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