Hand-Me-Down-Hobbies BasketryLink to Movie

Basket Cross-section
Basketry is the art of weaving together strands of grass, wood or other objects to make containers. Since prehistoric times, people have been making containers by weaving weavers over the spokes to form a basket shape
Do you want to get rich?
If you want to get rich, make a machine that can weave an entire basket. It takes human hands to create a complete basket. No one has been able to invent a basket-making machine. Think about that the next time you see a basket - it was made by hand!
Basketry is everywhere!
Wicker chairThings that have been made using basket making techniques: Chairs, tables, baby beds, dolls, hats, masks, saddles, suitcases, hot air balloon passenger compartments, placemats, rugs, lamps. Straw HatLook around your house and you will probably see things that are woven using basket making techniques.
What do they have in common?
Phone cord basket
Pine needles, grape vines, and phone cord can all be used to make baskets! So can grass, twigs, strips of bark, bamboo, rattan, strips of wood, rope, jute, yarn, plastic cables, string, pine needles, cotton, wool, and many other natural and manmade items. If it can be used to make a spoke or a weaver, it can be used to make a basket.
Pine needle basket
The Carolina Basket connection
Cherokee double weaveFolks in the Carolinas have a long tradition of weaving baskets. The Cherokee people have been weaving baskets for hundreds of years to store food and supplies. The traditional form of weaving is still being taught on the Qualla Reservation in Cherokee, NC.

 

Coastal Carolina Coiled basketAlong the coast of South Carolina, near Charleston, descendants of African American slaves have been making coiled baskets from sweet grass since the 1790s. Coiled baskets were originally woven to be used in the farming of rice. Today many tourists buy these beautiful baskets in the Market Place in Charleston.
 

 

Try your handClick here to try it!