A truly free art form

As I have said in my previous post on this craft, it is time-consuming and requires patience. However, It is not difficult and I found it extremely relaxing; like some people find knitting and crocheting relaxing.

The first thing you need is a supply of long-leaf pine needles. They have to be long-leafs, which are approximately 6″ to 15″ long. Hopefully, instead of “cheating” and buying or ordering them, you live in an area where you can just go gather armloads full from a forest floor. Somehow buying them seems to be defeating the purpose, but if you have no other alternative, they can be ordered (already “cleaned”). After you gather your needles, you will need to soak them (say a dishpan full at a time) by pouring boiling water over them and letting it cool enough to handle the needles. Place them on a towel or other surface to dry.

You will find that the needles always grow in “bundles” or “groups” of three, and you have to separate them. The water will have softened the tip that holds them together so that you can easily scrape or pull it off with your fingers, the flat edge of a nail-file, butter knife, anything that works for you. Then you are left with three separate needles. You will need a lot of them.

You will also need a large blunt tapestry needle, and some heavy quilting thread. Also I found it much easier to use a piece of plastic tubing about 3″ long. Some people say to use a soda straw, but I find that a bit too small and flimsy. I can’t remember exactly where I got my tube, but it was a little bigger and stronger than a soda straw. Something from a hardware store, I believe. Some people don’t use the tube at all, but it’s purpose is as a gauge, to help keep your coils an even size.

Start by putting enough cleaned pine needles together to begin a coil approximately 1/2″ in diameter. You want to wrap two or three inches of the ends of the pine needles which had the “cap” or “sheath” with a single strand of thread (the needle is threaded as if you were embroidering). Many people use rafia, but I don’t know this method, and I like the way the black thread constrasts with the pine needles. Wrap them snugly, leaving the loose end of the thread under the wrapping to secure it. Wrap about 3″ or so in this manner and secure the thread. Make sure to snip off any loose pine needle ends sticking out from the wrapping. Now you curl the wrapped end into the beginning of a circular form, and anchor it together using a whip-stitch. This small circle or oval (your choice) is the beginning of the bottom of your basket. Now push the remaining loose ends of the pine needles through the plastic tube, and continue the coiling process, while adding cleaned pine needles to the tube as you go to maintain a consistent sized coil. As you create this circle, sew the coils together using the same simple whip-stitch, drawing the thread through from front to back. The spacing of the stitches will widen as the coil grows. Keep the coil flat by bending it as needed as you progress. It’s a lot easier than it sounds. Once you get used to it, it’s pretty mindless; hence it is relaxing. See my first post on “pine needle baskets for the beginner” to view my very first attempts. And I had no idea what I was doing!

Once you reach the size that you want the bottom of your basket to be (start small!), begin building the sides by simply forming the next coil on top of the flat circle or oval that you have created; stop making it flat and build upward. For an excellent illustrated lesson on making your first basket, visit http://www.knowitall.org/naturalstate/html/pinecone-interactive/Basket-How-To.cfm

But if you’re not used to using raffia, as they do, I definitely recommend going the thread route. Also, they give a choice of removing the “caps” or not. I have not tried making a basket without removing the caps, but I’m a little leery or that part, especially for the beginner. Even though it takes patience to separate the needles, it seems to me that the cleaned needles would be easier to work with and produce a better, smoother result. But I’m no expert, and they are!

Just like the wide, wild world of gourds, the possibilities here are endless. People dye the needles, incorporate dried walnut shell slices, seashells, beads, whatever their imagination tells them to do. They not only make baskets, but fantastic wall hangings, hats, you wouldn’t believe the things people can make from pine needles! Well, why don’t we visit some of them? I hope you find it as inspiring and amazing as I do. Please visit “Peg’s Basketry“. It is one of my favorites.

Leslie

http://www.nancybasket.com/gpage4.html

http://www.pineywoodsbasketart.com/basketgallery3.html