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Activities / Bamboo Craft / Bamboo Basket

Bamboo Basket

Bamboo Strip Basket: A Plaited Container from Pre-Cut Strips

Level
Intermediate
Duration
3 - 5 hours
Budget
₹220 – ₹753
Age
15+
State
Goa

Materials

  • Flat bamboo weaving strips, 1 to 1.5 cm wide, about 3 m long
  • Fine sandpaper, 220 to 400 grit
  • Household scissors
  • Clothes pegs or clips
  • Large bowl of lukewarm water and a damp towel
  • Ruler or measuring tape
  • Thin gloves and a piece of string

Steps

  1. Cut the bamboo strips to length and smooth the cut ends
    Lay the strips on a table and cut 12 pieces of 36 cm (14 in) for the uprights and 11 pieces of 28 cm (11 in) for the weaving rounds. Thin flat strips cut easily with household scissors. Fold a piece of fine sandpaper over each cut end and rub twice so no splinter is left. Common mistake: cutting the 28 cm pieces too short. They must wrap the whole basket with 3 cm to spare.
    Tip: Cut two extra pieces of each length. A strip that cracks while bending is easy to replace.
  2. Soak the strips in lukewarm water for 30 minutes
    Put all the strips in a bowl or basin of lukewarm water. After 30 minutes lift them out, shake off the drips and wrap them in a damp towel. Take out only 6 strips at a time. Dry bamboo cracks when bent, but damp bamboo bends like thick paper. If a strip starts to feel stiff while you work, dip it in water for 2 minutes.
  3. Weave a 6 strip by 6 strip square base in the middle of the strips
    Lay 6 of the 36 cm strips side by side with no gaps. Weave the other 6 strips across them in the middle, one over, one under, and swap the pattern for each new strip. You should get a tight square about 6 cm wide (7.5 cm if your strips are 1.5 cm wide, so use 5 strips each way). Long tails of about 15 cm stick out on all four sides. Common mistake: leaving gaps between strips, which makes the base floppy.
    Tip: Slide each new strip firmly against the last one before you weave the next.
  4. Square up the base and clip the corners with pegs
    Push all the strips together with your palms until the base is flat, square and tight. Check that the corners are right angles by laying a ruler along the edges. Clip a clothes peg on each corner so the weave cannot slide. A good base feels like a small solid coaster. If it bends easily, push the strips together again before moving on.
  5. Fold all the tails upward to make the basket walls
    Fold each tail up at the base edge and press the crease hard with your thumbnail. All 24 tails should stand straight up like fence posts. Loop a piece of string around them near the top to hold them in a neat square. Common mistake: folding the tails at an angle. Fold exactly along the edge of the base, or the walls will lean.
    Tip: Use the edge of a ruler as a guide for each crease.
  6. Weave the first round around the uprights, over one and under one
    Take a 28 cm strip. Start inside one upright, then go over one upright, under the next, and so on around all 24. The two ends should overlap by about 3 cm on the inside. Hold the overlap with a peg, then push the whole round down against the base with your fingers. The round must sit flat and tight with no gap above the base.
    Tip: Work on a table edge so you can rotate the basket in your lap without letting the uprights bend.
  7. Weave ten more rounds, starting each one on the opposite upright
    Repeat the first round ten times. Each new round must start over where the last one went under, so the pattern alternates like a brick wall. Push each round down hard before adding the next. After every third round, check from above that the basket is still square and pull any leaning upright straight. At 11 rounds the walls should be about 12 cm (5 in) tall.
  8. Lock the rim by folding each upright inside and tucking it
    Bend one upright down over the top round to the inside. Slide its end under the two weaving rounds below the rim and pull it snug. Do this for all 24 uprights, going around one at a time. Cut off any end sticking out, leaving about 1 cm. Common mistake: tucking only under one round, which lets the end pop out when the basket dries.
  9. Dry the basket in the shade and tidy the surface
    Remove the pegs and string. Leave the basket in an airy place out of the sun for 24 hours so it dries in shape. Do not use a hair dryer or a heater, which can crack the strips. When it is dry, rub away any rough fibre with fine sandpaper and trim loose ends with scissors. The basket will hold light items such as keys, fruit or craft supplies.

Sustainability

High - bamboo is a fast-growing natural material; buy strips from local craftspeople

Safety

Bamboo splinters, so wear gloves and sand edges; strips can crack if too dry, so keep them damp; use scissors, not a knife; hand fatigue