The World of Wicker

Thyme and Season


The steps to making your own basket Part 4:

Making a Handle

1. 
   1
   Make the base. Find a thick shoot to use as the base. Bend it over the basket, holding the ends in place, to find out how high you want the handle to be. Cut it to size, leaving several inches of extra length on each side. Sharpen the ends into points and insert them into the basket next to two stakes directly opposite each other.
2. 
   2
   Insert five thin shoots into the weave alongside the handle. Sharpen the ends and insert them deep into the weave so that they lay right next to each other.
3. 
   3
   Wrap the handle with the shoots. Gather the shoots and wrap them around the handle like a ribbon until you reach the other end of the handle. Make sure the shoots lie flat right next to each other. Tuck the tips under the top of the woven rim.
4. 
   4
   Insert five thin shoots on the other side of the handle. Working in the other direction, wrap the shoots around the handle to fill the the gaps where it isn't already covered by the first set of shoots. Keep wrapping the handle until you reach the other side, then tuck the ends into the top of the woven rim.
5. 
   5
   Secure the sides of the handle. Insert a thin shoot into the weave alongside one side of the handle. Bend toward the handle and wrap the base of the handle several times to secure the wrapped shoots in place. Keep wrapping tightly until the base of the handle is secure, then pass the end of the shoot under the last wrap and pull it tight, then trim the tip. Secure the other side of the handle the same way.