(+79 photos) Baskets made of vine and willow step-by-step instructions for beginners

Why does a modern person need a wicker basket?

It seems that baskets are of no use now. There are convenient bags and backpacks, plastic shopping bags. But braids are no less popular than in the old days. Now they can become an original interior detail, especially in a country house or country house. But even in a city house, the work of a true master will look stylish and appropriate.

On the Internet you can find many photos of wicker willow baskets with fruits or flowers in the interiors of various rooms. Want to decorate your home with the same element?

Nothing could be easier! Step-by-step instructions will help you master the basics of weaving. Perhaps you will like it so much that you will decide to move from baskets to more complex products: vases, bread bins and even furniture.

What rods should I use?

Debarked willow, cleared of bark, looks more advantageous. In pictures of willow wicker baskets you can see all sorts of colors, from brick to white, and most often it is natural boiled wood. But once completely dry, it can become very fragile.

Bark rods are stronger, but they also have disadvantages. They are much heavier. In addition, grayish-green or brownish colors are considered too dull by some. You can use both types of vine to make the product look especially bright and unusual.

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The material is also divided into soaked and boiled. The first one is considered less labor-intensive, but aesthetically inferior to the boiled one. Over time, such a rod turns gray and becomes brittle. The boiled one does not lose its brightness much longer and remains elastic, but requires more effort to process.

Wicker weaving basics

Modern products woven from willow branches are very popular. They decorate not only summer cottages, but also city apartments. In addition, they not only bring practical benefits, but also decorate the room.

It should be added right away that collecting branches for weaving does not harm the tree. On the contrary, it is able to rejuvenate and improve his health. This type of needlework is popular not only in villages, but also in big cities. It’s especially nice that willow weaving is an absolutely inexpensive hobby, because you can collect the necessary material yourself.

Willows are widespread in Russia. Therefore, finding a tree and collecting material will not be difficult. If you don’t want to do it yourself, then willow vines can be purchased in specialized stores that offer handicraft supplies.

Fabric baskets

Fabric baskets can be used for useful purposes, for example:

• as a laundry basket;
• containers for storing children's toys;
• stands for newspapers and magazines;
• boxes for needlework;
• covers for flowerpots and much, much more.

To create a basket, both plain and colored fabric is suitable. From the prepared fabric you need to cut two circles and two rectangles, the length of the rectangle should be equal to the perimeter of the circle. Fold the blanks back to back and stitch the circle to the rectangle. The basket is ready.

Finishing is at the discretion of the master; beautiful bows, flowers, lace, etc. will do. Such baskets can be decorated in Easter style, put Easter and eggs in it and take it to the temple for consecration.

Basket weaving technology

To weave a basket, you can purchase ready-made willow twigs or assemble them yourself.

Freshly cut rods filled with juice must be dried well, and before starting to weave the product, soak for 30-40 minutes in hot water to make them more flexible.

The tools you will need for the job are pruning shears, a sharp pocket knife, scissors and an awl or screwdriver.

The art of basket weaving has its own simple terminology. If you look at the bottom of the basket, you will see thick straight rods that radiate from the center in the form of rays and are called “spokes.” Once they are folded upward to form the walls of the basket, they become the “racks” (or “box”).

All the sections of thin willow rods that bend between the spokes and posts are called "knit" (or "weave/weft"). Usually baskets begin to be woven from the bottom. Sometimes it is also called the base. Then the walls, bends and, if necessary, handles are woven.

Basic cart elements

The bottom of the basket is the part that must withstand the maximum load. Therefore, we weave it from thicker rods, for reliability. The bottom frame is even larger - the knitting needles. These are six short rods that make up its base. We make the walls from thinner and brighter rods. If you wish, you can also use split vines here.

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There is a narrow connecting zone between the bottom and the walls. It is made from a more flexible and thin vine, often of contrasting color.

The wall posts are thicker than the main weave. These are the long rods that make up its frame. We make the handle from a thick, even shoot; the same material will be used for its binding as for the main weaving.

In pictures of wicker baskets made of willow on the Internet you can see that these elements are often made from twigs of different colors. So the finished product looks colorful and festive. But you can choose a plain option, especially if the basket is needed for practical purposes.

Required tools and materials

Wicker weaving is a type of needlework that uses natural materials. Processing large quantities of raw materials may require a special machine, but in most cases you can do without it. At different stages of making a basket, the craftsman will need the following tools:

• pruner;
• manual or electric jigsaw;
• a sharp knife with a beveled blade;
• tailor's or gardening scissors;
• drill;
• spacious containers for soaking rods;
• pliers;
• durable clothespins;
• tweezers;
• brushes, varnish, stain.

The main material needed to make a basket is willow twigs. They are easy to obtain yourself; some craftsmen even grow raw materials on their own site, selecting the best varieties and types of shrubs. You can also buy prepared materials in the store. When preparing yourself, you should consider a number of basic recommendations.

1. The best raw materials are obtained on loamy and sandy soils. You should choose young, healthy bushes with long, straight shoots.
2. Secateurs are used for harvesting. The longest shoots that do not have a large number of lateral branches should be selected.
3. The cut is made at an angle. It is important to leave a few buds under the line along which the raw materials are collected.
4. Only branches with a narrow, dense core are used. A loose middle part indicates that the material is too old for wicker weaving.
5. Check raw materials during procurement. To do this, 1 branch is cut, the resulting material is bent 180 degrees. If it can withstand the load without cracking or breaking, the vine is considered suitable for weaving.
6. Observe the recommended thickness. For the bottom of the baskets, solid rods are taken; for the walls, the material is split into thinner elements.

