REED CONSTRUCTION
In construction, the first thing to teach a child is how to handle the material. To do this, use small quantities and attempt only simple articles. Reed is the simplest thing to begin with, and the easiest of all basket-work models is the napkin ring. Soak all the reed and dry it with a cloth before using.
1 Napkin Ring No. I
Problem—To construct a napkin ring of reed.
Material—No. 2 reed, 7 feet.
Take one end of the reed and form a loop two inches in diameter, and wind the reed three times to form the ring. Hold it in the left hand. Pass the loose end over the curve and through the circle. Pull it taut enough to make it lie in a natural curve. Repeat this movement—over and over, round and round—allowing the strands always to follow the valley between the two former laps. When the foundation is covered, clip the end where it finishes up, press it into place in the groove, drop a little glue over the point at which it is pressed in, and bind the ring with a string to hold the end in position. When the glue has dried, remove the string.
No. I No. II
REED NAPKIN RINGS
When the napkin ring has been made, the child has learned the principle involved in constructing a basket handle.
2 Napkin Ring No. II
Problem—To construct a napkin ring of No. 5 reed. (See page [75].)
Material—No. 5 reed, 2-1/2 feet.
In using No. 5 reed, form the loop two inches in diameter, but have the ring of only one thickness, and proceed as in ring No. 1. This will make a napkin ring of different appearance because the windings are fewer and the reed thicker.
3 Mat
Problem—To construct a simple mat of reed.
Material—No. 4 reed: eight spokes, 9 inches long; one spoke, 6 inches long. Weavers of No. 2 reed.
Figure 1 Figure 2
TO START A REED MAT OR SIMPLE BASKET
Place together, at right angles, two groups of four spokes of No. 4 reed. To the under group add the six-inch spoke of No. 4 reed (Figure 1). Hold the spokes firmly in the left hand. Take the No. 2 weaver and insert it under the thumb. Wind the weaver diagonally over the crossing point in both directions (Figure 2). Then wind the weaver over and under alternate groups of spokes, three times around. Hold both spokes and weaver firmly in place with the left hand. Separate into single spokes now and continue weaving until your mat is four inches in diameter. Fasten the end of the weaver by tucking it down beside a rib. The projecting ribs are trimmed to an even length and pointed. Take any given spoke, as No. 1, bend it to the left in front of No. 2 and insert it on the right side of No. 3. No. 2 is now taken and carried to the left over No. 3 and inserted to the right of No. 4. Proceed thus until all the spokes are inserted, when the mat is finished. The scallops should form a semicircle.
REED MAT
For a larger mat, take ten spokes, sixteen inches long, of No. 4 reed, and one spoke nine inches long of the same. Use No. 1 reed for the weaver and proceed as in making the smaller mat.
To add a new weaver, place the end about two spokes back of where the former weaver ended and parallel with it.
4 Hamper Basket
Problem—To construct a simple reed basket.
Material—No. 4 reed: eight spokes 16 inches long; one spoke 9 inches long. Weavers of No. 1 reed.
Begin the basket exactly as the mat was begun. Weave until the bottom is three inches, or three and a half inches in diameter. Then bend the spokes at right angles with the base, drawing the weaver tight so as to hold the spokes in position and keep them separated at an equal distance. Continue weaving until the basket is three inches high, or until about one and a half inches of spokes is left for the border. Finish the edge by turning down the spokes as in the edge of the mat, or bend them down flat with the edge of the basket. Take any spoke, as No. 1, bring from right to left over No. 2, then No. 2 over No. 3, and so on until the ends of all the spokes are turned to the inside of the basket. Keep both basket and weaver well dampened while weaving. After the basket is finished press it into shape while still damp. When it is thoroughly dry trim off the ends of the spokes which appear too long on the inside of the basket, leaving them just long enough to be held in place by the curved spoke under which each passes. This makes a beautiful hamper basket.
HAMPER BASKET
A handle may be added to this little basket, but it is not advisable to encourage a child to add a handle until he has made his third basket or has shown in some way proficiency in what has been taught so far.
To add a handle. Take a length of reed, of the same number as the spokes, for the handle bow. For a small-sized basket take ten inches. Insert one end down through the weaving beside one of the spokes. Bend the bow into the shape you wish for the handle and insert the other end of the bow beside a spoke on the opposite side of the basket, being careful that the two spaces between the two ends of the handle are equal. The handle should be about as high above the border as the border is above the bottom of the basket. The width of the handle should be a little less than the width of the basket at the top.
