Ivy Baskets
A Seasonal Sampler - Spring and Fall
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BasketryTraditional local materials include coppiced willow and hazel, cedar roots and bark, beargrass, cattail, iris, nettle, and other reeds and 'weeds'. We are still learning about these traditional materials, and the proper ways to harvest them so that they regenerate from year to year. You can buy processed basketry materials from various sources. But for practicing, nothing is easier to obtain than our persistent pest, invasive English ivy. Ivy Basket Instructions:This Ivy Basket is an adapted from several children's craft techniques; the basic hoop-and-rib structure was a basket Erica made in an elementary school class. Each step is very do-able, the basket begins to take recognizable shape within an hour, and the whole thing can be done in less than a day. For teaching very young children, it can be broken down futher into three intrinsically interesting projects: - Making leafy "crowns" out of ivy - God's Eyes: wrapping yarn or other cords in a diamond pattern around crossed sticks - Weaving: under-over-under-over, can be used to make anything from potholders to shelter to sailing ships. Here's how they go together into a basket: The woven strands support the ribs, and vice-versa, creating a basket where the rim hangs from the handle, and everything else from the rim.This illustration shows a basic fiber, such as an ivy stem stripped of its leaves. Ivy can be harvested in backyards, parks, and roadsides. Most people will thank you for removing it, but it's always polite to check first. Colored yarn or pale bleached reed/bark fibers make an interesting contrast for the diamond/Gods-Eye joint, or for the first section of over-under weave (shown, bottom) surrounding this joint.
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