How to Weave a Grapevine Basket

Grapevine baskets are easy to weave.

Grapevine baskets can be woven using grapevines purchased online or from local craft suppliers, or you may have them growing in your backyard. Colors of grapevine can vary from brown to gray and wild grapevine may contain a lot of hair underneath its outer bark. The amount of grapevine you will need is dependent on the size you would like your finished basket to be.

Things You'll Need

• Clippers

Instructions

1. Prepare the grapevine by snipping off stems and leaves, using the clippers. Leave about 1 inch of the stems to create notches, which will be used in assisting with securing your basket weaves.

2. Weave together the base of the basket by lying three stems, parallel to one another, on a flat surface. Weave three additional stems by interlacing them, over and under, across the initial three stems. Using the same interlacing pattern, use another stem of grapevine to form a circle around the area that resembles a checkerboard. Continue creating additional rows of circles, one on top of the other, until you reach the end of the stem. Tuck the end piece of the stem into any suitable area and trim any excess stem with the clippers.

3. Create the sides of your basket by carefully bending the ends of the base stems upward, forming a bowl shape.

4. Build the sides of the basket by weaving additional stems through the basket's skeletal sides, using the same over and under technique as before. When you reach the end of a stem, tuck it in wherever it best fits and snip away any excess. Continue this until you reach the top of your basket.

5. Finish your basket by adding thinner stems to fill in gaps and a handle. Snip away any excess ends.

References

• "Natural Baskets: Create Over 20 Unique Baskets With Materials Gathered in Gardens, Fields, and Woods"; Maryanne Gillooly; 1992