How to Make Basket Weaves
A basket is simply a large container that is typically made of wicker, usually made of bamboo, with a handle and usually lined with hay. While most baskets made today are made of synthetic materials, some still are made of natural plant materials. Baskets come in a variety of shapes and sizes from a few square feet all the way up to many acres. You can use a basket to carry anything from food to tools and plants to livestock. Baskets come in a variety of materials like wood, PVC, steel, aluminum, wicker, cane, and fiberglass. Most baskets are usually woven manually by hand.
There are a number of types of baskets: those made of wicker, bamboo, reed, grasses, fibers, and grasses themselves. Bamboo baskets are usually called raffia baskets, because the reeds that hold the grasses in place are called raffia. Bamboo baskets are usually used to carry water, but sometimes they are used as free standing and are great for carrying logs. Raffia baskets have been around for centuries.
Basket-making has long been practiced in Africa, India, China, North America, as well as Europe and Central Asia. Early basket-makers would collect wild plants from the areas around them and weave them into tightly rolled strips. The wicker basket-making process required a combination of animal fat, such as fat obtained from the camel and pig, and plant fibers from reed, grasses, and bamboo. The first baskets were made from these raw materials.
While the technology for making baskets has developed over time, the art of basket-making remains essentially unchanged. You can make a basket just as you would if you were just making food, in multiple positions, by using the same raw materials. Just because you can make a basket in multiple positions doesn’t mean that you have to. The more simple the basket, the more easily it is to make it look pleasing to the eye. One way to create a simple basket that still meets the primary requirements for making baskets is to follow a basket-making strategy known as the “basket order”.
The basket-order begins with the weaver placing all the raw materials on the spindle or spool and loading it with all the pieces that will go inside the basket. Next, the weaver spins the spindle to draw the yarn through the wefts. Then, the weavers cut the yarn following the contours of the basket sides, so that the basket-shaped pieces will fit together properly. Finally, the weavers tie the ends of the yarn in a certain order to make certain that they will all lie flat on the spindle or spool.
By following this process, you will be able to make as many baskets without having to sew anything at all. However, the baskets made this way are not as strong as the ones that are handmade. Because the weavers do all of the work from start to finish, they may find that they overheat and cannot work for long periods of time without overheating. In addition, the materials used in these types of woven baskets may not be suitable for use outside as they are not weatherproof. If they are used outside, the baskets may become wet, and the weaving may become damaged. In general, a weaver should only work with materials that are suitable for both home and outdoor use.