The optimal time for preparing suitable rods is when sap flow is minimal.

Shoots cut in March-April are easily cleared of bark without additional effort. Material collected at other times will have to be soaked or scalded before processing. It is worth considering that after such treatment the shoots will acquire a glossy shine and will be reliably protected from darkening and exposure to moisture. The rods that have not been boiled will gradually darken and lose their decorative effect.

Selection of materials for weaving

The main advantage of basket weaving is the availability of consumables. Willow is a common unpretentious tree found in many regions of Russia. Usually craftsmen procure raw materials themselves.

Some people grow willow in their garden. And in individual stores you can even buy materials ready for weaving.

Willow twigs growing on sandy and loamy soil are best suited for wicker weaving. The shoots are cut using pruning shears or a sharp knife, choosing the longest ones without branches. Cut at a slight angle, leaving a few buds so as not to harm the plant.

Shoots with a wide and loose core are not suitable for weaving; it should be small in size. Young shoots are usually used.

To check whether the plant is suitable for work, you need to cut the branch and bend it 180 degrees at the butt - if it is cracked, it is not suitable (which means it will break during weaving); if not, then you can safely proceed to further processing.

Harvesting willow vines

As a rule, a young one-year-old rod is prepared for weaving. The cutting technique is quite simple: use a sharp knife or garden shears (secateurs) to cut the vine at the base at an angle of 30-60 degrees. The sharpness of the blade is important, as the cut must be smooth, without chipping. This not only makes further processing of the rod easier, but also prevents the hemp from rotting.

Based on the period of the year, there are two main periods for harvesting vines: spring-summer and autumn-winter. The best time for harvesting during the growing season is July-August, when the rod is already ripe, has become strong enough and is easy to clean with a pinch and does not require additional processing. In addition, the summer rod has a bright white wood color. But along with the advantages: ease of harvesting and processing, the summer vine has disadvantages: the wood is not yet completely strong and such a vine breaks quite often. After debarking, the summer rod should be spread out in a thin layer in the sun, in a place well blown by the wind, so that it dries well. Dried vines should be sorted by length, diameter or willow variety. It is usually easier to sort vines into three types: large, medium and small. Large - rods with a length of 1200 mm and a butt thickness of 0.8-1 cm, medium ones with a length of up to 1000 mm and a thickness of 0.5-0.8 mm, small ones - up to 800 mm and a thickness of up to 0.5 mm.

It is important to store the rod in a dry place in bunches according to variety. If the vine is not dried enough, it may become moldy and darken. Uncleaned twigs are not preserved in summer. It dries quickly and becomes unsuitable for weaving. For this reason, only peeled rods are harvested in the summer.

Autumn-winter vine, harvested starting from the end of October, when the leaves fall and sap flow stops. You can cut willow in winter, unless, of course, deep snow prevents you from getting to the plantations. The rod of autumn-winter harvesting has strong, flexible, elastic wood. The bark on it holds firmly, which is convenient for weaving from uncleaned vines. But it is difficult to clear such a vine of bark.

Easter basket

This cute Easter basket is perfect for kids. Be sure that they will be happy to take it with them.

Necessary materials:

• PVA glue
• balloon
• scissors
• thick thread
• brush.

Inflate the balloon to the desired size and fix it. Cover it with glue using a brush.

We wrap the ball with thread until the glue dries. We do this quite tightly, from different sides.

Apply another layer of glue on top of the threads.

When everything has dried well, pierce the ball with a needle and take it out.

We cut it in half with scissors and cut out the handle separately.

Glue it to half of the product. A wonderful children's basket is ready.

Preparing the vine

Before weaving, the willow needs to be prepared. First, the bark is removed from the branches, and then it is allowed to dry for 5 days. It is best to leave the material outdoors. After the time has passed, when the willow branches are prepared and dry, they begin to work.

It should immediately be noted that when weaving a basket, a special technology is used, namely:

• the bottom and edges are woven with long solid rods;
• for the walls they use vines split into several parts.

For splitting you will need a special cleaver, which is made from hard wood. First, take a twig, at the very tip of which you need to make a small incision. The cleaver is inserted into it. Due to these actions, the branch is split into several parts.

After this, the split part is placed in water for several hours, and when taken out, the brown center is removed from it.

To properly process the split rod, it is recommended to use a plane. During work, the material will have to be constantly moistened; for this you can use a spray bottle or keep the branches in water and, if necessary, remove them.

As soon as enough willow has been prepared, you can proceed directly to weaving from willow twigs. It is better for beginning needlewomen to first familiarize themselves with some master classes.

Procurement of material

You can stock up on vines at any time of the year, however, experienced craftsmen advise doing this in winter. Branches that were cut in summer or early autumn do not need to be further processed, but over time they become dry and brittle faster than those collected in winter.

The “winter” vine has thick bark that is easy to separate from the branches.

Cleaning takes place in 4 stages:

1. The prepared rods are placed in a pan. If the rods are long, they are carefully twisted at the bottom, like spaghetti.
2. Fill with cold water and place on the stove, turning on high heat. When the water boils, the stove is not turned off. The rods should be boiled within 2-3 hours.
3. Then the branches are removed from the pan and filled with ice water.
4. After 20 minutes, the bark is carefully pulled off with your hands.

