Many of us like wicker items in the old Russian folk style. It is always painstaking but graceful work that pleases the eye. And many even envy the craftsmen who embody their talent in such birch bark and willow works of art. But there is absolutely no reason for envy, because everyone can weave the same basket with their own hands, as they say, to know all the joys and difficulties of such painstaking work. First, prepare dried willow twigs.
Instructions
Step 1
Bottom
Take 8 pieces of thick twigs. The length should not exceed the diameter of the future bottom. Soak the sticks in hot water for about 30 minutes. Split each of the 4 segments with a knife in the middle and insert the remaining 4 rods into them. You should get a cross-piece 4 by 4 rods.
Step 2
To weave the bottom, take 20-30 rods with a diameter of 2-4 mm and a length of slightly less than 1 meter. Remember, to weave a string into two rods, you need to take rods of the same length! Insert both thin ends of the rods into the split section of the cross. The first rod should braid the crosspiece from the outside, and the second from the inside, while always superimposing on the first.
Step 3
Basket frame
For the racks of the basket, take rods with a thickness of 0.5-0.7 cm and approximately 30 cm longer than the height of the finished basket. They should be located along the entire diameter of the basket. Then bend all the uprights and tighten the ends with an elastic band.
Step 4
Weaving walls
It is better to braid the walls with simple braiding. This is the braiding of the racks with one rod according to the "front-back, front-back" scheme.
Measure the circumference of the existing frame with a centimeter and multiply by 1.5 the circumference of the future basket. Start braiding from the thin end of the twig. Insert it next to any rack, lead it behind the adjacent one from the inside, bending around the next rack from the outside with a rod, and continue further along the same pattern. After the height of the basket is 2 cm lower than the required height, secure the stitch with a string.
Step 5
Installing the handle
For a handle, take a better thick rod with a diameter of 1, 2-1, 5 cm. Give it an arched shape. The height is calculated from the bottom of the basket. After that, use an awl to expand the hole next to one of the posts and insert the rod there to the very base. Also on the other hand. Your own piece of art is ready!
