How to Prepare Commercial Reed for Weaving

Reed is made from the core of rattan.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Basket Dyes
• Basket Handles
• Basket Hoops
• Basket Reeds
• Natural Basket Supplies
• Gloves
• Liquid Bleach
• Dish Pans
• Old Scissors
• 5-gallon Plastic Food Grade Buckets
• Wire Cutters

1. Untie the pre-bundled reed and remove the amount of reed you will need for your basket project.
2. Remove any damaged reed. If an end of a piece is damaged, remove the bad section and save the shorter reed to make spokes for a square basket.
3. Fill a 5-gallon bucket or large dishpan about half full with water to soak your reed.
4. Coil reed and place in water.
5. Let reed soak for a few minutes until it is pliable or will bend without breaking when wrapped loosely around your finger. Cane will need to be soaked longer.

Tips & Warnings

• Dye reed and let it dry completely before you re-soak to use for your basket.
• When soaking your reed to make it pliable, use one bucket for dyed reed and one bucket for natural colored reed to prevent staining of your natural reed.
• Let unused reed dry completely and re-coil to use later.
• Moldy reed can be dipped in a weak solution of bleach water, rinsed, and dyed.