Shaping starts with the base
so today, I thought I would share not only how to square the base of a basket, but also why it is important to square the base.
First, what does it mean to square the base of a basket?
Squaring a base really means making sure that the corners are ‘square’, or 90°. So you can ‘square’ a rectangular or square base.
Another way to weaving a locking row
I have two favorite locking rows: the sanity row and the locked locking row. You can read about the sanity row and other ways to lock your base here.
Today we’ll focus on what I call the ‘locked locking row‘- which is a locked four rod or three rod wale row. This is a technique often used in willow or round reed baskets, but it also works nicely in a basket that uses a variety of material. It’s one of my favorites for a few reasons: Read more
While weaving a locking row around the base of your basket is not always necessary, sometimes it is an important part of shaping or maintaining the shape of the base and sometimes this single row adds strength to the basket. You can weave a locking row with flat material or round material. Read more
Sometimes when I am trying to spark an idea, I just start weaving bases. Sometimes that sparks lots of ideas, sometimes just one idea, and sometimes just lots of bases on my weaving table! While I was weaving bases today I thought you all might like to talk about them.
