This is a small four rib basket made entirely out of wild grass from my yard and about a yard of leftover linen thread.
To make something similar: Gather up enough stalks of grass to fill a coffee mug. Choose two sets of three stalks each that are all about the same width and length. Place these two bundles in a "t" arrangement and wrap the thread over, under and across in an "x" several times until it feels secure. The stalks that make the "t" are the "ribs" of the basket. Holding the tail of the thread along with the first stalk of grass, weave over and under the ribs in a spiraling circle. It does not matter if you go clock wise or counter clock wise, just pick a direction and stick with it.
When you have only an inch or so left on your first stalk, pick up a second stalk and hold it together with the first and continue weaving with the stalks held double until the first stalk can go no further. At this point, leave the seed head of the first stalk sticking out towards the outside of the basket and continue weaving with the second stalk. When the second stalk gets short repeat the process as you did with the first stalk. Holding the stalks together for a few turns will prevent the basket from forming seams and becoming weak.
When the basket is a half an inch shy of the height you want, select two more sets of three stalks each and choose which ribs you would like to extend to make the handle of the basket. Overlap the cut ends of the stalks with the remaining length of the ribs and weave them in to place. Cross the stalks that will form the handle over each other and arrange them so that your handle is the height you wish.
With your tapestry needle and linen thread (or whatever you have that pleases you and serves the same purpose!) make a line of blanket stitches along the handle to hold it together. when you reach the rim of the basket, continue making blanket or whip stitches the entire way around the rim to hold it in place.
Gently arrange all the seed heads in a way that makes you happy and use your needle and thread to gently tack them in to place.
That is about it! If these directions are insufficient, or you have a question please feel free to leave me a comment and I will be happy to help you out.
Tip: It is important that the grass stalks still be pliable and moist. Don't pick your grass until you are ready to weave!This is a small four rib basket made entirely out of wild grass from my yard and about a yard of leftover linen thread.
To make something similar: Gather up enough stalks of grass to fill a coffee mug. Choose two sets of three stalks each that are all about the same width and length. Place these two bundles in a "t" arrangement and wrap the thread over, under and across in an "x" ... Read full instructions »Difficulty:
This tiny basket is the product of staring out at my yard on a sunny day while lamenting my lack of funds to by craft supplies. It turns out that not only is inspiration all around us, but supplies are too! It is all in how you choose to look at the world.
What are you most proud of?
That I found a way to feed my crafting passion without spending any money and using completely natural found materials.
What advice would you give someone starting this project?
Make sure you use grass that is still wet and pliable. Once it starts to dry out it can be too brittle to work with.
It is also helpful to shape the first few rounds around a finger or thumb to help get enough tension to hold the basket together.
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