Collect willow shoots to turn them into a functional basket by learning willow basketry in how to weave a basket for beginners. This traditional craft, an art form, uses natural materials like willow branches and willow bark that have been utilized for generations in cultures across the world.
As a lifelong resident of Wisconsin, I’ve come to enjoy all four seasons. And as a forager, I also find things to harvest in all of those seasons. Collecting willow and making baskets has been a springtime activity of mine for quite a while; I go out when the snow is gone but the buds haven’t broken, usually in March or April.
I prefer leafless willow shoots (so I don’t have to strip leaves off later), and I look for places where the plants have been cut back regularly, such as the ditches along roads and waterways. That’s where I find the long, straight shoots I need to make traditional baskets using sustainable methods with simple basket making tools. These branches for basket weaving are both strong and flexible which they must be to endure the basket weaving process.
Not all willows make good baskets. Many species of Salix, the willow genus, are too brittle for the work. For species that will work well, see “Choosing Willow for Weaving,” below. Incorporating a variety of materials not only strengthens your piece but can also elevate its aesthetic appeal, transforming it from a simple object to a sculptural basket. For example, red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) is a nice addition to a willow basket. as you’ll see in this article.
Basket Weaving Q&A
What is basket weaving?
Basket weaving is the craft of interlacing pliable natural materials, such as willow, reeds, grasses, or cane, to create containers and decorative items using a weaving needle and other simple basket making tools.
What do we need to know?
Some basket-makers plant their own willow patches. If you plan to do this, be sure to fence in your willows to help prevent deer browsing. I’ve been to a few gardens with their own willow patch, and it’s always a thing of beauty, although the willow will need to be coppiced or pollarded to produce shoots suitable for weaving. Coppicing is cutting the plants back, low to the ground, to make dome-shaped stumps.
Pollarding is cutting growth back to the main trunk at about chest height; a pollarded tree looks something like a lollipop when it’s trimmed. Either way, willow trees need to be cut annually to maintain shoot production for sustainable methods of basketry using natural materials. Growing your own materials for basket weaving allows greater control over your crafting experience and ensures access to quality basket weaving material.
When I make a willow basket, I prefer to use the material fresh. Many basket-makers prefer to dry their material and rehydrate it later to make it flexible again. To do that, you’d need a vessel large enough to completely submerge all the shoots you’re using (which I don’t have). I’ve also heard stories of people who use their bathtubs, only to have the tannins in the willow bark from the willow shoots stain the tub.]
Basket Weaving Q&A
- What are the basic types of basket weaving techniques?
- Coiling: Sewing coils of material together.
- Plaiting: Weaving flat materials at right angles.
- Twining: Twisting two weavers around vertical stakes.
- Wicker weaving: Using rigid spokes and flexible weavers with a weaving needle or similar basket making tools.
The main concern with fresh material is that it will shrink when it dries. While it does shrink for me, I’ve found that my baskets aren’t affected by any shrinkage if I weave them as tightly as possible. Flexibility is key in basket weaving, making fresh willow one of the most desirable flexible materials available to basket weavers.
There’s a unique satisfaction in gathering your own natural materials — it’s part of what makes the art of basket weaving such an incredible craft. With these things in mind, let’s go harvest some willow!
Harvesting Your Willow for Basket Weaving
As I work through my wild willow patch, I not only collect shoots that are long and straight; I also look to make sure there’s no branching. This makes the shoots easier to weave with. Occasionally, I find a red twig dogwood that fits the bill, and I snip that too. Bring some twine with you when you forage to tie bundles of shoots, so you can pile a few bundles of material off to the side as you work to keep your natural materials organized for later use. Engaging in these kinds of weaving experiences deepens your appreciation for the land and the traditional material it offers.
When I get home, I put the bases of those bundles in water to keep them fresh, as I often make baskets over the course of several days. Even arranged in simple bundles, the beauty of this natural weaving material is already apparent and highlights why willow branches are favored for traditional baskets..
