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subject: Basket Making Can Be Therapeutic by:Cassael Cetino [print this page]


Basket making has proved to be therapeutic and therapy for

stress relief. Baskets are useful and decorative. People

love to have baskets at home because they are handy to store

things like fruit and magazines, they make beautiful gift

hampers, and they add beauty to the decor. Besides, you can

let your creativity take wings and create baskets of

different shapes and sizes.

A variety of material can be used to make baskets as long as

the materials are flexible. Most craft stores offer a supply

of machine made reeds and splints. You can make baskets with

cattail leaves or stalks, corn husks, honeysuckle vines,

pine needles, and daffodil leaves. You can gather them and

hang them to dry. Before using any of these materials, you

will need to soak them in lukewarm water for five minutes.

Then, wrap them in a damp towel as you are working so they

don't dry out or over soak.

To make a basket from a vine, for instance, you will need

about ten 3' long pieces and around fifteen 4' long pieces

of vine. You should choose the thickest pieces to make the

frame. The first step of basket making is to form a square

by laying three 3' spokes on top of 3 bottom spokes. Then,

take a piece of the long thin vine, called a weaver, and

fold it in such a manner that one end is shorter than the

other, so that you can loop it over top spokes and then

weave it over and under bottom spokes.

Weaving is the next step. The involves weaving it over

three spokes, under the next three, over the next three, and

so on. You have to do this at least three times before you

can begin weaving it through the spokes individually.

Gradually, you will go on adding more spokes by inserting

each one along the side of a spoke in between a previous

weave. Interestingly, as you add and weave, you will start

having more space between the spokes. At this point you can

cut new spokes and insert them to fill these spaces and

start weaving them into a pattern.

Once you've made the bottom 6" wide, it's important to

dampen the spokes until they are flexible enough to be

turned upward, and continue weaving as you make your sides.

The final step involves finishing off the top edge of the

basket. For this you need to bend the spokes over and weave

them amongst themselves one at a time. For example, take one

spoke, bend it to the right and weave it over the one next

to it, then under the next one, then over the next, and

continue in the same manner. When that spoke has woven

itself as far as it can, do this with the next one, and then

continue until they have all been secured down. If you spot

any untidy ends sticking out, snip them off neatly.

Making baskets is an art. The basic technique of basket

making has been around for generations. It reveals a

marvelous process of hard work, beauty, and culture.

About the author

Cassael Cetino is the administrator of A Plus Baskets,

your one stop shop online for all of your basket needs.

Find what you need at: http://www.aplusbaskets.com




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