Saturday, October 17, 2009

A new rib basket


I added this new rib basket to my Etsy store today. It is made from homegrown grapevine and willow and imported rattan cane. The grapevine is twisted together to make two hoops. These are then joined with woven God's eyes to form the structure of the basket. For this basket I used undyed rattan cane to weave the God's eyes.
For the ribs I used "white" willow harvested last spring from my garden. White willow is willow whips with their bark stripped off. This is best accomplished after the first flush of leaves appears.
The weaving on the body features rattan cane dyed blue. This was dyed on my BBQ so that when the dye splashed I did not have to do any clean-up.

2 comments:

  1. It looks wonderful! I love the grapevine you used for the handle and how it contrasts with the evenness of the rattan cane

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  2. I think that is really beautiful. I've started growing grapes last year. I've been thinking that I'm going to need to learn how to work with the vines. Your basket handle is a perfect use for them!
    Nancy

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