Rattan Basket

Sharon Massey creates a hand-dyed rattan basket.

Materials:

vine rattan
1/2" reed
twist ties
different colors of fabric dye, magenta and orange
water
bucket
gloves
newspaper
sprayer with water

Steps:

1. Mix the magenta dye with water in a bucket according to the dye package instructions.

3. Mix the orange dye with water in another bucket according to dye package instructions.

4. Place the 1/2-inch reed pieces into the orange dye and let it sit for 20 minutes--up to two hours. Remove the reed from the dye.

5. Remove most of vine rattan out of the dye and place it onto a newspaper or a towel. Keep the pieces you will be weaving in the water to keep it pliable.

7. Randomly weave in and out of this structure. As your basket becomes thick enough to hold its shape remove the twist ties. Begin to shape as you move along by sitting the basket on the ground to form a flat bottom so it will stand up (figure C).

8. Incorporate the wider reed into the basket as you weave (figure D).

9. Continue to weave until the rattan basket is the desired shape. Make the weave as thick or loose as desired.

E-mail: masseypottery@hotmail.com