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Craft Guide - Basketry

Basketry is simply the skill and practice of making baskets.

The Willow

If you wanted to grow your own you could, perhaps an allotment if you do not have the space in your garden. Establish the beds by pushing willow branches into damp ground. You would have to leave them to grow for three years and then cut them down to ground level in winter time. You will be able to cut them down once a year after that. After you have cut the willow (which hard work) you will need to loosen the bark with a brake and then remove the bark with your fingers.


Brake - for splitting bark The Brake - you would pull the willow down through the V of the round iron brake to split the bark ready for stripping.

However, if you prefer you can purchase willow in bundles, ready to be worked.

Soaking the Willow

Although you will store the willow dry you will not be able to work with it dry. You need to soak the willow for an hour or so and then left to mellow over night. In the morning the willow should be flexible enough to work with. Also, it is important to note that you should not work on the basket in the sun, as the willow will dry out too quickly.

Making baskets with willow is also known as wickerwork.

Creating coloured willow

Brown - have the bark left on (rougher)
Buff - boiled for five hours before stripping the bark
White - stripped without boiling

You can use the different colours to create lines and patterns in the basket.

Baskets to make from wicker

Wicker baskets are versatile, we have listed a few examples below of what you could make.

Hop Picking basket - large with side handles and lid
Dog or cat basket - low tight weave
Harvesting basket - smaller with looped central handle
Poultry basket
- open weave with handle on the lid
Egg basket
- open weave basket with a bulge in the middle and a handle single handle on top
Small bird cages - open weave for bars
Bushel - largish two handled tight weave no lid
Cheese basket - tight weave with lid attached to the body of the basket
Boat basket - for diary product square basket with two lids and a central hoop handle on top

The advantage with basketry is that you can create many shapes and sizes of basket and change the weave so that it is open or tight. To many in fact to list here.

They are all good for transporting produce as it is able to breath.

Basketry tools

The brake, Shell bodkin, Bodkin, Shop Knife, Pick Knife, Shears, Cleave, Grease horn, Commander, Upright and Shave.

Techniques

Binding the Slath
Tying the Slath
Three-rod walling
Randing
Slewing
Five-rod boarder
Openwork

What killed the craft

Although not completely dead, the introduction of cardboard boxes in the 1950s and then plastic containers more recently greatly reduced the practical need for wicker products.

To get a list of exhibitors who produce baskets or basketry work use the Advanced Search options to the right.
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