6 Step Basic Woodland Baskets
Below are instructions for making a very simple, small, woodland basket.
Materials:You can use a variety of materials, anything that passes the wrist test. Dried willow will keep indefinitely but needs to be prepared by soaking. Freshly harvested
materials can be used with little or no preparations but lose their flexibility as they dry out.
Tools: Secateurs, knife, a bodkin or screw driver may be useful
Step 1 – Select 6 (you can use 4) of the longest thickest rods, trim ends using secateurs. Now use a knife to make a small (couple of centimetres) lengthways slit through the
centre of just 3 of the rods as shown in the first picture below.
Step 2 – Arrange both sets of 3 rods head to tail (narrow end to fat end) as shown above.
Step 3 - Now feed 3 rods through the slits you have made in the other 3 which will give you a cross shape.
Step 1
Step 3
Step 2
Step 4 – From your materials select 2 of the thinnest rods, these will be your weavers. Insert both of the thinnest ends of these weavers down through the slits on one side
of your cross shape, see picture overleaf. Now we begin weaving ....
Step 5 – Position one weaver to the back of your cross and one weaver to the front, after passing them across one arm of your cross (3 rods) twist them over so that the
weaver that began at the back is now at the front and vice versa. Each twist is always done in the same direction. You will see how the weavers lock the rods of the cross
into place. Go around like this twice.
Step 6 – Now bend out the next nearest rod and using the same twisting action as you have been doing, use your weavers to begin weaving around each spoke. As you
weave around, your cross shape will become a ’12 spoke wheel’ shape. Try and keep the spokes evenly spaced.
Step 6
Step 4
Step 5
Continue to add new weavers as required, underneath old weavers before they run out, always adding a thin end to a thin end or a thick end to a thick end, aim to finish
weaving with thin ends and don’t forget to weave in any woodland materials or fabric you choose. Stop when there is still at least 30cm of your spokes left above the
weave. A border will finish your basket.
Border - Score the inside of a spoke about a spokes-width above the edge of the weave and bend it to the right. Take this spoke in front of two spokes, then behind one and
back to the front again. Repeat with the next spoke to the right, bending it over on top of the previous woven spoke, locking it in position. Be sure to always score at the
same height above to stop the basket edge creeping up. Go all the way around in this manner. When you get to the last 3 upright spokes, you will need to tuck these in
under the already woven in first 3 spokes, finishing off the edge.