Threads 65: Using colour in basketry with found natural materials

Colour is an important aspect of baskets. It is used in many styles of baskets made with many different materials. Sometimes the color is naturally derived and sometimes by use of dyes. 

Basket made from red dogwood

Red Dogwood

It is an interesting shrub since the stems and branches are only red during the winter when the sun is shining directly on the bark. During the summer the leaves shade the bark and they go green. It provides a good contrast with white willow. See photo 1 below of a basket collected in northern Ontario. 

Willow 

There are now several varieties of willows in various colours, from gold to dark red and various browns. 

I have previously experimented dyeing willow using ink as the dye material. 

The willows were coppiced in early spring and placed in a pail of water. One tablespoon of ink was added.They were left until the leaves came out and then the bark was striped to reveal the coloured willow. The only problem now is to find coloured ink. I have tried various suppliers and Amazon and today a pot of ink will cost you $50. Perhaps you need to find someone with a left over supply of ink, unfortunately I have used all mine up. 

Willow basket made with several colours of willow

Brown, buff and white willow 

‘Brown’ willow has the bark left on the rods. ‘Buff’ willow has been steamed or boiled and the bark has been stripped off revealing a buff colour. This is a result of the dye in the bark - it dyed itself! ‘White’ willow is stripping off the bark in the spring when the sap is rising  and leaving the natural colour of white.

In Victorian days, white baskets were considered clean and used for hospital and butcher baskets, etc. 

Black ash pineapple-shaped basket

Black Ash Basketry

I have been told indigenous people used coloured tissue paper to dye black ash for their beautiful colours. The tissue paper was soaked in water to extract the dye.

Pine Needle Basket

Pine Needle Basketry 

The raffia used for wrapping was often dyed to provide the colour in pine needle basketry. Photo 4 shows an example pine needle basket.

Birch bark containers made with porcupine quills and sweet grass

Porcupine Quills

They were also dyed to provide colour in basketry. Photo 5 shows birch bark containers made with porcupine quills and sweet grass. The porcupine quills are dyed several bright colours.

Cedar Bark 

It dyes very easily with dyes. Contrast can also be obtained by using the darker colour of bark with the lighter bark. See example baskets with different colors of cedar below.