Textile Indie

    How to Set Up the Rim on a Basket

    For a complete guide to all Textile Indie’s basket weaving posts and videos, visit the main Basket Weaving Page.

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

    For a complete list of basket terminology:

    Basket Weavers Glossary

    Table of Contents

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    Gathering your basketry tools and materials

    Tools needed

    The following are the basics to start with:

    Reed cutters

    You can get by with strong scissors, but reed cutters are ideal – combining strength, a pointed tip, and a sharp edge.

    Straight tipped packer

    Like reed cutters, you can make do with a screwdriver. However, once you own a basket weaver’s straight-tipped packer, you’ll wonder how you managed without it.

    Box cutter

    A sharp box cutter is a perfect tool for scarfing the end of the reed.

    Plastic clamps

    I prefer plastic clamps to metal – the plastic clamps don’t leave a mark on the reed. And with plastic, there’s no chance of rust stains.

    Spray bottle

    Water tub

    For more details on basket-making tools and supplies, check out these posts:

    Basket Weaving Tools: What You Will Need to Get Started

    Beginners Guide to Basket Weaving Materials

    Materials needed

    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 the basket you are weaving.

    Step-by-step process to prepare a basket rim for lashing

    Follow the instructions below to set up a rim on your basket.

    How to cut and tuck a basket rim

    Make sure the basket reed is damp.

    The stakes will be sticking up at this point.

    Handwoven basket with stakes sticking up.
    Half the stakes are in front of the top weaver, and half are in the back.

    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.
    I’ve cut every other stake (the ones behind) level with the top weaver.

    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
    Gently fold over the remaining stakes.

    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 inside the basket.

    Folding over stakes inside the basket
    Continue folding, trimming, and tucking the stakes.
    Tucking in stakes on a handwoven basket
    Tucking the final stake.

    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 on a handwoven market basket
    Cut and tucking reed around the rim of a basket
    The stakes on this basket have been trimmed to length.
    Basket with completed cut and tuck.
    All stakes are tucked in snuggly.

    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.

    Scarf reed with a sharp box cutter. Be sure to cut it away from your hand!

    Start slow and take off a little at a time – in thin shavings. It’s easy to cut too deep and slice off the end of the reed. You can always shave off a little more, but you can’t put it back.

    Flat oval reed.
    The flat oval reed before scarfing.
    Scarfing on a piece of flat oval reed.
    Flat oval reed with a scarfed end.

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    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 each side.

    You can see in the photo below how handy the plastic clamps are. If you’re a beginner, you can use more clamps to hold things in place.

    Rim pieces clamped on basket.
    Clamping the outer rim reed to the 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. As mentioned above, I suggest using plastic clamps like those listed above. The metal clamps leave grooves in the reed which don’t look nice.

    Do as I say, not as I do😉.

    Clamping the end of a piece of rim onto the top of a basket.
    Oval side out. Notice the scarfed end.

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

    I like to cut the reed to length 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.
    Outer rim cut to length.
    Overlapped rim on a basket.
    The scarfed beginning of the rim allows the end piece to nestle against the basket – giving you the smoothest rim possible.

    Inserting the inner rim

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

    Begin the inner rim in a different spot than you did the outer rim. I usually put them on opposite ends.

    Use your clamps to span both the inner and outer rim pieces, holding everything firmly in place.

    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.
    A bundle of seagrass.

    Tuck seagrass into the space between the two rim pieces.

    The seagrass goes from one handle edge to the next. Cut the piece an inch longer to allow for tension. Do this for both sides of the handle.

    Put another way – you will have two pieces of seagrass, one on each end of the basket.

    Overhead view of basket rim with seagrass inserted between rims.
    The seagrass is loosely placed in the pocket of the rim reed.
    Seagrass butted up against handle edges.
    The cut ends of seagrass are butted up to the handle on either side.

    Next step is lashing…

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

    Two techniques to choose from are basic lashing and cross-stitch lashing; I have a tutorial for both:

    A Basic Lashing

    A Cross-Stitch or X-Lashing

    For a complete guide to all Textile Indie’s basket weaving posts and videos, visit the main Basket Weaving Page.

    More basket weaving techniques:

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