A sharp change in temperature destroys the connective fibers of the wood, causing the bark to easily separate from the branch, like the shell from a boiled egg. Instead of boiling the rods, you can soak them in water at room temperature and leave them in a warm, dark place for 12 days. The branches will absorb moisture and the bark will peel off on its own.

Branch cutting

The vine is cut from the tree with sharply sharpened tools. Pruning shears, garden shears or a knife with a beveled blade will do. The cut is made at an angle, that is, obliquely. You need to leave a gap from the stump or trunk to the cut line, 1.5-2 cm in autumn and winter, 3.5-4 cm in spring.

It is prohibited to use an ax to prepare material. This tool leaves an uneven cut and lifts the plant bark, which has a detrimental effect on its health. Mold will form where the willow is cut incorrectly, and pests can get under the bark.

You need to cut carefully, without leaving burrs on the bark or protruding wood chips. A twig cut in summer or spring must be immediately cleared of bark. After 3 days it will harden and dry out, making it difficult to remove.

It is also important to pay attention to the thickness of the branches. The table shows which rods are suitable for weaving and how they are used.

It is important that all branches are smooth, without knots or defects.

Drying and storing rods

For beginners, wicker weaving seems like a difficult task, but experienced craftsmen claim that if you learn how to properly dry and store the prepared material, the process of making crafts will be easier. After the sample, the branches need to be sorted.

Rods are conventionally divided into 3 types:

• short (length 0.5-1 m, diameter 2.5-5 mm);
• medium (length 1.2-2.5 m, diameter 5.5-10 mm);
• large (3 m or more, diameter 10.5-15 mm).

Vine with a diameter of 16 mm or more is most often used for weaving furniture.

For convenience, small twigs are tied into large bundles of 100 pieces. Medium-sized branches are stacked in bundles of 50 pieces, and large ones in 25 pieces. Before this, all the rods need to be dried, otherwise they will rot, become covered with dark specks and lose their shine.

In summer, the branches are dried in the open air. They can be left on the balcony in a shaded corner. You need to place a tray of poles under the rods so that air is ventilated on all sides.

Once every 3 days, all the material should be turned over; without this, 1 side will remain lighter than the other. When exposed to direct sunlight, wood dries unevenly. It loses its rich color and flexibility, and also cracks.

If during drying the weather turns bad and heavy rains begin, then the rods need to be moved under a canopy. It is worth remembering that under such conditions the drying process will be long. There is also a possibility that the rods may lose their beautiful white color and become gray or yellowish.

During drying, the condition of the material must be monitored. It should not be overdried, otherwise the rods will become dry and brittle. To completely dry out in the open air, it is enough for the branches to lie for 2-3 days. During the rainy season, the drying time increases by another 3 days. Then the material is collected into bundles and left in the open air for 2 days.

Green branches should be stored in a dry and cool place. In a warm room with high humidity, the material will become moldy and turn black. In winter, you can leave the branches outdoors, but remember that dampness and severe frost negatively affect their appearance, so the bunches must be covered with a tarpaulin and covered with snow.

Large bundles of twigs are best stored on lattice trays. Circulating air prevents the formation of fungi and mold. The gratings are placed 0.4-0.5 m above the ground. Finished bundles must be laid in rows, perpendicular to each other. If all storage conditions are met, the harvested material will be suitable for weaving for 5 years.

Painting the vine

When green branches are boiled, the wood of some varieties of willow turns red-brown. This material is used as is, without artificial tinting. The natural color of these branches is considered very beautiful. It fits almost any interior, so it is highly valued by customers.

Experienced craftsmen advise bleaching rods that have darkened over time. One of the easiest ways is to fumigate the sulfur in a hermetically sealed container.

Algorithm of actions:

1. The branches are dipped in cold water and laid out on a wire rack.
2. The amount of sulfur is calculated based on the proportions of 60 g per 1 m of container volume.
3. The sulfur is set on fire. A grid with rods is placed in a clay vessel.
4. When the substance flares up, all the cracks of the vessel are sealed with clay.

Fumigation of branches takes from 3 to 6 hours.

There is another bleaching method using sulfuric acid. To do this, you need to prepare a solution: 100 parts water, 70 parts slaked lime and 2 parts sulfuric acid. A glass tray with this mixture is placed in the chamber and all cracks are closed.

For 1 m of the volume of the bleaching vessel, there are from 1.2 to 1.8 liters of liquid. All components react and release vapors that lighten the surface of the rods. This process takes about 2 days.

You can also lighten the material by leaving it in a special solution for a day. It is prepared as follows: 1 part bleach is mixed with 14 parts water. Dilute the mixture with 1-2% sulfuric acid.

Step-by-step diagram for making a basket

Before you start weaving, you need to moisten the willow twigs. To do this, you can use a spray bottle, or simply place the prepared material in a deep container of water. Once the required amount of willow has been prepared, you can begin to work. To create a shopping cart you must complete the following steps:

