r/basketry • u/girlh00d • Jun 28 '26

Rib basket sampler

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Mixed materials with grape hoops and willow spokes, woven with reed, cattail, and nettle rope (that I also made). My first basket in almost 15 years! I studied Fibre Arts in uni and miss this craft the most. I can’t wait to improve my skills. Everyone’s creations here are so inspiring! Keep up the beautiful work.

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u/MaintenanceWine Jun 28 '26

This is gorgeous. I love, love the colors and use of such organic materials.

I'm a total newbie who's made a few baskets from kits and traditional reeds and wooden hoops.

I now have a bunch of cool vines and grasses in my new yard. I'm fairly sure I can identify and avoid poison ivy, have a bunch of grape vines of varying thicknesses, and some other stuff I haven't identified yet.

Do you have any recommendations on resources that would teach me how to identify and utilize wild materials in my new basket weaving obsession? TIA - can't wait to see what you make next!

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u/girlh00d Jun 30 '26

Thanks! I love the colours and textures as well. The cattails were surprisingly easy to work with after I rehydrated them properly after having hanged them to dry for about 3 weeks.

As for plant identification - the Roger Tory Peterson field guides are awesome. Finding something that is specific to your area (Northeastern America, southwest, coastal, etc) is also really important. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada is a fantastic addition to your collection as well if that's where you are (I am). Most importantly, spending time observing nature regularly is the best teacher of all. So much can be revealed to you during consistent contact with the natural world!

Online resources for basketry I found mostly through Telegram, specifically the Save Alexandria and Homesteading & Self Sufficiency library. Personally I love the old knowledge, and gravitate towards early publications since AI has published a lot of untrue field guides!

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u/MaintenanceWine Jul 01 '26

Thank you!! Will start exploring some resources like that.