How to Weave a Tissue Box Basket

Weave a basket to fit over a tissue box that's up to 6 inches by 10 inches by 4 inches tall. You can adjust the measurements to fit any size tissue box.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Prepare Materials for Weaving

1. Cut seven 22-inch-long pieces of 1/2-inch flat reed for the horizontal spokes.
2. Cut nine 18-inch-long pieces of 1/2-inch flat reed for the vertical spokes.
3. Cut eight 16-inch-long pieces of 1/2-inch flat reed for the filler pieces.
4. Cut eight 40-inch-long pieces of 1/2-inch flat reed for the weavers.
5. Cut two 40-inch long pieces of 1/2-inch flat reed for the rim of your basket.
6. Use a very long piece of cane to lash the rim of your basket. Soak the cane in water until you are ready to use it. It takes cane a bit longer to become pliable than reed.
7. Find the center of each spoke and the filler pieces 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.
8. Soak the reed in lukewarm water until pliable. This will help keep the reed from cracking while you work with it.

Weaving the Basket Base and Sides

9. Lay the horizontal spokes and filler pieces on the table in front of you. You should have a 22-inch-long spoke, then a 16-inch-long filler piece, then a 22-inch-long spoke. Continue in this pattern until you have seven spokes and six fillers on the table with the wrong side up. Line up the center pencil marks.
10. Weave in order: three 18-inch-long vertical spokes; one 16-inch-long filler piece; three more vertical spokes, one filler, and three vertical spokes. Line up the center pencil marks as you go. Weave over-one and under-one with each spoke. On the next spoke do the opposite - under-one and over-one.
11. Adjust and tighten all the spokes. The edge of your base to the outside tips of the spokes will measure approximately 5 3/4 inches all around the basket base. The base will measure 6 1/2 inches by 10 1/2 inches.
12. Fold each spoke toward the center of the basket. This will crease the spokes so that you can start to weave the sides.
13. Place one of the 40-inch weaver pieces behind a spoke with the right side of the reed facing out.
14. Clip in place with a clothespin.
15. Weave around the basket using the in-front, behind-spoke method. You can pinch the corners to square them as you go along. Do not include the filler spokes as you weave around your basket sides. You can let the filler spokes lay flat and out of your way until you finish the sides. After the sides are finished, you can follow the steps in the next section to finish the base.
16. Tie off the weaver - overlap two or three spokes at the beginning; trim excess reed; leave the end of the weaver behind a spoke. This way you will not be able to see the ends of the reed on the outside of your basket.
17. Start the next weaver on the opposite side of the basket. Remember to do the opposite "over-under" weaving with this weaver.
18. Repeat steps 15 and 16 for one more weaver.
19. Pull all the weavers toward the base to tighten the sides of your basket.
20. Repeat steps 15 to 17 for the rest of your weavers. You should have eight weavers in place.
21. Pull all the weavers toward the base. The sides of your basket will be approximately 4 1/2 inches tall.

Finishing the Basket

22. Fold the filler spokes toward the basket to crease.
23. Cut the end of each filler spoke so it will fit under a weaver. This will hide the ends.
24. Use an ice pick or awl to fold the filler spoke end up under a weaver. The four inside filler spokes on the ends of your basket will "X" under the same weaver.
25. Continue steps 23 and 24 until all filler spokes are hidden under the weavers.
26. Trim the inside spokes even with the top of the basket.
27. Fold the outside spokes inside the basket.
28. Use an ice pick or awl to tuck the folded spokes under the second weaver from the top of the basket.
29. Place the rim pieces of reed along the top of the basket - one on the inside and one on the outside of the basket.
30. Clip in place with clothespins.
31. Use a long piece of binding cane to lace the rim.
32. Poke the end of the cane under the weavers at the beginning ends of the rim pieces.
33. Take the other end of the cane 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.
34. Go over the top of the basket to the inside, between the spokes, and under the rim. This is like a whipstitch in sewing.
35. Lace completely around the basket to the beginning, and overlap the lacing at the beginning by about 1 inch.
36. Trim any excess overlap of the reed rim.
37. Tighten the cane and secure the end with a clothespin.
38. Turn and lace backward around the basket. This will make the lacing look like an "X."
39. Tie off the cane - overlap about an inch over the start; tuck the end of the cane under the rim and two weavers, and clip the excess cane.
40. Cut the fifth vertical spoke on the bottom of your basket, but which is now the top of your tissue box basket.
41. Fold over the top of your basket and poke under the weaver.
42. Find the center horizontal spoke and the two filler spokes on each side and cut them in the middle.
43. Fold cut ends under - to the inside of your basket and poke under one of the weavers.
44. Trim all rough edges and frayed pieces of reed.
45. Decorate your basket. You can hot-glue flowers or apples, or decorate with dyed reed curls (see "Decorate an Easter Basket With Curls" under the Related eHows).
46. Place the finished basket over a box of tissue and pull a tissue through the cut-out area.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use dyed reed for the weavers or even the spokes to make an unusual pattern in your basket.
• Use the over-one, under-one method - even when making the transition from the base to the sides. If you did over-one, under-one on the base, then, when you start the first weaver, you will do the opposite: under-one, over-one.
• You can tighten the cane as you go and clip in place with clothespins, or you can lace loosely around your basket, then tighten all at one time.