On Sunday I will welcome two students to my basketry studio where they will spend the first of two days learning how to make a sewing basket. One student will share the large table with me while the second will sit at the card table.
My storage room has several hanks of rattan cane ready for the students to choose from.
Other selections may be made from the dyed flat cane and other materials in that area.
In my work space I have pre-cut cane ready to begin as well as the tools of the trade. For the basic design of the sewing basket, I copied instructions from Flo Hoppe's "Wicker Basketry" for her Bargello Design basket. This I find makes a good body for a sewing basket. I will use the instructions as a guide only. Each student may use different design elements other than the bargello design. I will demonstrate a number of weaving designs as I teach them. In a lesson I learned from last Sunday's class, the instructions are enclosed in a transparent plastic folder. By the end of the day the instructions will not be a sodden mass of pulp!
Each student has a bucket in which to place cut off pieces of cane, a rock or half house brick to act as a weight when weaving the sides of the basket, a spray bottle to keep the material damp through the day, scissors and cutters, a small tape measure, needle nosed pliers, a towel, pre-cut cane, a bodkin or awl, and a small plastic ruler. On the floor by the tables will be two large totes with water in which to soak the cane.
I am looking forward to this day
Looks like you are ready! Let us know how the teaching weekend goes.
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