions
1. Put on your gloves and cut three rectangles of chicken wire: one at 16 x 16 inches, one at 20 x 20 inches, and one at 24 x 24 inches for a small, medium, and large sphere.
2. Crumple a loose handful of kraft paper if you have it on hand, or simply use the dried beans and rice as filler to help shape each ball; place about 1 cup of beans and 1 cup of rice into the smallest piece, 1 cup beans and 1 cup rice into the medium, and the remaining 2 cups mixed filler into the largest.
3. Roll each chicken wire piece inward around the filler and tuck the edges toward the center until you have a rough ball shape.
4. Secure each ball by twisting 3 to 4 pieces of floral wire around loose seams so the sphere holds together without springing open.
5. Press and reshape the balls with your hands until they look evenly round but still rustic; they do not need to be perfectly symmetrical.
6. Tie the end of the jute twine onto one wire joint and begin weaving it over, under, and through the chicken wire openings, changing direction every few wraps.
7. Keep wrapping until about half to two-thirds of each sphere is covered in jute, leaving some chicken wire visible for that open, airy farmhouse look.
8. Tuck the twine end deep into the wrapped layers and knot it discreetly around a wire section so it stays put.
9. If you’d like extra fall character, wire in a few mini pinecones or tuck bittersweet stems into the twine on one side of each sphere.
10. Set the three finished spheres together and make any final adjustments so the sizes look balanced and the twine coverage feels consistent across the set.
Variations & Tips
For a fuller look: Wrap more of the chicken wire surface with jute twine until only small openings peek through. This makes the spheres read a little softer and more polished from the road.
For a more natural filler: If you’d rather skip the beans and rice, use crumpled brown paper, dried leaves in a bag, or leftover packing paper inside the wire form. I’ve used what I had on hand plenty of times, and it works just fine.
For porch durability: Keep these in a covered area so the jute stays looking nice through the season. A damp, open yard can weather natural fibers faster than you’d think.
For a richer autumn color palette: Tuck in preserved eucalyptus, faux berries, or a strip of burlap ribbon in rust, mustard, or deep brown. Just a little accent goes a long way.
For easier shaping: Make the wire ball first, then add filler through an opening before closing the last seam. That little change can make the largest sphere much easier to manage.
For safe handling: Chicken wire can give a nasty scratch in a hurry, so I always wear gloves and fold or tuck sharp cut ends inward before decorating. It’s a small precaution that saves a lot of fuss.