There are nineteen weaving tutorials in this journal, written over years and posted as we got to them. That's useful if you already know what you're looking for and confusing if you don't.
This page puts them in order. Work top to bottom and you'll go from a pile of reed to a finished, signed basket. If you're following one of our patterns or kits, the pattern tells you which options to pick at each fork - the base type, the handle, the finish.
Before you start
You need reed, water, and a few tools: side cutters, an awl or packing tool, a spring clip or two, and a tub deep enough to lay flat reed in.
Reed has to be wet to bend. Dry reed cracks. Soak only what you're about to use, work it while it's pliable, and re-soak when it stiffens up. Each tutorial below notes what needs soaking at that step.
Stage 1 — The base
Every basket starts flat. Pick the base your pattern calls for.
Laying Out an Unfilled Base — the most common start. Horizontal and vertical stakes woven together, a locking row to hold your measurements, then upsetting the stakes to stand the basket up. Works with or without a handle.
Laying Out a Filled Base — same idea, tighter. Use this when the pattern calls for a solid base with no gaps between stakes.
Weaving the Locking Row — the row that pins your base measurements before you upset. Read this alongside either base above.
Twining a Round Base — for round patterns, where square-base layout doesn't apply.
Weaving with a Wooden-Bottom Base — a plaited base crossed with a little carpentry. Stakes seat into a wood bottom instead of weaving one.
Stage 2 — The sides
Once the stakes are upset, the flat base becomes a basket.
Weaving the Sides — the main body of the work. Start here.
Shaping the Sides of a Basket — straight, flared, or bellied. Shape is decided row by row as you weave, not fixed afterward, so read this before you get far up the sides.
Sea Grass Continuous Weave — an alternate side technique some patterns use for texture and color.
Stage 3 — The last weaver
Twining the Last Weaver — the row that sits between the two rims. It anchors the tucked stakes and the lashing, so it gets its own step.
Stage 4 — Clip and tuck
Clip and Tuck — every other stake gets cut, the rest fold over and tuck down inside. This is where the sides are declared done.
Stage 5 — Rim and lash
Two rim pieces, a filler, and lashing to hold it all together. Pick the lashing your pattern specifies.
Single Lashing — the standard finish.
Double Lashing — a heavier, more decorative rim.
Stage 6 — Handles
Handles attach at different points depending on the type, so check your pattern for timing. Wooden handles are usually set with the base; leather and wire go on at or after rimming.
Weaving with Leather Handles — the look we've built a lot of our baskets around.
Leather Handled Tote Strapping — for totes and service baskets that carry weight on a strap.
Stage 7 — Finishing
The basket works now. Finishing is what makes it last and keeps the color from fading.
Singeing — burning off the fine hairs that reed leaves behind. Optional, and worth doing.
To Stain or Not to Stain — the short version of our answer: everything that leaves our shop has some finish on it. Here's why.
Staining, With or Without Leather — how to stain when there's leather on the basket you don't want to ruin.
Basket Finishes — what we've tried over thirty-five years and what we've settled on.
Where to go next
If you'd rather not source materials for your first one, our DIY kits come with the reed pre-cut, the hardware, and step-by-step instructions — a weekend's work. We also post a free pattern most months.
And if you'd rather learn it with someone at the bench next to you, we run small classes with all materials and tools included. You take home the basket you make.
