Many people are interested in making wicker baskets and want to learn.

To weave basket is a totally handmade activity, it’s complex and time-need. So how to make a wicker basket?  If you are interested in weaving, pls follow :

Here, We would like to introduce the complex preparation before weaving wicker baskets: how to choose wicker, how to turn the hard wicker twig to soft twig, etc. but not concentrating on weaving a baskets details.

The necessary preparation seems very important to weave a perfect wicker basket or it will be a failure basket.

Before beginning, we would like to show something about wicker baskets here:

Almost every professional importer  wholesalers or distributor know clearly that: (there are three main production base to weave wicker baskets in china) here our hometown- Linyi city is one of them.Which has more than one thousand four hundred years of history? almost members in every family have experience in weaving baskets here. People make a living by baskets—to sell wicker twigs or to weave baskets.

In the morning market, people wake up earlier to deal with twigs(usually people are very crowded since 5’clock am till 10′ clock or so) these wicker twigs are packed by different length, standing on the road and waiting to be picked by people who need. What u see these wickers on the jpeg. are peeled wicker. they already stripped bark. We called natural wicker. (natural white)

We deal with by weight, normally, the price is very stable. but I remember the price fluctuated dramatically in 2010 years. Price update every day. But now the price is stable.

Twigs are packed by different lengths, different length sells different price. One price for more than 1 meter, another price for less than 1 meter.Now let’s begin to make basket step by step:

1. Pick out the suitable wicker on size & length

Wicker includes whole and split wicker, Nowadays, more and more customers like to use split wicker. (how to split one wicker twig into two twigs)Which could help to reduce the cost.

Then, after confirming the wicker type, we should pick out enough length wicker according to basket size to reduce unnecessary waste. Usually, this is done by artisan’s experience. Long wicker for big willow basket, conversely used for small baskets. After confirming all of these, what we should do next? To weave baskets directly? No, now the twig is too stubborn to weave.

2.Submerging wicker

Here, almost every home has one or two stone pools standing before their yard.

To submerge picked wickers is a very important step, every twig needs to be sunk before weaving the basket. Usually, after sinking 2-3 hours, (2-3 hours for the natural twig,2 days more for the brown willow twig, but 4-5days on the winter day.) the wicker is already become enough soft so that we could begin our weaving steps. if not it’s very hard and easy to snap during the weaving process.

Tip: in the winner, boiling brown willow twig also could be a good way as instead, which the disadvantage is that the boiling time should not too long or too short, if time is too long, the peel will be easy to fall off during weaving process, then the finished basket will be looked not very well.

3. Making bottom before making a wicker basket

The bottom should be symmetrical, if not, the baskets will not be symmetrical. So the bottom is like the foundation, which is also very important.  After weaving as the required size, then cut the superfluous wicker, put the bottom aside.

4. Pick out the vertical wicker twig for the basket body

The length of vertical wicker twigs should be based on the height of baskets, If you want to have a strong basket, the wicker should be enough thick. Thin wicker for small baskets. The specification is decided by the size of the baskets and the weaver experience. Or it will waste wicker, which accordingly increases the basket cost.

5.Inserting the vertical wicker

To Insert vertical wicker into the bottom, how many wickers should be inserted? Certainly, according to the vertical wicker on the bottom.  Before inserting, we also need a wood mold to fix the bottom: to nail the bottom on the mold, when mass production, which could keep the same size for every basket, if not, you will not get the beautiful same size baskets.

Now it’s time to insert vertical wickers after fixing.

Tell u a secret: the wood mold is usually for mass production. for the sample,  we would not like to use it. After all, it cost more to make a new mold,  it’s absolutely ok for sample artisans to make a sample by experience without wood mold.

6.Weaving basket body

After inserting the vertical wicker twigs, then begin to weave the body. ( video how to make baskets)one twig by one twig to weave till the top, then an amazing handmade basket is finished. The last step: we take off the wood mold, it becomes a beautiful basket.

Usually, the skilled crafter could weave 6-8 baskets (ordinary size)

Till now it’s still a pot, if need a handle, it will be delivered to the professional handle install mill. Here different mills are in charge of different production steps.

Now, a beautiful natural wicker basket is finished, are u amazing to making wicker baskets? our workers have more than 20 years of experience in weaving, various styles, sizes, materials, colors are available here.

If you want to design special baskets and happen to some difficulties

If you want to learn more or have some questions when weaving baskets

Or if u are interested in wicker basket making

leave message to us!