1. At the very beginning, you need to split 5 long and solid branches, and then insert 5 more new branches into these split holes. Then you need to insert the ends of the first two branches into the same holes.
2. The next step is to braid the bottom. To do this, you need to take the first twig and cover the split branches from above, and using the second twig, cover those located below.
3. The same manipulations are done with the third and fourth vines.
4. Then you need to spread the crosspiece rods, giving them the shape of a fan, and braid them with two willow branches.
5. After this, you need to press the braided branches against each other. The easiest way to do this is with a tailor's awl.
6. After the bottom is woven to the required size, you need to proceed to installing the ribs of the basket. To do this, you need to take round willow rods, cut off their ends along an oblique line, but this must be done at a distance of about 5 cm. Then the sharp ends must be inserted into the bottom braid, and all excess ends must be carefully trimmed.
7. The edges of the bottom are woven from 4 round branches of willow, which must be inserted 4 cm from the side ribs. Then the basket is given the required shape and small nails are driven into the bottom. This will help strengthen the design of the product.
8. After completing the braiding, the remaining branches are cut off.
9. Now you need to start braiding the sides. To do this, the tips of the twigs are cut off again, but the middle specimens are taken for the sides. It is necessary to insert a new willow vine along each twig.
10. Now you need to bend the new vine exactly under the two vines that are nearby, first to the left, then down, then up.
11. The same actions are carried out with the rest of the vine. But with the last two branches they do the following: they just need to be twisted around the first twig. Weaving continues until the product grows to the required height.
12. After this, you can start weaving handles. To do this you will need thick willow branches. They need to be bent, the length determined, and all excess cut off.
13. Again, you need to sharpen the ends and insert them into the walls of the basket. Five new rods are inserted at the base of the handle, with which you need to wrap the handle of the basket, all the remnants of the vine are cut off and disguised behind the walls of the basket.
14. All that remains is to use a new willow vine to wrap the edges of the handle and hide the ends. The willow basket is ready.

As you can see, the wicker weaving technique is not as complicated as it might seem at first. It is enough just to properly prepare and prepare the willow material and strictly follow the weaving pattern. Even a beginner can perform these basic steps. And having already gained experience, you can start making more serious products, for example, weaving a rocking chair. In addition, such a hobby, if you have some skill, can become a fairly profitable business.

We weave the bottom

Before weaving a willow wicker basket, we prepare the rods and arrange them according to size for convenience:

• 6 short thick pieces - bottom knitting needles;
• 24, approximately the same thickness at the butt, but longer - side posts;
• Several thin rods to connect the bottom to the walls;
• Main weave rods for walls and bottom.

We make a slot in the center of three short and thick rods. We insert the remaining three inside. Now let's move on to weaving. We fix two long rods with thin ends in the slot and begin to braid the knitting needles with them: the first two circles are three, starting from the third, one at a time. We tighten the weaving tightly so that the bottom does not fall apart later.

When the length of the rod ends, add a new one by inserting it into the braid. It is better to add rods one at a time, for reliability. Carefully trim any remaining tails with a knife.

Don't try to make the bottom flat. On the contrary, it is better to bend it yourself. Then the basket will be more stable. When the braid reaches a size of 22-25 cm, trim the remaining rods and hide the ends in the braid.

Weaving methods

Many housewives would not refuse, for example, a basket made of wicker for laundry, and an original bread box or vase will decorate even a modern cafe or bar. Having taken up work, the master can choose one of several well-known weaving methods:

• A continuous method, when the basis of the product is a continuous connection of twigs with intervals of different sizes. There is no need to create patterns here, and therefore this method should be learned from the very beginning.
• Openwork weaving is a more complex option, where there are a larger number of spaces; openwork patterns are created on the surface of the product. It is necessary to prepare more flexible rods.
• Twisted weaving involves twisting branches together, which is especially popular in furniture making.
• Shaped processing of the material - the master himself determines the future shape of the design, the number of patterns and the entire appearance of the product.

Preparing rods for weaving

If you are going to make a decorative basket, the rods need to be debarked before work. It is better to do this immediately after soaking or cooking, then the bark comes off much easier. Start with the thicker part of the vine - its butt, and gradually move towards the tip.

The debarked rods need to be dried a little, but before that they should be sorted out. Feel free to discard damaged or knotty ones: they will only spoil the appearance of the product. Disassemble the rest according to thickness. With the same blanks, weaving baskets from willow twigs is much more convenient.

Weaving the bottom

You need to start weaving the product from the bottom part. We take 8 twigs of the same length. Separate four pieces and make a small hole in the center. Then split them and insert the 4 remaining branches. You will get an improvised 4x4 cross. If you place it with the curved side up, you will get a more stable bottom.

The bottom can be secured using twisted weaving. For this, two softer twigs are selected. They twist among themselves. With their help, you need to wrap 4 sides of the created bottom in 2 rows.

During the weaving process, you need to twist the twigs. Each wrapped twig should be located in the spaces between the branches of the winding. The sequential process is visible in the photo of making a basket from a wicker.

If the twig runs out, then you need to insert the pointed tip of a new twig into the final 2 rows between the twigs. It needs to be carefully bent and the excess of the old shoot cut off. Weaving continues until the desired bottom size is reached.

Handle weaving

To do this, you will need a thick willow shoot, which is cut to size.

1. The ends are sharpened and stuck into opposite sides of the product.
2. Next, take 4-5 rods and stick them into the weaving at the end of the handle.
3. They are braided several times and threaded into the weave from the other end.
4. Then they take a few more shoots and do the same.
5. They stick another rod nearby and braid the handle at the base, tightening it with a knot.
6. The end is cut with a knife.

Trimming the edges and handles

The final stage is tying the edges. There are many ways to help finish braiding, but for beginners it is better to use the simplest one. To perform the binding, you need to perform the following steps:

• one knitting needle is selected and bent down to the right, and it should be behind the next two branches;
• then it is taken out again, but in front of the next two branches;
• Now the knitting needle is held behind one vine back and forward again.

