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The days are getting longer, the kids
are out of school, the cool water of the lake or pool beckons us to relax. It is a good
time to weave a project or two alone, with a family member, or with a basketweaving
friend.
To celebrate the 4th of July, make
this
picnic basket with a decorative painted lid. While you are in the mood for decorating with
patriotic colors, try this
Stars and Stripes basket pattern
offered or this
Round Reed Americana basket by
Sheri L. Van Duyn on the pattern exchange at Just Patterns.
Summer is a great time for
picnics. If you are decorating a summer picnic table, you might
like to try this free crafts project that will teach you to make a
Star-Rimmed
basket. It makes use of a purchased basket that you decorate or you could adapt the
same idea to embellish a round basket you have woven yourself. You can carve a
watermelon
basket that will be both decorative and delicious, using the step-by-step instructions
in this recipe from Fabulous Foods or learn by watching this
video.
You can weave your own picnic baskets
using these free basket patterns. Deborah Blair offers a free
red, white and blue market basket pattern. A
red, white and blue
napkin basket pattern by Debbie Hurd would be great for your 4th of July
party. Another great item for your picnic
table is this
Divided Basket. It
features compartments that you can fill with all the condiments and utensils you will need
to carry out from the kitchen to your picnic table. This free basket pattern is authored
by Norma Buelhman and hosted by Laurie's Country Crafts.
You can
keep your kids busy while you
are packing that picnic basket or setting the picnic table. Print out this
coloring book page of a
picnic basket provided by Sherrie Osborn. Hand the kids some crayons and let them get
creative. Craft students in Summer Camp would enjoy making a
Black
Ash Bookmark just like the Maine Indians. Instructions are given for
making the traditional first project out of easily found materials, but will
work up nicely in ash splint and sweetgrass as well. Teach beginners, young
eco pioneers or children in summer school or bible vacation school basic
basketweaving skills with recycled / repurposed / reclaimed materials by making a
green crafted woven newspaper sit-upon.
Another free basketry project pattern by
Susi Nuss.
All you fiber crafters
out there can dust off the sewing machine and stitch this
picnic basket quilt block into a table topper or picnic table cloth
using this free quilting pattern from how-to-quilt.com or stitch an
appliquéd fabric picnic basket liner.
In addition to your picnic, you can
add a touch of basketry to your garden. Make a 7'- 8'
Bentwood Garden Trellis
of freshly cut, green, flexible wood with FREE instructions from Jim Long or the
Christian Science Monitor.
You could also make a
woven willow
obelisk or
twig plant support tower
with instructions from the BBC or Better Homes and Gardens. This
coiled bee skep from L. Ludes
(scroll down to page 5) makes
use of straw or wild grasses that you can gather and stitch yourself. It would make a
lovely accent to your garden. You can also use long willow whips to create a
simple living willow garden sculpture with these free step-by-step
instructions about
How to Make a Willow Wigwam from Simply Willow. Here is another full
page of resources filled with free
basket patterns and more about using
native natural materials.
Use your
basket weaving skills to make a fragrant
lavender wand from the flowers harvested from your own garden or
use a gourd, some pine
needles and your basketry skills to create a
Gourd Birdhouse Project with a twined pine needle thatched roof.
Two illustrated
free basketweaving patterns right here on BasketMakers.com. Or use rushes to
plait
diagonally woven lidded boxes or woven and twined
placemats.
To decorate your deck or screen house,
you can make a
twig chair with willow
branches or other materials
you have harvested yourself. To keep everything tidy, make a broom the old fashioned way
with these instructions from a broom maker from Historic Cold Spring Village. Once your
chair is made and the deck is swept, gather some pine needles and make a coiled basket
using this free tutorial.
Summer is way too fleeting. Make the
best of it by picking out a project and get down to weaving!
Come and Join
in the BasketMakers
Forum. Lots of friendly basketweavers are gathered there. Click
on "Guest"
to enter and read-only or join if you want to post (it's free).
Here is a list of some of the most recent Topics being discussed:
Copyright
© 1998-2010
Susi Nuss. All rights reserved.
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