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Welcome to our beginner’s guide to basket weaving. If you’ve always been fascinated by the art of basketry, you’re in the right place.
Beginners guide to basket weaving
There are lots of different basket weaving styles, traditions, and techniques.
This Beginners Guide to Basket Weaving will explore a general overview of basket weaving.
This is not an exhaustive overview but rather an opportunity to view a broad explanation of basket types before going into more depth in a specific style.
If you want more basket-weaving information and tutorials, visit the main basket-weaving page.
Or 7 Tips to Get You Started Weaving Baskets
What is basket weaving?
Basket weaving started as a practical craft to create a receptacle for carrying belongings.
More recently, basket weaving has become a craft for the maker, reenactor, and survivalist.
Using natural materials- often sturdy grasses and branches or wood splints, a basket is woven by building a foundation and then weaving supporting pieces around the foundation to create a bottom and walls.
Find our complete guide to basket weaving terminology:
Is basket weaving hard?
Basket weaving is reasonably easy to learn. Begin with a basket design, learn the basic over/under weaving stitch, and build from there.
As with any craft, once you gain knowledge of the basic techniques, it’s a matter of building motor skills and a sense of reed tension through repeated practice.
Weaving baskets is a satisfying fiber art skill to master.
How long does it take to weave a basket?
The most straightforward basket can take 30 minutes.
Here’s an example of a 30-minute basket:
A basic square basket can be completed in 2 hours.
Here’s an example of a 2-hour napkin basket:
Of course, the larger and more complex the basket, the longer it will take.
Here’s an example of a sizeable vase-shaped basket I made recently:
Types of materials used in basket weaving
There are many different materials used in basket weaving.
Some of these include:
- Willow wands
- Pine needles
- Grasses
- Wood splints
- Palm fronds
- Reed
- Reed splints
- Bark
Basket weaving traditions
There are also different basket-weaving traditions. Basket traditions usually center around a region and reflect the culture and native materials available to the weaver.
A few basket weaving styles include:
Nantucket baskets
Wicker baskets
Palm frond baskets – Hawaii
Pine needle baskets- Southwestern USA
Zulu coiled baskets
There are many more basket-weaving traditions. Most art, historical, and cultural museums will display beautiful baskets.
Basket weaving styles
There are four primary styles used in most basket-weaving traditions.
- Coiled
- Twined
- Woven
- Plaited
Do you want the best resources, tools, and products for fiber artists?
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Basket weaving techniques
Here is a list of standard weaving techniques with links to further resources:
Plain weave
Also known as a simple weave.
Plain weave is done by following an over-one, under-one pattern of weaving.
The over-one, under-one pattern alternates from row to row so that the stakes are also going over one, under one vertically.
Triple weave
Triple weave, also called three-rod wale, is a common weaving technique using round reed.
The triple weave is done continuously around the basket or with a step-up pattern.
Start-and-stop weave
The start-and-stop weave is one row at a time weaving. Weave around the basket, all the way around, and then overlap the ends so they are tucked away from sight.
Chase-weaving
Chase weave involves two weavers being woven at the same time. The ends of the weavers are trimmed down and woven into the basket on the same side, so as the walls form, they are even. When you get to the end of one or both of the weavers, you add in a new length of reed just like you would for a continuous weave.
Continuous weave
The continuous weave is often used in round baskets where the weaver is woven around and around until you reach the end and add in a new weaver.
Twill weave
Twill weave is a style of weaving where the weaver goes over a certain number of stakes and under a certain number of stakes in an alternating pattern.
Each row creates a pattern similar to the diagonals in denim jean material.
1-2 twill
This twill is called a one-to-two-twill. The weaver goes under one and over two around the basket and alternates as you proceed with the rows.
2-2 twill
This twill, called a two-to-two-twill, is where the weaver is going over two stakes and then under two stakes. The next row alternates that pattern so that a stair-step pattern forms.
Twining
Twining is used to hold the base in place once the base is woven.
See Twining the Base: Creating a Stable Basket for more on that technique.
Twining can also be used to build the walls of a basket. The cross-over of the two pieces twining between each stake creates a twisted look on the sides.
More weaving technique posts:
Weaving Techniques for Basket Making
How to Do Cross-Stitch or X-Lashing on a Basket Rim
Basket weaving terminology
Basket weaving, like any craft, has its terminology and expressions.
Learning these terms and words will help you follow the weaving process and understand how to decipher weaving information as you grow your skills.
Once you have your hands on the materials, using these terms as you work and take in information becomes more natural.
Check out the Basket Weaving Glossary for a complete list of terms.
Basket weaving terms
Terms for different basket weaving traditions vary. Here are a few basic terms that may be unfamiliar to the beginner basket weaver.
Stakes:
The pieces of material that create the spokes of the basket. Baskets are built around a foundation of stakes.
Weaver:
A weaver is a piece of material used to weave around the stakes to build the walls of a basket.
Twining:
Twining is when two weavers are woven at the same time and crossed between each stake to create a twisted weaver pattern.
Upsetting:
Upsetting is a process of folding stakes over to create a crease where the basket’s base and wall meet. The crease helps the basket weaver create straight basket walls.
Rim:
The rim is a piece of weaving material wrapped around the basket’s upper edge and lashed to the basket to finish off the upper raw edge once the walls are completed.
Lashing:
Lashing is a technique similar to a sewer whip-stitch.
A piece of weaving material looped around and around the rim to hold the rim onto the basket.
For a complete guide to all Textile Indie’s basket weaving posts and videos, visit the main Basket Weaving Page.
More basketry posts:
Basketry Immersion: A Year-Long Journey
Check out Textile Indie’s self-paced basket program if you want to learn to weave beautiful baskets.
Twelve different basket designs with video and written instructional support to learn foundational basketry techniques.
Over the course of twelve months, you will receive one basket pattern and a video with supporting instructional material each month. Start at basket one and weave all twelve.