How to Make a Small Easter Basket

This small, brightly colored basket is sturdy enough for even the most diligent egg hunter.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Old Scissors
• Side Cutting Pliers
• The Basket Book
• Seagrass
• Basket Dyes
• Raffia
• Awl
• Dressmaker's Measuring Tapes
• Easter Basket Grass
• Clothespins
• Ice Picks
• Basket Reeds

Making the Basket's Base

1. Cut four 23-inch-long pieces of 1-inch flat reed for the horizontal spokes of the basket's bottom.

2. Cut six 20-inch-long pieces of 1-inch flat reed for the vertical spokes of the basket's bottom.

3. Cut one 45-inch-long piece of 1-inch flat reed for the handle.

4. Find the center of each spoke by placing the ends together and lightly marking the middle with a pencil on the wrong side. To find the wrong side, bend a piece of soaked reed; the wrong side will be rough and splintery.

5. Soak the reed in lukewarm water until pliable. This will help keep the reed from cracking while you work with it.

6. Lay the four 23-inch-long reeds on the table horizontally with the wrong side up. Line up the center pencil marks.

7. Weave the 45-inch piece (handle) next leaving a 1/4-inch square space between the spokes.

8. Weave the next six 20-inch pieces under and over - the opposite of the previous piece, lining up the center markers as you go. You should have three spokes on each side of the handle, and the base should measure 8 1/2 inches by 5 1/2 inches.

Making the Basket's Sides

9. 

   Fold each spoke toward the center of the basket. This will crease the spokes so that you can start to weave the sides.

10. Dye the reed for the weavers following the steps from "How to Dye Reed" under Related eHows.

11. Cut three 34-inch-long pieces from natural 5/8-inch flat reed (for the weavers, which go between the spokes to form the sides of your basket).

12. Cut three more 34-inch-long pieces from dyed 5/8-inch flat reed. Each piece can be a different color (yellow, pink and purple, for example).

13. Soak the reed in lukewarm water until pliable.

14. Place one weaver behind a spoke with the right side of the reed facing out.

15. Clip in place with a clothespin.

16. 

    Weave around the basket using the in-front, behind-spoke method. Use the handle spoke the same way you would a regular spoke, using the over-under method.

17. Tie off the weaver - overlap two or three spokes at the beginning, trim excess reed, and leave the end of the weaver behind a spoke. This way you won't be able to see the ends of the reed on the outside of your basket.

18. Start the next weaver on the opposite side of the basket. Remember to do the opposite "over-under" weaving with this weaver.

19. Repeat steps 14-18 for the rest of your weavers. The weaver pattern should be two natural weavers, three dyed weavers, and one natural weaver.

20. 

    Pull all weavers toward the base, forming 4-inch sides.

Making the Rim and Handle

21. 

    Trim the inside spokes, except for the long spoke you will use for a handle.

22. Fold the outside spokes inside the basket.

23. Use an ice pick or awl to tuck the folded spokes under the third weaver from the top of the basket.

24. Make the basket handle by poking one end of the long spoke into the opposite side of basket on the inside; go under all three weavers.

25. 

    Lay the other side of the long spoke on top of the handle you just formed, and poke the end of this long spoke into the opposite side of the basket on the outside; go under all three weavers; hide the end under the last weaver.

26. Cut two pieces of 5/8-inch flat reed 34 inches long to use as the rim of the basket.

27. Soak the reed until it is pliable.

28. Place the rim pieces of reed along the top of the basket - one on the inside and one on the outside of the basket.

29. 

    Clip in place with clothespins.

30. Use sea grass, Easter grass, or pastel raffia as filler in the top of basket rim. Place between the rim pieces of reed and clip into place.

31. Use a long piece of dyed 1/4-inch flat oval reed to lace the rim.

32. Soak the reed until it is very pliable.

33. Poke the end of the reed under the weavers at the beginning ends of the rim pieces and filler.

34. Take the other end of the reed and, going from the inside to the outside of the basket, poke the end between the rim and the last weaver and between the spokes.

35. Go over the top of the basket to the inside, between the spokes, and under the rim. This is like a whipstitch in sewing.

36. Continue steps 34 and 35 around the rim of the basket.

37. Lace completely around the basket to the beginning, and overlap the lacing at the beginning about an inch.

38. Trim any excess overlap of the reed rim and filler.

39. Tighten the reed and secure the end with a clothespin.

40. Turn and lace backward around the basket. This will make the lacing look like an "X."

41. Tie off the reed - overlap about an inch over the start; tuck the end of the reed under the rim and two weavers, and clip the excess reed.

42. Wrap the reed handle with a long piece of 1/4-inch flat oval reed.

43. Start wrapping the handle by laying about an inch of the reed along the handle and wrap over this piece. Start as close to the basket and the base of the handle as you can get.

44. Wrap the reed around the handle, slightly overlapping each wrap to the other side of the basket handle.

45. Tie off: leave the last two wraps loose, slide the tail of reed under them, tighten the loops, pull the tail tight, and clip any leftover tail.

Tips & Warnings

• You can tighten the reed as you go and clip it in place with clothespins, or you can lace loosely around your basket, and then tighten all at one time.