MARTHA'S FLOWER GIRL BASKET
This basket was woven by a student, (Martha) for the flower
girls basket in her daughters wedding.
Materials: 1/2" flat reed for spokes, #2 Round reed for weaving, #3 round reed for weaving and border, 1/4" flat oval for weavers, one 8" x 5" D handle.
Preparation: From the 1/2" flat reed cut 8 spokes 18" long and mark the center on the rough side.Mark 4 of the spokes again at 1 1/2" on each side of the center mark. For the border spokes, cut 20 pieces of #3 round reed 36" long. Optional: dye the border pieces your favorite color or use two contrasting colors for a variegated look. Soak all material in warm water for a few minutes.
Base: Mark the center of the D handle. Use the four double marked spokes first. Place them on top of the center mark of the D handle like the spokes on a bicycle wheel. Keep the spokes evenly spaced. With a long piece of #2 round reed, begin twining around the spokes using the second mark on the spokes as your guide. Twine around the handle treating it as a spoke. Be sure the first row is a nice round circle.Continue twining until the base measures 5" across. End the twining on the spoke you started on and the spoke behind the starting spoke.
Now you will add the remaining spokes to the base using the 1/4" flat oval. Place a new spoke on top of the base between two of the original spokes. The first spoke should be perpendicular to do the handle. Place a piece of 1/4" flat oval on top of the new spoke. Weave to the right under the next spoke. Add another spoke and weave over it and under the next spoke. You are adding the spokes one at a time and weaving over the new spokes and under the old spokes. Continue around the entire base with the 1/4" flat oval. End the row of weaving when you reach your beginning point by overlapping the first spoke and the three spokes to the right of the beginning spoke. ( you will overlap four spokes total to end each row) Turn the base to the opposite side and begin the second row of weaving with another piece of 1/4" flat oval. Continue with the rows of weaving until the base reaches the sides of the D handle. Be sure to start the rows of weaving on opposite side of the base each time.
Side weaving: Wet the spokes until pliable. Gently bend each spoke over your finger to begin the side weaving. You want a nice curve to the sides of the basket not a sharp bend.You will continue to use the 1/4" flat oval for weaving the sides. For the first two rows you will need to clothespin the weaver (the 1/4") to every other spoke as you weave. Working on the inside of the basket, clothespin the weaver to the spoke and weave under the next spoke pulling tight on the weaver. The weaver is pulling the next spoke up. Weaver over to the next spoke, keeping the weaver pulled tight, and clothespin the weaver to that spoke. Continue around the basket in this manner, pulling the weaver tight to bring the spokes up in a gently round curve. End each row of weaving as you did before. Work the next row of weaving in the same manner. After three rows the sides should be well established. Check the shape and be sure it is a nice round base with a gently curve to the sides. Weave the sides to measure 3 1/2" tall. Twine three rows with the #3 round reed. Wet the spokes until pliable. Tuck all the spokes to the inside of the basket. Be sure to tuck over the three rows of twine and hide the ends under 3 or 4 rows of 1/4" on the inside of the basket.
Border: The border is a Gretchen border that is woven to the inside of the basket first for two rows and then woven back to the outside of the basket for five rows. This will help hide the ends of the spokes.
Diagram 1-Insert the spokes into the rows of twining, on the outside of the basket, on top of the 1/2" spokes.
To begin the border or braid, start with
any three spokes in your left hand. Bring the far left spoke under the other two spokes
and to the inside of the basket between spokes three and four. See diagram 2. Do this step
around the entire basket. When you reach the beginning point and you have only two spokes
left, pull out the first two spokes you started with (just pull them out of the border
partially, enough to insert the last two) insert the last two into the braid.
Tighten the spokes down by gently pulling them to the right and rolling the braid to cover
the tops of the spokes on the inside of the basket. Repeat this step around the entire
basket one more time. Remember to pull out the first two spokes to end this row. You may
want to mark the two spokes you begin with, with a twist tie or a black marker on the
tips. Tighten this second row of the braid in the same manner as you did the first.
Now you will continue with the braid, but in reverse. Instead of going under two spokes to the inside of the basket, you'll go over two spokes to the outside of the basket. Diagram 3. Remember to end each row before you start the next. Do this for a total of five rows on the outside of the basket. Trim the ends of the border pieces to about 3/4" long. Use your bent tip tool to tuck the ends
You may want to mark the two spokes you begin with, with a twist tie or a black marker on the tips. Tighten this second row of the braid in the same manner as you did the first.
Now you will continue with the braid, but in reverse. Instead of going under two spokes to the inside of the basket, you'll go over two spokes to the outside of the basket. Diagram 3. Remember to end each row before you start the next. Do this for a total of five rows on the outside of the basket. Trim the ends of the border pieces to about 3/4" long. Use your bent tip tool to tuck the ends under the rows of the border on the outside of the basket.
Monica Impellizzeri 2000
