How to Make Baskets

By MARY WHITE

WITH A CHAPTER ON WHAT THE BASKET MEANS TO THE INDIAN,"
BY NELTJE BLANCHAN

GARDEN CITY NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1915 - 258 pages.

PREFACE

THE twisting and weaving of Nature's materials,
grasses, twigs, rushes and vines, into useful and
beautiful forms seems almost instinctive in man.
Perhaps it came to him as the nest-weaving instinct
comes to birds for at first he used it as they do,
in the building of his house. Later, shields and
boats were formed of wicker work, but how long ago
the first basket was made no one is wise enough
to tell us. To-day Indian tribes in South America
weave baskets from their native palms, South
African negroes use reeds and roots, while the
Chinese and Japanese are wonderful workmen in
this as in other arts and industries; but basketry
has come down to us more directly through the
American Indian. Generations of these weavers
have produced masterpieces, many of which are
preserved in our museums, and the young basket
maker need not go on long pilgrimages to study
the old masters of his craft. Here at last, as in
England, the value of manual training is being
realized, and basketry is taking an important place;
following the kindergarten and enabling the child
to apply the principles he has learned there. He
still works from the centre out, and weaves as he
wove his paper mats, but permanent materials have
replaced the perishable ones, and what he makes
has an actual value.
Basketry also fills the need for a practical home
industry for children; so not only in school, club
and settlement, but on home piazzas in summer
young weavers are taking their first lessons.
Though they are unlearned in woodcraft, and have
not the magic of the Indian squaw in their fingertips,
they can, and do, feel the fascination of
basketry in the use of rattan, rush and raffia. It
is hoped that this book may be a help in teaching
them "How to Make Baskets."

CONTENTS

PREFACE v
CHAPTER I
MATERIALS, TOOLS, PREPARATION, WEAVING 3
CHAPTER II
RAFFIA AND SOME OF ITS USES . .11
CHAPTER III
MATS AND THEIR BORDERS . . . .21
" CHAPTER IV
THE SIMPLEST BASKETS . . . -27
CHAPTER V
COVERS . 33
CHAPTER VI
HANDLES ....... 51
CHAPTER VII
WORK BASKETS 65

LIST OF FIGURES

Fig. 1 Twist of Rattan ..... 4
Fig. 2 Under-and-Over Weaving ... 5
Fig. 3 Double Weaving .... 5
Fig. 4 Pairing ...... 6
Fig. 5 Triple Twist ..... 7
Fig. 6 ..... . . .13
Fig. 7 ........ 14
Fig. 8 ........ 14
Fig. 9 ...... 22
Fig. 10 ....... .22
Fig. 11 Joining Weavers . . . .24
Fig. 12 ........ 39
Fig. 13 ........ 6l
Fig. 14 ........ 61
Fig. 16 ........ 72
Fig. 17 ........ 76
Fig. 18 ........ 77
Fig. 19 Napkin Ring ..... 78
Fig. 20 ........ 96
Fig. 21 ........ 97
Fig. 22 ........ 98
Fig. 23 . . . .....115
Fig. 24 ...... . .129
Fig. 25 ........ 132
Fig. 26 ........ 132
Fig. 27 . . . . .135
Fig. 28 ........ 140

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