The same is done with the rest of the racks. At the end of the work, the ends of the vine are cut off from the inside and disguised under one of the branches. The basket is almost ready, all that remains is to attach the handles and you can go for mushrooms and berries.

To weave a handle for a product, you need to choose the thickest, but at the same time flexible rod. It is bent in advance and the required length is measured, everything else is cut off. Now the ends of the selected branch need to be sharpened and inserted into twigs on opposite sides.

Then the thinnest willow is taken (5 pieces on each side of the handle). This thin rod needs to be inserted into the gaps that are located near the ends of the handle. Next, a thick rod is wrapped in several layers with willow and threaded under the wicker edge of the basket, then brought out again and pulled up. To secure the structure, you will need a small twig, which you need to insert next to the handle, then wrap it with a thin vine, make a few turns and hide the tip.

This completes the work. Making a basket from a willow vine is a painstaking task that requires perseverance, patience and special care.

Crafts such as woven weaving were practiced several thousand years ago. Many historical documents describe products woven from willow twigs. These were not only household items, but also clothes and shoes. Modern DIY crafts are more beautiful. They are treated with special means, so they last much longer. In addition, today this type of needlework is done not so much for home improvement, but for relaxation or earning money.

Twine model

Each master chooses the shape independently, but the oval basket looks most impressive; it is spacious and fits perfectly into any home decor.

For manipulations you need to prepare:

• Twine, a skein of 25 meters will be enough.
• Scissors.
• Sample.

Stages of work:

1. Without an auxiliary form, the process cannot be carried out, because the raw materials are too soft and thin, and if you refuse it, you can experience a lot of inconvenience and frustration.
2. At the first stage, 12 pieces of 65 cm each are cut, after preparing the base, weaving work begins, which will take some time.
3. Despite the laboriousness of the process, the finished item will look simply gorgeous, and the effort and hours spent will not be in vain.
4. Having reached the last row, the auxiliary form is pulled out, and the edges are intertwined with each other so that the craft does not fall apart.

The process of weaving a willow basket

For the convenience of weaving products from willow twigs, you should familiarize yourself with the terminology:

• knitting needles - straight rods diverging from the center in the form of rays, from which the bottom of the basket is woven;
• racks - upward-curved knitting needles necessary to form the walls;
• knitting or weaving - rods that braid the knitting needles and posts.

The classic process of weaving a willow basket begins with the base. Then the spokes are bent upward and the walls are created. At the final stage, the edge of the product is formed, and lastly, the handle.

When weaving the bottom, you need to tighten the branches going around the knitting needles as tightly as possible. In this case, it is not advisable to move the spokes up or down. This technique will ensure the quality and reliability of the basket.

It is advisable for beginners to start weaving willow baskets with round-shaped products, using the simple weaving method.

Harvesting the vine

When mastering the weaving of willow baskets for beginners, you should get used to using your own prepared material in advance. The ideal option for work is a young spring vine.

For the handle, you can use upright shoots about 2 cm wide, for the braid itself - long and thin weeping branches. Make sure that the shoots are smooth, without knots or flaws. Otherwise, the strength of your product will suffer greatly.

It is not always possible to have time to prepare spring vines. Sometimes it is possible to get out to harvesting only in the summer or autumn. Such rods can also be used, but they require pre-treatment.

Harvesting willow for weaving baskets in winter is not recommended: such rods are very fragile and can break during work.

Painting the interior

Dip the brush into the paint, removing any excess paint, and apply the compound starting from the bottom inside of the basket. Carefully and evenly distribute the dye over the slats, not forgetting the spaces between them.

Yes, paint will drip through the bottom of the basket, so be sure to protect your work area. When the first coat of paint has dried, repeat the procedure.

To avoid leaving any gaps, place the basket on its side and periodically change its position as needed.

Processing and care of wicker products

Every craftsman is pleased to give as a gift and keep for many years a unique thing created with soul. It doesn’t matter what the purpose of the product will be - a flowerpot, a vase or a rocking chair, it can be treated with natural or chemical preparations for greater durability.

The rods are dyed before weaving, placing the required amount for the work in a bath with a diluted dye solution. Natural substances, such as a decoction of onion peels or nettles, can be used as paints.

Wooden products are also well preserved by various stains, which are commercially available in the form of powders for dilution with water or alcohol solutions. After the work on weaving the product is completed, it can be coated with water-based varnish. You can clean the products from time to time with a dry cloth and remember that wicker items are most afraid of dampness.

Painting the outside

First, you should paint the bottom well, then the outer sides. If your basket has a handle, then it is processed last.

Inspect the basket again carefully to find any gaps. As long as the new coating has not dried, this is easy to fix. This completes the restoration of the basket. It can be set aside or hung on a hook until completely dry.

Weaving the transition of the base to the walls

Future racks must be added to the spokes.

1. To do this, sharpen the prepared branches with an oblique cut, and using an awl or screwdriver, spreading the weaving apart, insert one to the left and right of each knitting needle.
2. There are 24 racks in total. Next, you should break and bend the racks up.
3. They will need to be tied at the top, making sure that there are no distortions to the left or to the right.
4. Trim the remaining tails of the knitting needles. Then insert three debarked twigs on the left close to the posts; the twigs should go 5 cm deep into the binding.
5. The rods for this task should be adjusted to length.
6. Next, use the leftmost rod to go around two posts from below and one from above.
7. Do the same with the second and third rods.
8. Continuing weaving in this way, you need to go through at least 3 circles.

