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    A basket on a towel with clips

    After weaving a basket and achieving the wall height you want you will be proceeding with creating the rim for the basket.

    Gathering tools

    Tools

    You will need a few tools to create your closed basket base. The following are the basics to start with.

    Reed cutters

    Straight tipped packer

    Basket Makers Catalog offers a number of different versions of these.

    Box cutter

    Plastic clamps

    Spray bottle

    Water tub

    Materials

    I am using a 3/4″ flat reed for the basket bases demonstrated in the photos below. The width of the reed you start with will depend on what size or style of basket you are weaving.

    I order reed from The Basket Makers Catalog, an online basket makers resource and supplier.

    Cut and tuck

    Make sure everything is damp.

    The stakes will be sticking up at this point.

    Basket with stakes sticking up.
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    Looking at the basket from the outside there will be some stakes in front of the last weaver and some that are behind. Using the basket shears cut the stakes that sit behind the top weaver.

    These are the basket shears that I use:

    Cutting the stakes behind the first row.

    Those that are in front will get folded over and tucked into the walls of the inside of the basket.

    Folding the stakes over the first row

    To do this fold one of the stakes over that is in front of the last weaver.

    Using your basket shears cut the stake so that its length reaches down to the length of the third or fifth row down inside the basket.

    Folding over stakes.
    Tucking in stakes.

    Now using your straight tipped packer place it down behind the weavers against the stake and gently tuck the folded part of the stake into the space created. Do this process for all in-front stakes.

    Tucking in stakes
    Cut and tuck around the rim of the basket.
    Basket with completed cut and tuck.

    Scarfing the rim reed

    Using a flat oval reed that is double the size of your last weaver (typically rims run between 1/2” and 1”) whittle down the end so that there is a two-inch length of the reed that is half as thick as the rest. This is called scarfing.

    Flat oval reed.
    Scarfing on a piece of flat oval reed.

    Putting the outer rim on the basket

    Clamp the end of the rim reed to the top edge of the basket (anywhere but over the handle). Clamp the reed around the top edge of the basket. I like to do one clamp on each side.

    Rim pieces clamped on basket.

    The oval side of the reed should be facing out, the flat side rests against the basket.

    Note: I show metal clamps in a few photos below. I suggest using plastic clamps like those listed above. The metal clamps leave grooves in the reed which don’t look nice.

    Clamping the end of a piece of rim onto the top of a basket.

    When you get to the start of the rim cut it so that it overlaps the two inch whittled section.

    I like to cut it and then trim the corners of the reed down a little so that it’s rounded, not just a raw straight edge.

    Clamps on the rim of a basket.
    Here is the reason I suggest using plastic clamps to hold the rim in place. The indents in the rim reed caused by the metal clamps are hard to get rid of.
    Outer rim clamped to the basket.
    Overlapped rim on a basket.

    Inserting the inner rim

    Follow the same steps, place a rim reed inside the basket.

    Don’t put the end of this part of the rim in the same place as the outer rim join. I usually put them on opposite ends. Clamp so that the clamps span both the rim reeds and the basket body between.

    The inner rim should be placed in the basket so that the rounded side of the reed is facing out and the flat side is against the basket.

    Inserting seagrass in the rim

    Bundle of seagrass.

    Tuck seagrass into the space between the two rim pieces. Start at the edge of the handle and place it in until it reaches the edge of the handle on the other side. Cut the piece an inch longer than you think you’ll need. Do this for both sides of the handle.

    Overhead view of basket rim with seagrass inserted between rims.
    Seagrass butted up against handle edges.

    Lashing

    The next step after you’ve set up your rim is to lash it.

    With the lashing reed go ahead and use your chosen technique to lash the rim.

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