My daughter (10yo) has been occupying herself lately by watching basketry videos at The Ploughshare Institute.  Unfortunately, their sister website that used to sell basket making kits no longer seems to be operational.  Fortunately, we were able to find another source for beginner basket weaving kits — including this Cape Cod Blueberry Basket Making Kit.

Basket Making & Kits

While baskets can be quite complex and require advanced skills, basic basketry isn’t all that complicated.  There is the matter of developing the skill and having coordination, but the actual steps aren’t difficult to learn or understand.

This means basket making kits can be a great way to get started, for a couple of reasons.

1. They typically include clear, step-by-step instructions for the specific basket you’re making, so you don’t have to do any “figuring out” of which techniques to use where, what steps do and don’t need to be included for your particular basket, what measurements you need, etc.This is especially helpful if you’re totally new to basket weaving (e.g. never seen it done before) and/or for young beginners.
2. You get just the right amount of materials.  If you buy all the reed just as lengths of reed, chances are you’re going to have to overbuy what you need for a single basket, because you’ll need several different sizes, but you won’t need a full coil of any one kind.  So you’ll invest a lot and then have a lot left over.

You will need a few extra supplies that aren’t included in most kits, because they’re non-consumables.  You’ll need:

• something to soak the reed in (to soften it so it will flex)
• something to cut the reed to size (The official tool is a reed cutter, but you might already have some garden snips or something around the house that will suffice for now.)
• Clothespins or clamps

Essentials White Plastic Eight Quart Dishpan – 13½ x 11 x 4½HCommonwealth Basket Basketry Tool Kit(Pack of 50) JABINCO Wooden Clothespins About 2-7/8

The Cape Cod Blueberry Basket Making Kit

The company that makes the kit we bought is V. I. Reed and Cane.  (You can buy direct from them and/or you can find many of their products on Amazon.)  If you have a very new basket maker, or someone who’s a little less coordinated, you might want to start with their Kids Basket Weaving Kit (or on their site here).  It starts with a solid base, so the crafter doesn’t have to weave a base, which reduces a lot of the need to try to “keep everything together” as you’re getting started.

I’ve made a basket before (a basket — I’m no expert here) and my daughter is pretty coordinated, so I think she’ll be okay to make the Cape Cod Blueberry Basket.  This is a pretty simple square basket, so it uses all the basic basket making skills, but nothing fancy.  I think it’s going to be a good way for her to get started, and make something she’s proud to use, without being too overwhelming.

(There’s also a set of beginner basket kits which includes the Cape Cod, that we’ll probably expand to next if she decides she likes this.)

The video from Ploughshare is really helpful for addressing some of the details of technique, like how long to soak the reed and which direction to bend it when making corners.

Have you ever made a basket before?  Is basket weaving something you and/or your kids are interested in learning?