Best time to harvest

In order to weave from debarked, unsanded rods, preparations can be carried out all year round. For those twigs from which the bark must be peeled and the twigs themselves boiled, the deadlines are stricter, and begin approximately from October-November. Harvesting begins after the first frost, since at this time the buds on the branches hide inward, making the twigs smoother and cleaner until the onset of spring. By the second half of winter, starting in mid-January, the rods become more viscous and flexible, and their color at this time after boiling is darker.

White twigs, the so-called juice ones, are cut either at the beginning of May or at the end of August. Between these months the twig grows actively, and by the end of August it has grown sufficiently, although its bark still peels off very easily. At this time, the rod is brittle, soft and grassy, ​​easily flakes and breaks. In order for the bark to shed better, the autumn twig is often turned into a sap twig. To do this, the cut vine is placed at room temperature in a barrel of water, changing the water throughout the month. After this it is easier to sand the rod. For the same purpose, the rods are doused with boiling water.

It is preferable to sand the sap rods at the place of preparation and immediately dry them in the sun, turning them over to dry evenly. If you dry on the ground, the rods will be stained, so it is better to use decks, and when it rains, awnings.

Soaking the material

It is not necessary to soak the twig prepared in the spring: it is already full of juices. Branches collected at other times of the year require additional processing.

Note!

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If there is a river or stream near your home, the blanks can be tied into bundles and placed in water, weighed down with stones. It is not recommended to use metal weights for bending. There may be rust stains on the material.

If there is no time for soaking, you can use boiling. Fill the vine with water and cook for about an hour. You can immediately pour boiling water over it, then half an hour of cooking will be enough. After this, drain, cool and carefully remove the bark.

What kind of business idea is this and what is it used for?

Selling gift baskets is a relatively new type of startup that has already established itself as a promising niche for small businesses. Not everyone has enough imagination and time to choose an original gift for loved ones that the recipient will really like. It’s even more difficult to select gifts for work colleagues or partners. Relationships with this category of people usually do not go beyond work, so one can only guess about their personal preferences.

That’s when small online stores come onto the scene, selling ready-made sets packaged in beautiful baskets. Such gifts are suitable for any occasion: birthdays, weddings, corporate events, anniversaries, housewarmings. The main advantage of this type of business is that there is no need to make anything yourself. All you have to do is assemble a gift from ready-made components and beautifully place the filling in the basket.

There is also no need to rent a retail space. The entire work process can be carried out at home, and delivery can be carried out either independently or using the services of courier services. A business selling gift baskets is ideal for housewives and those who already work remotely but want to increase their income.

In order to get started, you will need not only a spark of enthusiasm and a supply of creative ideas, but also the ability to conduct financial reporting, knowledge in the field of advertising and marketing. Although this niche can be called poorly developed, the engine of trade, that is, competition, is also present in this area.

To sell something, you need to advertise your product, present it to the target audience and introduce it to its benefits. As for the profitability of the entire campaign, it is difficult to provide exact figures. Such a vague formulation arises due to the different scales of the enterprise.

It all depends on how much time the young businessman is willing to devote to work. If you don’t put basket sales on stream and devote no more than a couple of hours a day to the business, then your earnings will not exceed 500,000-600,000 rubles per year (before tax). If you devote yourself completely to the idea, and even attract temporary employees, who can also be other family members, then such a family business can bring in ten times more income. Let's turn to dry statistics. The results of a survey by one independent publication looked like this:

• Just over 70% of respondents announced their annual income from selling baskets: it did not exceed 1,000,000 rubles.
• The remaining respondents earn much more. The upper limit of their maximum income reached 10,000,000 rubles.

It is worth noting that this survey was conducted among foreign entrepreneurs, where the business of selling gift baskets is no longer considered a novelty. Such ideas come to our country late. Domestic enthusiasts are afraid of becoming absolute pioneers and mainly adopt the experience of colleagues from other countries. At least ready-made business models are used. They only make certain adjustments that help adapt the strategy and adjust it to the characteristics of the domestic market.

On average, the markup on a finished basket is 15-25%, that is, the net income from each set, if you add up the cost of all its components, does not exceed 1/4 of this amount.

It's quite difficult to fail in this home-based business campaign. Even if an entrepreneur fails to find his target audience, he will always be able to sell his product by reselling it to more successful competitors or offering it to friends (acquaintances, relatives). The main thing is to start small and not “drive horses” by making large initial purchases. If the basic budget of the enterprise does not exceed 50,000-100,000 rubles, then it is advisable to start working from home. The savings due to the absence of rent for rented premises are obvious.

Decorating your own gift basket is just part of the job. It is much more difficult to find a generous buyer for your product. The first thing you should pay attention to is the target audience. It’s clear that holidays are present in the life of every person, and both a respectable director of a company, who doesn’t have a lot of money, or a young student without extra money in her wallet, can come for a ready-made set.

This does not mean that you need to buy more of everything. This principle will lead to the collapse of the campaign. If your small home business plans to cooperate with several segments of society at once, whose income varies greatly, then all finished goods should be divided into three categories. In the table below, we present the approximate contents and cost of three different types of sets: “budget”, “golden mean”, designed for the average buyer, and “elite”.

If starting with such a wide range of products is too expensive for you, then it is enough to focus on the first two categories of sets. They will find their buyers in any case.

With the “elite” the situation is more complicated. Buyers with money are selective. Working with this category is like stepping on thin ice: either you will find your balance, or you will fall into cold water.

