basket making

[Longbow lad]

If you've ever fancied trying willow basket making i can strongly reccomend susie vaughan's book (on amazon) called Handmade Baskets from natures coulurful materials, its really clear and aimed at the complete beginner and is very well illustrated, using the book you will know what material to look for in hedgerows etc, how to collect the material and how to weave baskets step by step. If you use the book and dont go to a class, you can still teach yourself how to make a useful willow basket. ill upload my photos here soon. ive just made my first "hedgerow" basket sucessfully,.. ok so its not a thing of beauty and certainly not as artistic as some in the book but it is a basket and it works, and is now on the kitchen table holding fruit . Its surprisingly solid, and cost me the grand some of £0.00 to make

the book also covers more advanced designs, and using farmed willow and where to source it from etc.

 

[Mungo]

Here's the link:

Handmade Baskets from nature's colourful materials

http://www.amazon.ca/Handmade-Baskets-Natures-Colourful-Materials/dp/0855327553

Synopsis
In almost every country of the world, there is a tradition of basketmaking, using plants that are indigenous to that particular area. But today, the plastic bag and cardboard box have replaced the basket's role of years gone by. However, there is something quite irristible about the smell and the tactile appeal of a country hedgerow basket which is not only home-made, but is sometimes even homegrown, and this book aims to revive interest in this traditional and useful craft. The book offers a step-by-step account of how to make a selection of strong, natural-looking baskets using materials gathered from the annual prunings of a wide selection of bushes, and those which are farmed and can be bought in shops. There are step-by-step photographs of the five basic stages of making a simple round basket, followed by photographs of variations of design and weave, such as oval baskets, handles and borders. Finally, there is a picture gallery of original creations which incorporate other gathered materials such as pine cones, leaves and shells.

Looks good!

Cheers,

Mungo

 

[Cobweb]

Fantastic looking book, I'll definitely but it soon, thanks for the links and the heads up