Romans had wicker shields, and basketry shell cases were used in WWII. Basketry is an ancient craft 8,, BCE — pre-dating pottery or stone carving. Few actual examples exist because baskets are made of biodegradable materials. The earliest evidence we have found of basketry is pottery shards, dated before 8, BCE, found in Gambols Cave, Kenya. These pottery shards have impressions of basketwork on their surface.
The earliest actual example of basketry was in Danger Cave in Utah, where parts of twined baskets and sandals, circa BCE, were found. While basketry has traditionally been used for functional purposes, it is also a form of art or fine craft. There seem to be as many techniques for weaving baskets as there are uses for them!
Whether you use traditional basketry materials and techniques — or you choose to experiment with nontraditional materials such as fabric or recycled materials and new techniques such as using a zigzag sewing machine , basket-making is a great hobby.
Coiled Basketry workshops will take place at local community centers. The library will be offering two Coiled Basketry Workshops at local community centers in September:. Consequently, the history of pottery and basketry, as unearthed and decoded by archaeologists, is irrevocably interwoven. Where the vegetable fibers have not survived, many pots that show the patterns of the baskets used to mold them have been found. The Native Americans may well have left the greatest legacy to the world of baskets.
Their baskets many of which have survived in gravesites are heralded as a pure art form and one that was created not only by a primitive people but also by women. Basketry extended into the making of many other materials the Indians used daily including fishing nets, animal and fish snares, cooking utensils that were so finely woven that they were waterproof, ceremonial costumes and baskets, and even plaques.
In the Northwest, the Tlingit and Chilkat made twined baskets from the most delicate of fibers. In the Southwest, the Hopi, Apache, and other Pueblo tribes made coiled baskets with bold decorations and geometric patterns of both dyed and natural fibers. In the late s, the basketry of Native Americans became popular as decorative objects with the disadvantage that there were fewer Indian craftspeople remaining to meet the demand.
In , after the Spanish American War, the Philippines, which also had a strong basket-making tradition, were governed by the United States. Rural dwellers grew their own basket-making materials and manufactured baskets for sale in the cities. The mutual need for baskets in the United States and the strengthening of the economy of the Philippines caused schools with classes in basket weaving to be established. The only books on the subject were about the baskets made by Native Americans, so the schools taught traditional Indian basketry to the Filipinos.
Eventually, native Filipino weavers became the teachers as well, and both broad ranges of styles found a new homeland for manufacture and a ready market in the United States. The Philippine Islands remain a major basket-making center today.
Basket weaving has never been found suitable to mechanization, but standardization of hand methods and concentrated production centers and facilities produce uniform, high-quality products. Raw materials include a wide range of plant fibers including roots, cane, twigs, and grasses; reeds, raffia, and basket willows may be the best known.
Concentrated cloth dyes are also used in some types of manufacture, and vegetable dyes are sometimes made by hobbyists to reproduce unique colorations imitating historic baskets. Wood is also used for some designs, particularly when the type of basket needs a solid bottom and for some types of handles.
Other than raw materials, the basket maker needs tools like saws, awls, planes, knives, and beaters for hammering or bending pieces of willow. A tub is required for soaking fibers. If coiled baskets are to be made, sewing tools like blunt tapestry needles and thread are required.
The manufacturer also needs patterns or designs. For the hobbyist, many of these items can be purchased in basket-making kits. Historically, most Native American baskets have been made with willow which is, in fact, the most popular basket-making material worldwide , twigs, and native grasses.
Raffia and rattan have been substituted for these, with raffia taking the place of the grasses and rattan substituting for the more rigid fibers.
Raffia is the fiber of the raffia palm, which is native to Southeast Asia. It produces durable, clean strands and can easily be dyed. Rattan is also a tropical palm; its leaves and stems are used in basket making, and it is often called reed or wicker. Rattan does not accept dye as well, and its fibers are hard to work. Usually, it is soaked and woven while the fibers are still damp.
Every basket has a character that is largely determined by the kind of fiber used to make it. Design, therefore, may depend on the available fibers, or, conversely, to produce a particular design, appropriate fibers need to be purchased or found. Fibers are round, flexible, or flat. Round rods are usually woven among other round rods.
Raffia is a basket maker's dream fibre. It's been used in basketry since forever. I love teaching how to use raffia as it's a wonderful fibre to use. It also comes in so many wonderful colours. I like to dye mine botanically but you can find a lot of different, interesting colours from stockists.
To find out more about this amazing fibre, we've written a whole post about it here. Visit online craft courses and get making! Basket making how to Basket weaving is often used as a blanket term to describe all types of basketry, but there are different basket weaving techniques you can use: coiling, twining, weaving, random weave.
Basket making using fabrics Textile baskets Another great material to use is anything you have in your craft stash. Basket making with natural materials Baskets from the garden Traditionally baskets have been made from natural materials such as reeds, flax, and native grass.
0コメント