Over the last couple of years, I’ve become very keen on basket craftsmanship, so much so that I found myself getting a little hooked on it. I kept buying baskets in different designs, and before I knew it, I had quite a collection, Lol! Although they’re much more affordable than the designer bags I used to buy, :) it still adds up over time.
Here are some of them!
I had always wanted to try making one, but just looking at them, I thought it would be too difficult, so I kept putting it off. Although I did try to repair a few and made some tension trays out of twigs, I had never made a basket!
But this week, something changed. I became interested in learning how baskets are actually made.
The red twigs in the distance, which I spotted from my window, sparked my creativity. I’ve always loved the colour red, and the idea of making a basket from them really excited me. It could be one of my collection, a red basket!
I managed to reach the twigs and found out that this plant is called dogwood, growing along a quiet public footpath that hardly anyone uses.
I collected the longer twigs and gave the plant some nice trims too, as it was crowded.
I gathered what I thought would be enough for a small basket, thinking this was just practice and that I might not succeed, but I wanted to try anyway.
I began with six rods and used a thinner one to wrap around the centre to stabilise them.
Then I started weaving over and under each rod, gradually spreading them into a circular shape.
I tried to keep the spacing even, like the spokes of a wheel. As a first-timer, I found it quite tricky and had a few moments of trial and error. But slowly, it began to come together.
Once I found a rhythm, the weaving became very enjoyable, and I worked my way up, shaping it as a basket.
When I was happy with the height, I gently bent each rod over the next and tucked it into the weave.
Then I tidied and trimmed the ends.
Using two long rods inserted securely each side, I made the handle by twisting them.
and secured the ends.
I am amazed how sturdy it turned out.
Not perfect, but it is an actual basket. I was so pleased with the final result; the open, rustic look is exactly what I love.
We can really learn anything if we decide to.
And how amazing nature is to provide everything we need to create something useful and beautiful with our own hands.
My First Red basket!
Have a lovely day!
Mariah ❤️