Can You Buy Willow?
Yes, you can buy willow for weaving, and it’s widely available in dried or fresh forms depending on your project. Dried willow rods can be bought and must be soaked before use to regain flexibility. Fresh or “green” willow can also be bought but must be used immediately or allowed to dry for later use.
Willow is commonly sold in bundles and sorted by variety, length, and colors. Most suppliers offer seasonal availability, particularly for live or freshly cut rods. Purchasing willow can be ideal if you’re looking for consistency in your basket weaving material or want to experiment with different types for both functional baskets and more artistic, decorative work.
Weaving Your Willow Basket
Tools and Materials
- Willow shoots
- Hand-held pruners
- Sturdy scissors
- Knife
These tools are essential for anyone working with natural materials in this age-old art form.
This basket is called a “stake-and-strand” style. Start by selecting six thick pieces of willow that are 12 to 15 inches long. They’ll become the basket base, just like spokes in a wheel, so make sure they’re of roughly equal diameter (about the size of a pencil) to prevent the finished basket from wobbling.
Find the center of the three thickest spokes you have, and split them with your knife or other basket making tools.
Next, push the three thinner spokes through the split stems to make an “X” shape. Alternate the butts and tips of the spokes so the base won’t be lopsided.
Take two of your longest and thinnest willow shoots, and thread the fine tips 1 to 2 inches through the slots. The new shoots are called “weavers,” and they’ll be secured as the basket progresses.
The Weaving
Step 1:
Now, the weaving begins. Bring the two weavers around the first three spokes, one on top and one below, and then twist them and do it again on the next three spokes. Pay attention to this twisting and twinning as you get into the rhythm of basket-making; the weavers are always changing positions from top to bottom and back, as if they’re dancing around the piece. This twined basket method is a foundational technique in the basket weaving process and a hallmark of traditional craft.
Step 2:
Once you’ve gone around twice, instead of weaving around three spokes at once, begin weaving around them individually. As the weavers get thicker, you might need to pre-bend them a little or rub them vigorously to encourage good bending. Remember to weave tightly so the basket will hold its shape as it dries. Push the weavers down together as much as possible.
As the base of the basket grows larger, the weavers will get shorter, and you’ll need to splice in new weavers. Simply add a new weaver alongside the old one — meet butt ends with butt ends, and tips with tips — and continue weaving. After splicing in one weaver, stagger the next splice by weaving ahead a few spokes before adding the other. You can trim the protruding ends after completing the base using your basket making tools carefully.
Step 3:
As the base of the basket grows larger, the weavers will get shorter, and you’ll need to splice in new weavers. Simply add a new weaver alongside the old one — meet butt ends with butt ends, and tips with tips — and continue weaving. After splicing in one weaver, stagger the next splice by weaving ahead a few spokes before adding the other. You can trim the protruding ends after completing the base.
You can continue to make this base as big as you’d like, but you’re making a forager’s basket, not a laundry basket! Once the base is at the diameter you want (for me, that’s about 9 inches), prepare the side spokes — or “stakes,” in this stake-and-strand-style basket. You’ll need 24 rods of roughly the same size. Sort these, and then sharpen the ends with your knife as needed.
Step 4:
Next, push these stakes into your basket base on both sides of each spoke. You’ll need space to spread out at this stage, as it takes up a lot of room. For one short moment, your unfinished basket will look like a rustic tribute to the sun.
Basket Weaving Q&A
Why is basket weaving important culturally?
It is an ancient craft used for storage, carrying, and ceremonial purposes across Indigenous and global cultures, preserving traditional knowledge and community practices through sustainable methods and art forms that utilize natural materials like willow branches.
Step 5:
As you can see, next comes a step called “pricking up.” Take a sharp knife, and with the blade of that knife oriented away from the basket base, stick the point into one of the new stakes just where it meets the base, and gently twist. At the same time, lift the stake you’re working on so it stands upright. Continue to work your way around the piece by pricking and bending up all the stakes, skipping the ends of the spokes left over from weaving the base.
