I know weeping willow isn’t preferred for weaving. But my friend has 3 large trees and the branches are so flexible! I’m determined to try with this resource I have on hand because it’s abundant and very easy to get.

I’m going to strip the leaves and hang dry, and then soak prior to weaving. Any advice for making this as close to good weaving material as possible? Soak longer, etc? Thanks!

Where’s a reliable website where I can buy long pine needles for weaving in bulk? I see come on Etsy but often they’re pretty expensive. I searched up on ChatGPT where to buy them and it recommended a site called basket needles.com. Has anyone else used this site before? Where do you usually find them for a good price?

Hi! Do any of you have opinions or experience with Bora-Care? Matt Twomey recommended it to prevent pests from getting into one's harvested branches while they're drying. I'm wondering if it's really necessary and/or how toxic it is to humans, plants, environment. I have a ton of wisteria I am going to try to dry & give away and/or use. Never done basketry before & excited to try basketry for the first time. Thank you!

Also, if you have any tips for how to efficiently cut, tie and store vines for drying, I'll take em! Seemst o me that leaving them to dry in our shed or basement is inviting mold... but leaving them out to the elements also invites rain/dew, moisture, and animals and pests.

What material and technique do you use for tying them together? Any little tricks for how you tie them & bunch them? Thank you so much!

I just trimmed back a wild wisteria. I have so many trimmings. They seem so amazing. I have never made a basket and may not have the time to dedicate myself to a whole new art but I’d really like them to not go to waste. Any ideas what I can do w them?

Hi folks - this is a bit of a weird question, but I'm having trouble getting any sort of answer from a google search!

I have some epiphytic plants that I want to plant in something like a vanda basket (like this - https://www.repotme.com/collections/orchid-supplies/products/vanda-basket-4) but I cannot find them for sale in Canada!

I have a friend who enjoys basketry and has taught me some techniques, so I was wondering if it would be possible to weave a vanda-type basket - would be so beautifully unique, but the materials need to be able to get wet at least weekly (you water the plants and moss right in the basket) and dry out, and I'm not sure if the materials I have at home would be okay to be soaked and dried that frequently (I have willow bark, dandelion and lily leaves).

Any ideas as to what types of materials (North American) would be able to withstand that kind of routine?

Bought a little box of tools at Goodwill labeled Basket Making Tools. 7 clamps and a bunch of long poky things with flat tips, some straight, some flat, different lengths. Can anyone tell me what I can do with these, and where I can learn to do it.

(I'm trying to add a picture, but haven't managed to yet)

Hello! I'm just starting to think about what sort of plants I may be able to incorporate into my dream property as a riparian buffer that would have dual use for basketry and fiber. I'm in central PA in the ridge and valley, we have cattails, willow, red osier dogwood, and white pine, and I'm looking into the feasibility of flax (also nettles). Is anyone familiar with the region who might have some suggestions for species that won't become invasive?

Tysm!

Anywhere I can buy willow bases for baskets that have holes to put the stakes in?

As titlr

I'm new to basket weaving and was hoping to get some guidance on a project.

A group in my area hosts one day classes that make large baskets (see picture: https://imgur.com/a/a9p30S4). I haven't made baskets before but I have a good amount of experience with arts and crafts (did upholstery as a hobby for years, have an art degree, have done chair caning). I am good with working off of written instructions, etc.

I have a toddler at home with significant separation anxiety and a family member who is vulnerable to illness so I'm unable to attend the class in person. I reached out to the instructor to see if she could do a Zoom or written instructions but she said she didn't have time.

Can anyone point me to instructions or a DIY kit to produce these sorts of baskets? My main interest is in producing larger ones for kid toys, laundry, blankets, etc. Thanks so much in advance. I'm okay with spending a bit more on a kit for the first one to learn the process.

We have recently moved to a smallholding (in the UK) where there was about an acre of land downhill from an old leat that once carried water to a waterwheel and now to a pond. This land was completely overgrown will bramble and grey willow saplings until I cleared it last year, currently just contains grass and weeds. It is perpetually wet, because the leat and pond leak - so this area probably wouldn't dry out even if it didn't rain for 2 months. It is quite exposed to the wind, but has good sunlight.

My wife has very recently become interested in willow basketry, and has been using whips from grey willows (which are OK for just practicing for a beginner). We have now decided to allocate that whole area to growing basketry willows (pollards), primarily for our own future use. There is a dizzying variety to choose from, and obviously it will take a year or two to discover what actually likes our soil and climate, but I'd be interested in finding out which varieties knowledgeable people would plant if they were in our position (eg 50% black maul, 25% red flanders, 25% dicky meadows). Which varieties should I definitely include in the first experimental planting from which I will later take cuttings to grow more plants?

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My aging mom has a huge collection of basket making supplies that she can no longer use, so I’m trying to understand the options for selling or donating these supplies.

The supplies are primarily reed in all shapes and sizes. They’ve all been stored inside, but are 10+ years old. Other than obvious signs of damage, what would the signs be that the reed was no longer usable and should be pitched?

Assuming the reed is still good, what are options for finding a new home for this kind of thing?

TIA.

Hello! Currently making my second basket with flat reed (it's this one) and I guess I must have woven it with the rough side out, because as it's doing I'm noticing that it's got a lot of little fibers sticking up all over the place! It looks different than the first basket I made, which I did in a class with an instructor, so that's probably why I did it right lol.

Any tips for removing all these little fibers? Thanks!