How to Basket Weave With Vines
Baskets are both functional and decorative, and are also fairly simple to make. A basket weaver, whether a novice or an expert, can create baskets that are rustic or elegant, traditional or avant-garde, monotoned or colorful, simple or decorated. Vines provide a natural source of materials that make baskets strong and durable. Vine basket weavers can have the gratifying experience of gathering their own materials from nature, rather than buying them from a craft store.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Vines
- Garden gloves
- Garden clippers
- Shallow pan
- Water
- Twist ties
- Embellishments
Instructions
-
Preparing the Vines
-
1
Grapevines make beautiful woven baskets. Gather plenty of woody vines. In North America, these include wisteria, Virginia creeper, honeysuckle, coralberry, bittersweet and grapevine. Kudzu, often considered an invasive vine, makes an excellent basket weaving material as well.
-
2
Clean the vines by clipping away unwanted small branches or leaves. Tiny, twig-like branches can be left on to add interest and a more rustic look, but these vines are more difficult to work with than those that have had the spare twigs stripped away. Leave the outer skin or bark on the vine, or remove the bark and sand the vine smooth for a more finished look.
-
-
3
Cut the vines into appropriate lengths. Larger baskets require longer pieces of vine. For any one basket, cut a few of the strips significantly longer than the others. Soak the pieces of vine in tubs or shallow pans of warm water until soft enough to bend easily, without snapping.
Weave the Basket
-
4
Select one long vine and use it to create two hoops. Form the hoops so that one rests inside the other, at right angles (one horizontal, one vertical). The top half of the vertical hoop will become the basket's handle, and the horizontal one will become the basket's rim.
-
5
Wind several other long vines around the original loops. Twist the new vines around the hoops loosely in the same direction, to provide reinforcement.
-
6
Form the basket frame by looping a vine around one side of the rim, down and around the lowest part of the vertical hoop, then up and around the opposite rim. Continue moving back and forth, adding more vines as needed. Secure the vines to the original hoops by looping them all the way around before moving on. Mancy Mantha, writing for "Mother Earth News," recommends visualizing a watermelon resting in the basket, to help you shape the basket properly as you add vines to the basket's frame.
-
7
Weave vines in and out through the completed frame. Make your basket as tightly or as loosely woven as you wish. Shape the basket as you weave, and don't be afraid to get creative with your shape. Remember, part of the beauty of a handcrafted object is in its irregularities and imperfections. Leave the basket plain, or embellish by attaching found objects from nature or other items, such as handcrafted beads.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Return the basket-in-progress to the water to re-soften the vines if they become difficult to bend while you are working on the basket.
Use twist ties to hold vine ends in place while you get a new vine positioned.
Because it is best to gather vines in the late fall and winter, when the leaves have fallen and the vines are easier to handle, it is wise to gather enough for a year's worth of projects.
Wear garden gloves when gathering vines. Study a field guide beforehand to make certain you know what kind of vine you are cutting and bringing into your home.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