You can tie the stakes with twine at the tips to help hold them in place until you’ve woven enough of the basket sides to anchor them. At this point, it’ll look like you have something suitable for transporting a chicken to a medieval market, but it’s going to be a beautiful basket — trust me.
Step 6:
Now it’s time to start weaving the sides. Remember making the base? It’s a similar concept here; you’ll work with two weavers again, and you’ll twine them tightly around each stake. Try to evenly space out the stakes as you weave between them.
Finishing up:
Once you’ve woven around the basket a few times — each round is called a “course” — trim off the ends of your base spokes. This will make handling the unfinished basket easier.
After a few more courses, you might choose to weave in a band of red twig dogwood for contrast. I like to then add more willow to frame in the new color. This kind of creative touch adds artistic flair to an otherwise purely functional basket.
Once the walls are as high as you want them, finish the rim of the basket. Take the ends of the stakes and carefully bend each one over and around the next. When you reach the last one, tuck it beneath the first one that was bent over to make a continuous rim. Then, trim the ends of the stakes a little, to make them easier to work with.
To finish the rim, weave those trimmed stakes inward. (I like to skip two and then go in.) Pull each stake tight before cutting it off, and be careful not to cut it too short, or it will work its way out. Completing this step brings both closure and satisfaction to the crafting experience.
Biggest Mistakes in Willow Basket Weaving
Here are the most common errors beginners make when weaving willow baskets:
- Improper Willow Prep: Using green or unsoaked willow leads to cracking or warping.
- Inconsistent Tension: Weaving too tightly warps the basket; too loosely makes it flimsy.
- Not Sorting Rods by Thickness: Using the wrong thickness for stakes or weavers weakens the structure. Use thick rods for stakes, thinner ones for weaving.
- Skipping the Mellowing Step: Soaked willow needs time to rest in a damp cloth to distribute moisture. This prevents cracking and ensures pliability.
Avoiding these pitfalls will help you create strong, long-lasting willow baskets!
Conclusion
There you have it, a finished willow basket! It’s simple, but what did you expect for your first basket? After you make this style a few times, you can experiment with adding a handle, or a foot on the bottom. I hope this introduction will inspire you to make basket-weaving an annual part of your life, as I’ve made it part of mine. It’s more than just creating something useful — it’s a way to connect with a timeless art form that spans cultures and generations.
Choosing Willow for Weaving
These species of Salix are best for weaving baskets:
- S. alba var. sericea is a small tree with green and flexible shoots.
- S. alba var. vitellina is a large cultivated species with strong, flexible rods and egg-yolk-yellow winter stems.
- S. fragilis ‘Belgium Red’ is a large tree with a deep-red stem in winter.
- S. interior is a small shrub with slender new shoots that are red-brown in color.
- S. koriyanagi ‘Rubikins’ is perfect for fine basketry, with long, slender, flexible rods.
- S. miyabeana is a large shrub with shoots that are pale brown when young and gray when they mature.
- S. pentandra has glossy, red-brown growth each year.
- S. petiolaris is a large shrub with lovely shoots in shades of purple.
- S. purpurea comes in a variety of useful subspecies in colors ranging from green and brown to purplish.
- S. rigida ‘American McKay’ grows new shoots that are a deep red-brown color.
- S. x rubens ‘Hutchinsons Yellow’ is a large shrub whose fine new shoots display a rich yellow.
- S. x smithiana is a vigorous shrub with annual brown shoots.
- S. triandra ‘Black Maul’ is a widely used willow for basket-making, and has rich, dark growth in shades ranging from maroon to black.
- S. triandra ‘Noir de Villane’ is another popular willow cultivar, with dark, almost black growth.
- S. viminalis might have new shoots that display colors from deep yellow to reddish brown.
Learn to propigate willow Here.
“Little” John Holzwart is a crafter, forager, and modern-day Renaissance man. Find him at Plant Based Services.
