BASKET MAKER

Basket weavers need a great sense of touch. Good hand-eye coordination is also essential. Creating a basket can take hours, days, or weeks, so it is important that the basket maker be patient and able to stick to the task at hand.

Baskets can be made out of many materials. Once chosen, the materials are either coiled or woven to form the basket. Reeds, splint, and wild vines, which tend to be long and sturdy, are usually woven. Shorter materials, such as pine needles and grass, are coiled because they are more delicate.

There are dozens of basket types that you can create using weaving or coiling techniques. A type of woven basket that has maintained its popularity over the years is the elegant Shaker basket. Named for a religious group in the United States that made these baskets until 1925, this classic beauty is now made by many basket weavers.