In order not to take too much risk, it is enough to purchase content for two or three trial elite sets. If they find their customers and they even become regular, then the size of purchases for expensive baskets can be gradually increased.

Of course, you will need a beautiful and sonorous name for your company.

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The first stage is the purchase of initial goods. They are presented in three categories:

• The container, that is, the baskets themselves. It is advisable to choose containers of different sizes and shapes to provide the buyer with choice.
• Filling. You can complete the sets with food, alcohol, cosmetics, flowers, and soft toys.
• Decor. Not a single basket will look festive without a thread with pearls or a bow that coquettishly sat on the handle like a butterfly.

A big plus for the profitability of the venture will be the entrepreneur’s ability to weave baskets on his own. It is recommended to purchase filling in bulk, this will allow you to save significantly.

Another way to save money is to make some “tasty” filling yourself. For example, the housewife loves to bake cakes, muffins or make delicious chocolates. Why not include them as the centerpiece of one of the sets? This will allow you to improve your culinary skills and earn extra money.

The next stage is the creation of a platform for advertising and presentation of the product range. First you need to collect a dozen sets and photograph them beautifully. The photo can be posted on your own website, which you will have to create first, or in a community/group on one of the social networks. Internet advertising is the most effective.

The target audience can be attracted by organizing small competitions where one of the sets will be the main prize. Many aspiring entrepreneurs work using this marketing model. The main condition for competition participants is to bring friends with them to the community or post a link to it on your personal page.

Another popular marketing model is the “purchase” of fictitious community members, that is, “dead souls”, to whom the customer pays a small reward for referring friends or advertising the company on their personal pages. The budget for such advertising campaigns is very small, but the return can exceed all expectations.

The next step in creating a business selling gift baskets is delivery. This problem does not arise for entrepreneurs who rent retail spaces, because buyers come or run in horror a couple of hours before the “X” moment on their own.

For a home-based business, you will have to think about ways to deliver goods. The best option is to deliver the baskets yourself, including the delivery cost in the total invoice. If the family does not have a personal car, then you can use the services of courier services, which are sufficient in large cities.

The last stage, but not least important, is registering your individual entrepreneur or LLC. Any business must be legal. If there is only one entrepreneur, then the right decision would be to register an individual entrepreneur. For a group of people who organize a common business, an LLC is more suitable. The code that needs to be selected in the All-Russian Classifier of Types of Economic Activities (OKVED) is 47.11.3. Behind it lies trade in a large assortment with a predominance of food products. There is not yet a type of activity called “sale of gift baskets” in OKVED.

Buyers appreciate not only the beauty of the gift set, but also its exclusivity. Uniqueness is the main quality of a handmade gift. To put together an original, creative gift, an entrepreneur will need experience and imagination. The first will help to properly organize the workflow and make it as short as possible.

Rich imagination, a desire to create, and a supply of fresh ideas will allow you to make your products original, which will be even more noticeable against the background of competitors’ stamped sets. The filling for baskets varies:

• Gift baskets with products. It is advisable to purchase perishable products (fruit, baked goods, cakes) after ordering, and not in advance. It makes sense to keep them in large quantities only on the eve of seasonal holidays, when the products will definitely find their buyer.
• “Business” sets with notepads, pens, and writing instruments. Ideal as a gift for colleagues.
• Baskets with cosmetics and perfumes. They are classified into women's and men's.
• Children's sets. They are equipped with toys, diapers, jars of formula, pacifiers and other little things useful for babies.
• Mix. Sets from the “Exclusive” category. The content in them is selected at the request of the buyer.

Separate baskets are collected for seasonal holidays: March 8, New Year, February 14, February 23. Universal sets are ideal for those who like to be late with gifts and remember them at the very last moment, when it is no longer possible to find something good in stores.

Using a rope

To create a basket that is indispensable in the household with your own hands, you will not need too much material; you can find it in the house or purchase it by visiting a specialized store.

At the preparatory stage, it is necessary to collect all the components and accessories for the work, which include:

• Rope made from natural raw materials.
• Yarn.
• Scissors, it is better to take large specimens.
• Hot glue gun.
• Needle.

Stages of work:

1. The algorithm for weaving will seem complicated to beginners, but once you start implementing your plan, any doubts will be put aside.
2. The first layer is wound around a base made of plastic or thick cardboard, which will serve as the bottom, and secured with adhesive liquid; similar manipulations must be done with subsequent rows.
3. The master adjusts the height of the product independently, depending on the purposes for which the device will serve.
4. Don’t forget about the handles, then the craft will become much more practical; they are created in the form of loops.

Advice! You can make it more impressive by using a contrasting colored thread, wrapping it around all the elements, maintaining a certain distance.

Methods for finishing the edge of a product

• Simple bending.
• Edge braid.
• Shutdown.

Inspect the product carefully. If there are tails sticking out of it, wrap them inside (on the wrong side) and cut them off there. Polish your piece with fine-grit sandpaper and then wipe with a wool cloth.

After the product is ready, you can varnish it to give it shine and additional protection from moisture.

Weaving bends

The bend is woven from the tails of the posts.

1. Each tail must be bent to the right at a height equal to 3 times the thickness of the wall weaving twig.
2. The bend is woven in the same way as the transition from the base to the walls, as well as the last three circles of the wall: through two posts it is bent behind the third.
3. When the last 3 posts remain, they should be folded under the existing turns and tightened tighter.
4. The protruding ends must be cut off and hidden in knitting.

