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Broomsticks and baskets

Burra Maluca

out to pasture

Posts: 12495

Location: Portugal

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posted 11 years ago

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I found this guy at a market a few weeks ago.

According to the advert behind him, he's an esparteiro, which, when I googled it, came up with another picture of him, from this site.

Esparteiros make things out of esparto grass, which according to wikkipedia looks like this...

I'm pretty sure I've seen that stuff growing around the place, and am going to have to investigate it a bit more.

I couldn't resist that broom, so it came home with me.

I'd never really thought about it much before, but I guess there must be loads of ancient crafts utilising natural fibres, so I thought I'd start this thread to encourage everyone to share what they know about which fibres to use, broomstick lore, how to make things.

Any takers?

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Judith Browning

Posts: 8925

Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain

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posted 11 years ago

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Beautiful baskets/coils of fiber? and broom/basket maker!
Here, craftspeople make traditional baskets from locally harvested and prepared oak splits, grape vine, ratan vine, hickory bark, coral berry; chair seats from hickory bark; corn husk and white oak splits; broom handles from sassafras (because it holds its bark) they are often carved with spirit faces, the broom maker down the road from us buys their broom corn because their business got too big to grow enough...but they can grow it here.
Did you mean just plant fibers or any natural materials? animal fiber...spinning and weaving? we are in a county that is known for it's craftsmen and women so I could go on and on.

this is a link to our broom maker neighbors..... Grassy Creek Brooms

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"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
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Ludger Merkens

Posts: 171

Location: Deutschland (germany)

posted 10 years ago

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Well here is a nice tutorial with pictures: How to Weave a Wicker Basket

A practical guide by Jonathan Ridgeon

Peter Ellis

Posts: 1670

Location: Fennville MI

posted 10 years ago

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Peter Follansbee's blog has some nice stuff on making baskets. His "day job" is joiner at the Plimouth plantation, but his blog covers spoon carving and some basket making along with making amazing furniture, all with hand tools and human power.

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Hans Quistorff

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Posts: 1908

Location: Longbranch, WA Mild wet winter dry climate change now hot summer

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posted 10 years ago

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My fathers childhood native friend stayed with us in 1980 while he was passing on traditional techniques to the Puyallup tribe. He explained how the hallow reeds that grow in swampy areas around Puget sound were woven into cooking baskets. They were woven very tightly to be water tight and hot rocks were added to the water to heat it to cooking temperature.

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Judith Browning

Posts: 8925

Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain

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posted 10 years ago

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Peter Ellis wrote:Peter Follansbee's blog has some nice stuff on making baskets. His "day job" is joiner at the Plimouth plantation, but his blog covers spoon carving and some basket making along with making amazing furniture, all with hand tools and human power.

here is a link Peter Follansbee
....... beautiful work!

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

John Polk

steward

Posts: 7926

Location: Currently in Lake Stevens, WA. Home in Spokane

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posted 10 years ago

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Traditional brooms here in the U.S. were made from 'Broom Corn', which is actually sorghum stalks.
They lasted for years.

Sue Rine

pollinator

Posts: 344

Location: New Zealand

posted 10 years ago

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Here in New Zealand the traditional weaving is done mostly using Harakeke which is also, incorrectly, known as flax. It is not related to the linen flax but does contain a fibre which can be used in similar ways. Mostly though, it is split into strips and used to weave baskets, bags, (kete), flowers, (putiputi) etc. I love weaving although my hands have given out somewhat but I really love making and using items which, when they are worn out, simply compost. Nothing destroyed, simply borrowed for a time. There are protocols around the gathering and weaving of harakeke which ensure the resource is not overused and depleted. Skilled weavers are true artists and produce some stunning work. I'll have a go at adding links.

Sue Rine

pollinator

Posts: 344

Location: New Zealand

posted 10 years ago

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Hmm, dunno how, but if you search 'raranga harakeke' it brings up some good websites.

Judith Browning

Posts: 8925

Location: Ozarks zone 7 alluvial, clay/loam with few rocks 50" yearly rain

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posted 10 years ago

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Sue Rine wrote:Hmm, dunno how, but if you search 'raranga harakeke' it brings up some good websites.

RARANGA HARAKEKE
Here is a link to one of the sites....beautiful work....thanks, Sue

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

Sue Rine

pollinator

Posts: 344

Location: New Zealand

posted 10 years ago

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www.matapihiartgallery.com/raranga-hand-weaving.html

Anita Martin

gardener

Posts: 887

Location: Southern Germany

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posted 3 years ago

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I hope this is the right thread to add some ideas on basket weaving material.
I have been searching on YouTube and found some interesting little tutorials.

Here is one using stripped ivy branches:

And here one with little twigs of birch or similar plus wire:

For the seasoned weavers who have willow at their disposal, here is a tutorial on a basket with the "eye of god":

All in German but quite self-explanatory.

I guess I will try my hands at the ivy basket, the only material I have got available right now.
Next option would be grass but last year's grass is too brittle.

I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do. (E.E.Hale)

Heather Sharpe

gardener

Posts: 828

Location: Central Indiana, zone 6a, clay loam

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posted 3 years ago

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Anita Martin wrote:I guess I will try my hands at the ivy basket, the only material I have got available right now.

Ivy is great to work with. Probably my favorite because it's fairly flexible and rarely breaks while working with it the way some do. Plus I feel good about removing an invasive plant and turning it into something useful! I like using winter creeper (Euonymus) for the same reason. Though it is a bit harder to work with and doesn't seem to be quite as strong once the basket is done.

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