How to Make a Seagrass Basket

One of the oldest art forms known to man is that of basket making. Some of the most intricate and beautifully made baskets are those produced with sea grass. This technique of coiling sea grass is an African art form with origins dating back to the late 1600's. This article will provide you with basic instructions for beginner basket makers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Blunt wide-eyed tapestry needle
• Seagrass rope
• Scissors
• 3 yards of 1/4-inch cotton piping cord or clothesline

1. Thread one end of your sea-grass rope through the tapestry needle, pulling through approximately 2 inches of the twine. Do not tie the end.
2. Starting with the end of the rope farthest from the needle and the very end of the cord, wrap the wine around the cord tightly and evenly, with each wrap slightly overlapping the previous one. Wrap 2 inches of cord, then curl the wrapped portion of the cord into a tight spiral. Bind the outer and the inner coils together by inserting the needle through the center of the spiral and pulling the rope taut.
3. Putting down the needle, continue wrapping the outer coil by holding the unwrapped portion of the cord in your left hand and wrapping the cord with your right hand. Every inch or so, bind that portion of the wrapped coil to its inner neighbor (again using the needle to feed the rope between the appropriate coils and then pulling the cloth taut).
4. Continue wrapping and coiling the cord.
5. Once you have a flat circle that measures about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, make the sides of the basket by securing new coils in vertical fashion. Continue this until the basket is the desired size.
6. Cut the cord and wrap the very end, sewing it securely to the coil beneath it. Snip the twine and tuck in any frays between coils.