Main types of weaving

• Straight weaving is one of the types of simple weaving. It is often used in making baskets.
• Weaving in rows is a type of simple weaving in which rods of approximately the same thickness are selected, and their length does not matter.
• Square weave. Performed with two rods through 2 racks.
• Rope weaving is used when some parts of the product need to be made stronger (for example, strengthen the bottom of a basket).
• Openwork weaving.
• Diamond weave.

Simple weaving

Even though the name of this weave is “simple”, we still need a weaving pattern for beginners. At a minimum, remember what sharp things we work with.

• In “simple” weaving, the rods are woven one at a time through one post as a continuous ribbon. They are laid in a spiral layer by layer, one on top of the other. If the rod ends at the top, then the next one is also connected at the top.
• To increase strength, the top of the new rod is woven with the previous one for a short time. When the twig ends with a thick butt end, then its end is pressed against the same stand at which the old twig ends, and they simply continue to weave further.

This type of wickerwork is good for creating bottles or cases for them, vases and other decorations of a similar type.

Two-strand rope

This type of wickerwork is carried out with two rods, which not only braid the posts, but also intertwine with each other, forming a much more durable decoration.

• The first rod is placed from the inside to the first post, the second post is braided from the outside, and the third – from the inside. The first rod is brought out between the third and fourth posts.
• The second rod is placed to the second rack from the inside. The butt of the second rod should be located below the first rod. The second rod should go around the third post from the outside, the fourth – inside and come out between the fourth and fifth posts.

The “three-twig rope” method works exactly the same way, only with an additional third twig, and this scheme seems quite complicated, so for the first attempt there is a strong recommendation to use a photo of weaving from a vine.

This type of weaving is one of those times when it is better to see once than to read a hundred times.

There are still innumerable ways of weaving, but until we have time to learn how to weave furniture, it is better to move on to children's crafts, because everyone has encountered or will encounter a situation when they have already covered themselves with a blanket, and the child suddenly remembers that tomorrow he needs to build an airplane out of forks . That's when step-by-step instructions for dummies come to our aid.

An excellent way out of this situation is a wreath. Simple, fast, and most importantly – very beautiful. Excellent decoration for any time of year.

Preface

Wicker weaving has been known since ancient times and still enjoys well-deserved respect.
This book will teach you how to work with vines and create decorative decorations and simply necessary things for your home. Everything related to modern wicker weaving is collected here - from tips on growing willow to practical recommendations on making the most incredible and original items that can decorate your home. The vast world of vine will open before you - an amazing natural material, malleable and hard at the same time. But this is where its originality and value lie. The wicker products proposed in the book will be able to awaken the imagination of wicker weavers. As a result, you will create the best and unique household items, jewelry, furniture, and develop your own style. Techniques and methods of weaving are described, both the simplest ones, necessary for making household items, and more complex ones, allowing you to create artistic products. The characteristics of various willow species and recommendations for caring for the plantation of this plant are given. The technology for preparing material for weaving is presented.

The main goal of this book is to teach anyone who wants to weave from a vine, to allow him to grow to a professional level, to show that beauty lies even in inconspicuous, dusty willow bushes, you just have to put in the work and imagination for it to manifest itself in the beautiful creations of your hands. The book will be useful to anyone interested in the history and practice of wicker weaving. Both beginners and experienced craftsmen will find a lot of new and interesting things here.

Good luck in mastering the wonderful art of wicker weaving!

Choosing the right material

The first thing you need to do is select the material. It must be of high quality. The service life of the product depends on this indicator. Usually the vine is cut at the very beginning of spring or autumn. It is believed that at this time it has great strength.

A high-quality vine branch is determined as follows: at the thickest point, bend it all the way. It should not burst or crack. A material that meets these parameters is suitable for weaving. An important nuance - each branch must ripen.

The vine must be processed, because recently cut wood will not be able to hold the shape of the basket. There are two methods for preparing branches: soaking and leveling. In the first case, the rods are treated under running water or placed in a container and the liquid is changed every day. The water should completely cover the wood. To prevent it from floating up, it should be pressed down with a weight. This procedure must be carried out within two weeks.

It is not recommended to use metal objects as cargo. Due to its effect, the vine will take on a different color.

The second method is faster and will take three hours. The rods must be placed in a large container and filled with boiling water. The mixture is boiled for about two hours. You should cool the vine and begin to separate the bark from the twigs. The peculiarity of the second method is that the vine branches will acquire brightness and shine. They are also easy to clean and wash.

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Rod harvesting season

It is recommended to collect material in autumn, when leaf fall begins. Cuts twigs with a handy tool. It is more convenient to do this with pruning shears, which are used in gardening. It allows you to make the most suitable oblique cut for further storage.

There should be no excess dirt on the rods. They are then separated by thickness. This will allow you to complete the job faster in the future, rather than having to stop every time to select the required twig.

It is recommended to store all green branches in the air.

But before you begin to dry the collected materials, it is necessary to separate them from the bark on them.

Weaving with children

Nobody argues that it is difficult to attract modern children with anything other than a computer or smartphone, but if you open wicker weaving lessons for beginners and show your child how interesting and cool it is, he will definitely become interested and will do it with great pleasure.

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Again, this activity does not require a large investment of money, and the child will be busy, plus in the process he will develop fine motor skills, improve creative thinking and memory, plus his eyes will take a break from the smartphone or tablet. As for me, this activity has some advantages.