Threads 36: Ideas for Christmas

Now that the ghosts and goblins have been packed away for another year, Christmas is the next big event.

During the summer we came up with the idea of preparing basketry kits. The principle was to encourage children and adults to collect natural material and then make something. There are now three kits available:

Saint Bridget’s Cross: The simplest kit is the Saint Bridget's Cross, which is an Irish emblem and made using rushes. The technique is quite simple, and involves folding brushes to form across. The kit includes materials to make a large and a small Saint Bridgets Cross.

Soap Trivet: The second makes a small soap trivet. The principal here is to learn the tension tray technique,, using purchased round reed. Following this,materials can be found in the woods, and large and small mats can be made later.

Pencil Basket: The third kit is to learn how to weave a pencil basket. I learned this technique in Japan, at a basket museum, where visitors were invited to sit on a mat and make a similar basket. The kit includes a small wooden base, the upright stakes and the weavers.

There is no foot border as the stakes double up. The principle of this little pencil basket is to feel the weaver going behind and in front add to learn how to control the shape.

The kits are available, in limited quantities, on eBay.ca.

One way to buy them is to go to the museum website and press 'Start Weaving - Buy Here’ on the link.

Another way to buy them is go directly to eBay store.