TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
Sturdy garden scissors, secateurs and garden gloves to gather materials.
A blunt knife for conditioning lengths of fibre.
Large eyed darning needles for stitching.
Small pair of scissors
Clothes peg to hold the core material together whilst working.
An old towel used damp to wrap fibres and keep them pliable.
A water spray bottle
Sturdy garden scissors, secateurs and garden gloves to gather materials.
A blunt knife for conditioning lengths of fibre.
Large eyed darning needles for stitching.
Small pair of scissors
Clothes peg to hold the core material together whilst working.
An old towel used damp to wrap fibres and keep them pliable.
A water spray bottle
SHOPPING FOR BASKETWEAVING MATERIALS:
Raffia: The Raffia Connection or String Harvest
Hemp twine and waxed linen: Over the Rainbow
Needles: Either tapestry or chenille size 13 are the best. Available online from String Harvest
Raffia: The Raffia Connection or String Harvest
Hemp twine and waxed linen: Over the Rainbow
Needles: Either tapestry or chenille size 13 are the best. Available online from String Harvest
RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON BASKETWEAVING IN AUSTRALIA
Fibre Basketry - Homegrown and Handmade by Helen Richardson, available from Basketry SA
Basketry and Weaving with Natural Materials by Pat Dale, out of print, but available from libraries
Australian Plants & Fibres, as used by First Nations People By Pat Dale, her new book available here
Fibre Basketry - Homegrown and Handmade by Helen Richardson, available from Basketry SA
Basketry and Weaving with Natural Materials by Pat Dale, out of print, but available from libraries
Australian Plants & Fibres, as used by First Nations People By Pat Dale, her new book available here
Plant Materials
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PLANT MATERIALS FOR BASKET WEAVING
(This list is available as a downloadable PDF below) Since you will be putting a lot of effort into making your basket, it makes sense to collect and use good quality material. A significant part of a basket weaver’s skill is having an understanding and knowledge of suitable plants, their uses and the appropriate season for harvesting them. Your local environment, which includes yours and your friends and neighbour’s gardens, are bound to have plenty of plants suitable to use for weaving baskets. Basket weavers tend to become perennial opportunists when it comes to sourcing their materials! Commonly Available Plant materials to collect in Victoria Leaves: Aunt Eliza Chasmanthe floribunda Cornhusk Cumbungi/bulrush Typha orientalis Spike rush Eleocharis Sphacelata Day lily Hemerocallis fulva Flax Lily Dianella species Iris species leaves Kangaroo paw Mat Rush Spiny headed Lomandra longifolia New Zealand Flax Phormium Red-hot poker Club rush and Juncus Watsonia Palms: Cabbage Tree Cordyline Australis, Palm species leaves Trees: Casuarina needles, pine needles Jacaranda Pine needles Silver Birch Willow Salix species Vines: Coral pea, Running postman kennedya Dodder Laurel Grapevines, Passion fruit vines Honeysuckle, Jasmine, Clematis Wisteria Sea grass stems |
Harvesting Plant Materials:
Harvesting from your own garden is the best option or friends and neighbours are often more than happy to oblige. Collecting plant material from public places requires permission from the appropriate authority and permits are needed for national parks. Making friends with the gardener of a public place is good way around this. The choice of materials that can be used is as wide as your imagination. The main requirement is strength along the length of the material. If you can hold a length in both hands and pull it without it snapping, it will be suitable for basket making. Leaves that have already gone brown and dropped are already deteriorating and will not make good weaving material, go for healthy green leaves and take the time to dry them. Storing materials: It’s always preferable to use materials as dry as possible, if plants are used green shrinkage can occur, which can make the stitching or weaving loose and the basket flimsy over time. Once collected, spread leaves in an airy sunny spot to dry, then gather up and tie into bundles for storage. Store hanging in a dark, dry but airy situation to avoid colour fade and mould Preparation: Most materials will need to be dampened if they are to be pliable enough to bend without splitting. The finer the material, the less dampening that will be required - wrapping in a damp towel will be sufficient. The thicker or woodier the material, the more dampening required - material needs to be soaked in a tub for several hours, overnight or even several days. Harvest, storage and preparation for specific plants Vines: Non deciduous - cut any time and trim off the leaves Deciduous - cut in winter when all the leaves have dropped Cut the longest, thickest, still green stems that are long enough to coil up. Coil up like a hose pipe, being careful to avoid kinking the stems. Tie and store in a dark dry space for at least a month. Prepare for use by leaving in a bucket of cold water for 24hours or more until pliable again. |
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