All of the baskets that I weave begin life as a wire armature or frame.  I weave the bottom and sides of the baskets.  I learned the basic technique for this weaving from IGMA Artisan Marilyn Crockett in a 4 hour class.  I will add in some tips and tricks that I have learned over the years that I have been making baskets.

The wire that I use to make the basket frame is actually a paper covered wire.  This is generally considered a florist wire and can be purchased inexpensively in many craft stores.  For 1″ scale miniatures, you should probably stick to 30 or 32 gauge paper covered wire (the smaller the gauge number, the thinner the wire.)  If you don’t find paper covered wire in the color you want to use, you can change the color with acrylic craft paint.  Use wire cutters or nippers (or toenail clippers!) to cut the wire lengths.  The wire does not play nicely with scissors.  A small ruler will help you build the frame.

For this project I prefer a white tacky glue, but anything that will bond paper, paint and thread should work.  A faster drying glue is better than a slower one.  You definitely want a glue that dries clear.  Each basket requires very little glue, so a small bottle will last a long time.

After the basic wire frame is constructed, I begin weaving the “wicker.”  I usually use a waxed linen thread that Marilyn introduced me to in that fateful class.  It is beautiful, sturdy, and the waxy finish helps keep it clean and also allows the weaving to stick together some, for a nice tight weave.  I buy Crawford Threads Ltd. 3-Cord Waxed Linen Thread from Royalwood, Ltd. at http://www.royalwoodltd.com.  Other materials that you might try include hemp cord, embroidery floss, and thin crochet yarn.  Experiment!  I use small sewing or nail scissors to trim the thread/cord/yarn and toothpicks and tweezers to push it around on the frame.

Finally, only a few of the baskets that I make are shaped freehand.  For most, I use a form to shape the basket sides.  Weave the shape of the bottom and then bend the wires up against the form that I am using.  Forms can be (and usually are) anything!  Most useful are hotel shampoo bottles, chapsticks, salt shakers, pill bottles, dental floss boxes, makeup containers, lids… anything that is the size and shape that you want the base of your basket to be!  The form is slipped out after you weave your base, so it can be used again and again.

So, grab your stuff and let’s get started!

=) honey

So now you have your basic items gathered (see #1 Basket Materials and Tools post) and it’s time to start a basket!

Obviously, the length of wire that you will need depends on the size of basket that you want to end up making.  A good generic length to start with is about 6″ (152mm) long.  There will be excess, so don’t worry about a 1/16″ (2mm) here or there.

If the paper on the wire is not the color that you want to end up with (it does peek through the weaving,) you will want to paint the 6″ wire lengths now.  Inexpensive acrylic craft paint (support your local craft store!) is just fine for this step.  It is best to take your weaving medium (thread/cord/yarn) to the paint aisle with you for a good match.  As with any painting project, you can mix up a color that suits you.

Generally, you will use 4 or 5 of the 6″ wire lengths to make a basket frame.  When painting the wire, I usually paint about 30 to 40 of the wire lengths.  I’m definitely going to have extra weaving thread after one basket, so I just plan for more.  (You know I’m gonna make another basket!)  I lay out some waxed paper because I will be painting all sides of the round wire and you want it to dry without sticking.  If you want to paint one side, wait an hour and then paint the other side, by all means.  I don’t really have that kind of patience.  *grin*  I put on some thin latex gloves, make a small puddle of paint and drag the wire lengths through the paint, using my fingers to ensure that all sides are coated.  (Confession: sometimes no gloves!)  Too much paint just means extra drying time, so just cover the color of the wire.  Don’t worry overly about a perfectly even color along the entire wire as you are going to cover this frame anyway.  Think of small variations as “interesting texture!”  The wire is very flexible, so it will bend some while you are manhandling it.  Not to worry.  If anything, dragging your paint-sodden fingers along the wire will help straighten a bit.  In my experience, the paper really soaks up the paint and will not betray you later by flaking.

Now, give the wire time to dry.  As with any craft project, letting paint and glue dry before moving on to the next step will end up in a much cleaner and sturdier item.  I move my wire lengths to a clean side of the waxed paper and give it at least an hour.  If you think of it, turn them over after a bit so that the same side is not against the wax paper the whole time.  Sometimes a bit of paint will run off, leaving you with little “edges” or flaps of paint hanging off the wire (maybe that’s just mine!)  No problem.  When the wires are dry to the touch, run a finger nail along them and scrape any excess right off.  See a big unpainted bit?  Touch it up!  I love (let’s face it… require) forgiving crafts!

Okay, once you have dry 6″ wire lengths of a proper color, it’s time to glue a frame together!

=) honey

See “#1 Basket Materials and Tools” and “#2 Prepping the Basket Frame” posts before you start “#3 Assembling the Basket Frame.”

I will explain a basic frame for a round basket with a handle here (Easter basket-style.)  After you are in love with this shape, you can experiment with other shapes and handles.

We will use 5 of the lengths of wire for this basket frame.  Take 4 of the 5 wires and snip them in half (3″ or 76mm lengths.)  The 5th wire will remain 6″ (152mm) long, in order to become the handle of the basket.  At this point, run your fingers along the wire lengths to straighten them as much as possible.  This is much easier the shorter they are, so I wait until the 3″ lengths have been cut.