You are now ready to cover the handle. Take a long weaver; push one end of it through the wale under the second row. Hold the end in place and wrap the weaver about the handle bow, keeping the spaces about equal, and drawing taut enough to be graceful, until it reaches the opposite side. Then draw the weaver through the wale and under the second row and up on that side; next wind about the handle bow again, back to the starting-point. Push the weaver through the wale, under the second row and out again, and once more wind across the handle bow. Repeat this operation from side to side until the handle bow is covered. Keep each row of winder close to the preceding one and parallel to it. When the bow is covered, tuck the end of the weaver through the wale and under the second row and clip the end, leaving it just long enough to stay in place. The handle bow needs to be damp enough to be flexible, but unless the winding weaver is well soaked it will crack and make trouble.
5 Basket Tray
Problem—To construct a reed basket or tray, having an even number of spokes, and using same number reed for both spokes and weaver.
Material—Sixteen spokes, each 11 inches long, of No. 3 or No. 4 reed. Weaver of reed of same number as spokes.
Separate the spokes into groups of four. Place set No. 1 on and at right angles to set No. 2. Sets 3 and 4 are laid diagonally across sets 1 and 2.
HOW TO BEGIN THE BASKET TRAY
Hold the spokes firmly, attach the weaver and go in and out four times round, over and under the same set of spokes each time. At the end of the fourth round, pass the weaver over two sets of spokes and weave four rows. Next separate the spokes into sets of two and weave one row; now each time that the weaver comes to starting-point in the circle, pass it over two sets of spokes instead of one, and then weave the next round. When you have been around seven times using double spokes, bend the spokes up for sides and weave two more rows over double spokes. Then separate into single spokes and weave six rows, remembering each time to pass the weaver at the end of a new round over two spokes instead of one, so as to have them properly alternated. Trim the ends of the spokes to an equal length and start the border by bending any given spoke to the right and inside the tray, holding it in place. Continue with each succeeding one until all the spokes have been bent into position. These spokes being bent so closely and consecutively over each other, form a coil resembling the handle of a basket. The points of the spokes are pushed under the coil, through from the inside to the outside of the basket. Keep a vessel of water at hand and wet the material constantly as you weave. When the tray is finished, press it into shape and set aside to dry. When it is well dried, clip off the projecting ends.
REED BASKET TRAY
6 Basket with Handle
Problem—To construct a basket using an uneven number of spokes, spokes and weaver the same number reed; and to add a handle.
Material—No. 3 reed: eight stakes, each 20 inches long; one stake 11 inches long. Weavers of No. 3 reed.
Make two groups of four each of the twenty-inch stakes. Place one set at right angles across the other, and beside the under set insert the eleven-inch spoke. Hold the spokes firmly between the thumb and the forefinger of the left hand, and with the weaver in the right hand place the starting end under the edge of the upper set; bring it around and over set No. 1, under No. 2, over No. 3, under No. 4, and repeat this operation four times. Now separate the spokes into groups of eight twos and one single, and weave four rounds. Next cut seventeen eleven-inch stakes and push one in beside each stake already used. Divide them into seventeen pairs. Weave round and round until you have a base three and one-half inches in diameter. Being sure that the weaver is damp and pliable, with fingers, or "pliers," bend up the stakes close to the weaving, at right angles with the base, and continue weaving until the basket is four inches deep. Then trim the stakes, if necessary, to uniform length and bend them over to form the border. Take any stake, as No. 1, and work from right to left. Bend down No. 1, pass under No. 2 and over No. 3. Then take No. 2, pass under No. 3 and over No. 4. Continue until every pair of stakes has been turned down and worked into the border. All ends must come inside the basket; after it is dry, trim them off. You will find that in working with the wet reed your basket may seem not to have the proper shape. Soak it well and you will be able to mould as you wish it. Add a handle.
REED BASKET WITH HANDLE
This basket is made almost exactly like the little hamper basket previously described, except that in this one, we use double stakes, while in that one, single stakes were used; the sides of this one are vertical, those of that one slightly curved.
In passing from the reed basket, the next step would be the raffia and then the combination of reed and raffia, which is worked out in all forms of Indian basketry. The most common stitch is known as the "lazy squaw," and is made by winding the raffia round the reed one, two, or three times, as space is desired; and then the needle is taken through the row below to make the stitch. Each stitch is a repetition of the one before and the mat, tray or basket grows with the effort. There are innumerable opportunities for design in Indian basketry, and it is here that the work of an artist may be realized and recognized.