Did you know that people have been weaving baskets for more than 10,000 years? There is even evidence of baskets in the Egyptian pyramids. If you’d like to weave a bird feeder that is easier and less time consuming, you can sample some pretty and practical projects here: Willow Craft 10 Bird Feeder Projects Once your willow is thoroughly soaked, it is time for weaving your bird basket. When weaving a basket, don’t reinvent the wheel. The general rule of thumb for soaking branches says to submerge the branches one day for every foot of length. Creeks work too, so long as you make sure to tie up the bundle in case of rain. They can float away if not restrained.

If that’s all you have, you can make do with what you’ve got. You don’t need fancy tools to weave baskets. But, it doesn’t hurt if you do. Take every opportunity you have to use the tools around you. For example, to weave in the small end and pull it through, you don’t need to force it. Simply insert your bodkin between the branches, making a “hole” to pull the branch safely through.Toss in some birdseed and they may find a safe place to dine. Or maybe people will gawk and comment on that strange thing hanging from a branch. Tying them up will help to determine the shape of your finished basket. Step 8: Continuing to Weave To form the bulbous shape of the willow basket, you’ll need to add more branches. 12 of them to be exact. Make sure they are as long as possible.

Another thing you can do is switch to weaving with your thinnest willow branches. Step 10: Nearing Completion Take it one step at a time. First, you need to soak your branches. Soaking Willow Branches for Basket WeavingWoven structures are always something to look at in the landscape. Let them talk and wonder how they can get one for themselves. Tools for Basket Weaving Outside of that, you’ll need a bunch of dry willow branches, some strong hand muscles and several hours of uninterrupted time. Harvesting Willow for Basket Weaving

To further expound upon that knowledge, it’s worth noting that some willows are more suitable than others for weaving. For this tutorial, we’ve gone with the common willow that grows rampant in hedgerows in our area. But again, I always encourage you to work with what you have. You never know what you can do if you never give it a try.When you are satisfied with the size of the door, continue weaving in the same direction with one branch at a time. The hardest part about basket weaving is the necessity to think about harvesting more than enough willow twigs well before the time comes for you to sit down and weave with them. Bend the branches any which way you want. Just be sure to keep it natural and without glue, metal ties or plastic twine. As soon as your weaving is slightly over 5″ (13 cm), insert each sharpened branch right next to the original slath members. We’ve decided to go more artistic with this hanging pod and use the full length of the branches to form a loop.

Soak them for too short a time and they will break easily. Too long and they may become slimy. The length of time to soak them also depends on how dry and what kind of willow they are. With your sharp knife make a slit in 3 of the branches, directly in the center. Make sure it is just long enough to slide the remaining 3 branches in. Step 2: Making the SlathIf you intend to use this as a bird feeder, make sure the base is as tight as possible so that the seeds do not fall through. However, once the basket is complete, it could be lined with foraged moss as a safety net. To Add New Weaving Branches You can do this by placing it over your knee and bending the branches up in one direction. It’s also possible to form it by hand, gently forcing each branch individually. Another way to accomplish this is by using the end of a rapping iron. Step 6: Sharpening and Inserting the Leader Branches The ability to weave your own baskets is one of the many self-reliant skills that you shouldn’t be missing out on. Be sure to trim all excess ends as you weave. That way you won’t end up with a hedgehog of a basket.