Now take 4 of the 3″ lengths and lay them side-by-side, with the ends basically flush.  Using a small ruler, find the center of all 4, roughly 1 and 1/2″ (38mm) from the ends.  Smear a small dab of glue at this center point to unite them.  (See picture below.)  The width of 4 wires side-by-side is about 1/8″ (4mm.)  Therefore, you want to spread the glue about 1/8″ (4mm) along the 4 wires.  You will be surprised at how little glue it takes.  When I say “smear,” I mean it!  Tacky glue works better the more you work it.  Using a toothpick, I spread it around and get in between the wires to ensure a good bond.  When you are satisfied with these 4, lay them to the side to dry for a few minutes.

Now take 3 of the remaining 3″ lengths and one 6″ length.  The long wire should be one of the two middle wires in this grouping.  It is placed flush with the short wires at one end and extends 3″ past them at the other end.  (See the picture above.)  Spread the glue in the center of the 3″ long wires again (1 and 1/2″ or 38mm from the flush ends.)  Give this a few minutes to dry also.

The next step is to join the two groups of 4 wires at their centers to create the “plus sign” shape.  (See the picture below.)  Dab some more glue at the 1 and 1/2″ center mark and lay one set across the other (makes no difference which is on top at this point.)  Let this dry for a few minutes.  One way to maximize time is to create several frames at once, while one is drying you can make 2 more!  I always make several frames at a time and I tend to let the final armatures dry for a few hours to ensure strength.

The final step (we made it!) is to snip off one of the short wires on one side of the center union.  (See the picture below.)  It doesn’t really matter which one (not the long one!) but one of the outside spokes is easiest.  This is an important step!  All weaving must have an odd number of spokes!  Before clipping one, you should have 16 spokes and after you will have 15.  You can try any odd number of spokes in a frame.

Next post, we will start weaving!

=) honey

This basket is woven of the butterscotch wicker over dark brown spokes.  You can see the contrasting spokes in the picture and they do show up in the bottom center.  You can just see the center peeking out here over the front rim.  I like the contrast, but I also can do the matching butterscotch spokes.  The basket is approximately 1″ wide, 7/16″ deep with a tall handle that adds another 1″ and 1/16 inches, for an overall height of about 1 and 1/2″.  (26mm wide and 11mm deep, with a 27mm handle for 38mm high overall)

The bowl of this basket is a really good size for display.  I think the handle is a bit too tall, so I will try another one with a shorter handle.  Now that I really look at it… it may be just perfect for a house plant, or anything with a bit of height.

This picture shows both the small and large round trays.  Both are woven of the walnut brown wicker.  The larger tray is approximately 1 and 7/8″ wide and 1/4″ deep.  (47mm wide and 6mm deep)  The smaller tray is approximately 1 and 1/2″ wide and also 1/4″ deep.  (38mm wide and 6mm deep)

While I love how the smaller tray bottom is woven, the larger one looks a little uneven toward the outer edge.  Definitely a good candidate for an inner serving tray!  I must have been distracted by a good movie during this weave…  I’ll have to try again!

This picture shows the small round trays in both walnut brown and natural colors.  They are each approximately 1 and 1/4″ wide, with a depth of about 1/4″. (38mm wide and 6mm deep)

I think the walnut brown has a really nice, even weave and I will probably display it empty.  The natural off-white color seems perfect for a vanity tray.  Every miniaturist that I know has made some perfume bottles from fancy beads, and I think this is a great way to show them off!  Hmmm, it would also look beautiful in my daughter’s bakery, full of cookies or petit fours!  She ends up with most of the natural colored wicker pieces…

This small serving tray is woven in the walnut brown linen thread.  It is approximately 1 and 1/2″ wide and about 1/4″ deep.  (38mm wide and 6mm deep)

I really love the wicker trays.  This one is proudly displaying my new cheese and crackers plate.  The bottom weave on this tray came out really nice, so I will post another picture that shows it off.

This is a round, walnut brown basket with no handle.  It is approximately 3/4″ wide and 5/16″ deep. (19mm wide and 8mm deep)

Here I placed a vintage porcelain earing into the basket to simulate a flower arrangement.  I’m definitely going to work on some colorful flowers for display here.  This is also a great basket for the table, perhaps full of dinner rolls or fruit.  As a storage basket, it could hold sewing notions or other odds and ends.  The nice open top would show off whatever contents you provide!

This is a small, walnut brown basket with a tall handle for showing off the contents.  It is approximately 5/8″ wide with a 5/16″ tall bowl and about 1″ tall overall, to the top of the handle.  (17mm wide by 8mm deep and 25mm tall overall)

In this picture the basket is full of some polymer clay grapes that I made in a recent class.  I love it!  <squeal>  Even though it is a fairly small basket, I made use of the new double handle and I think it makes a nice, sturdy looking basket.

This is the first of several tall storage baskets that will have a home in my Medieval castle.  It is woven in the traditional looking walnut brown wicker, which I love.  They will look terrific filled with assorted fruits and vegetables.  I think it would also look great storing anything tall and vertical.  With a lid, and maybe a bit of decorative weave in the body, it is a laundry hamper!  Going to have to play around with the lid idea, as I suspect that is also proper for a storage basket.

This storage basket is approximately 1and 5/8″ wide and 2 and 1/16″ tall.  (42mm wide and 52mm tall)  So for one inch scale, this would be about 20″ wide and just over 2 feet (25″) tall in “real life.”  Perfect next to a 3′ counter or market stall!