How to Make a Bulrush Basket
In less modern times baskets were an essential tool. Bulrush baskets have been around for thousands of years because they are made from an abundant material that grows along marshes and swamps and makes strong, long-lasting baskets. If you have access to them, you can cut and dry your own, but they are also available to purchase at craft supply stores and basket-weaving specialty suppliers. To make a bulrush basket is to engage in an ancient art. You can start simple and learn as you go and, with some practice, will soon be making expert baskets.
Things You'll Need
- Dried bulrush stems
- Flat pan or bucket for soaking
- Water
- Dried bulrush leaves
- Spray bottle of water
- Cardboard
- T-pin
- Awl
- Clothespin (optional)
- Scissors
Instructions
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1
Select a bundle of bulrush stems and soak them for 10 minutes in a pan or bucket so that the stems are entirely immersed in water. Prepare a bundle of bulrush leaves by separating them and laying them out on your work table.
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2
Lay out two bulrush reeds on a sheet of heavy cardboard so they are crossed at a right angle to each other. Lay another on top at a 45-degree angle, then finally another, making a star shape. Place a T-pin down through the center into the cardboard to hold the base while you begin weaving.
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3
Spritz a few bulrush leaves with water. Begin at the center on one spoke, and lay the end of the bulrush leaf over it. For this first leaf, wind it all the way around the stem one time so that it goes under and then back over the top. You can use a clothespin to secure it if you like. This technique works to hold any loose ends while you are weaving. Now weave the bulrush leaf under the next spoke, over the next, and continue on until you reach the point where you started.
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4
Shift outward on the wheel and continue weaving to make a second row. Weave in a pattern so that the leaf is over a stem that it was under on the previous row, or under one it was over, in an alternating pattern. When you reach the end of a leaf, use the awl to tuck it down into the previous row by sliding the end of the leaf under a previous leaf edge where it passed over a stem. Start your new leaf at the same spoke so there is no gap.
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5
Continue weaving until you have a base 6 inches across. Spray the stems with water to make sure they are still wet and flexible and, working one at a time, turn them up. Bend them at a right angle, and make the bends even along the base so the basket is even.
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6
Begin the weaving process again with the leaves at the same point you left off. Again the clothespin technique is useful for this. If a stem breaks or you need more support, you can insert a new stem into the weave right next to the old one and weave it in place, keeping it as close to the old position as possible.
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Adjust the rows as you move up, pushing down to be sure they're tight and even. It's up to you how tall to make the basket, but when you reach the top, leave 2 inches of stem sticking up above the work. Trim them with the scissors if necessary.
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Wet the stems again to make sure they are flexible and bend them over and down into the inside of the basket, tucking them into at least two rows of the weave to secure them. Finish the rim by weaving two new rows of leaves beneath the curve of the rim, and go through both layers of stems this time, weaving them together. Tuck the end of your last leaf down into the row with your awl.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep your stems damp; dry stems will snap and break.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages /Polka Dot/Getty Images
