How To Make A Coiled Basket http www

How To Make A Coiled Basket http: //www. craftypod. com/2008/04/19/how-to-coil-a-basket/ Dr. Susan West, NBCT/ART, Viera High School

Tape end of fiber core with masking tape Wrap yarn over end of yarn and around tale of fiber core

Wrap yarn over tale Loop tale around and continue wrapping

Continue wrapping yarn around fiber core

Thread the yarn onto a needle then stitch through the loop to start the coiling process

Continue wrapping the fiber core and stitch to the previous coil every 5 wraps

Continue wrapping tightly

Make the base at least 4 Inches wide To end a length of yarn Stitch it back through at least 6 wraps

To start a new piece of yarn wrap over it’s tail

Note how the new color stitched to the previous row makes an interesting/attractive design

Start overlapping the coils to form the sides of the basket. Refer to the form you drew for the template of the basket.

Student Examples Wrap stitches tightly for a stable form

Native American Coiled Baskets Now make your own coiled basket in the style of the ancient Native Americans with a Modern twist.

Making a COILED BASKET: A new twist to Native American Basketry By Dr. Susan West Viera High School

MAKE A PATTERN –ACTUAL SIZE • Design an elegant shaped basket at least 4” x 6” make an actual size template out of paper. • Fold a piece of paper in half, draw half of the basket, cut out pattern and unfold. • Decide on a color scheme. • Coil basket. • Add beads or fringe.

COIL BASKET • DRAW An attractive/elegant CYLINDRICAL FORM • Choose the COLOR(S) for your basket. • Consider adding BEADS or FRINGE.

This example shows how contrasting colors can make for interesting patterns

• MEASURE 10 YARDS OF FIBER CORE • (NOSE TO FINGER WITH ARM OUTSTRETCHED IS 1 YARD)

START THE BASKET • SELECT YARN COLOR AND CUT OFF A 10 FOOT LENGTH. • GET A PLASTIC NEEDLE. • THREAD THE NEEDLE BY FOLDING THE YARN IN HALF OVER THE POINT THEN PUSH IT THROUGH THE EYE.

• MAKE A TAIL THAT OVERLAPS THE FIBER CORE AND WRAP THE YARN AROUND THE TAIL COIL 2. 5”.

• SPIRAL THIS SECTION • STITCH THE OVERLAPPING COIL TOGETHER 3 TIMES PULLING THE NEEDLE THROUGH Pull the stitches tight.

• WRAP THE YARN AROUND THE FIBER CORE 8 TIMES AND THEN CATCH ONLY THE PREVIOUS COIL 3 TIMES.

• TO END A PIECE OF YARN STITCH IT BACK THROUGH AT LEAST 1” OF WRAPPED AREA.

FINISHING THE BASKET • CUT THE END OF THE FIBER CORE AT AN ANGLE. • PUT SOME WHITE GLUE ON THE END AND WRAP THE FIBER CORE. • PULL THE NEEDLE THROUGH THE WRAPPED AREA AT LEAST 1” AND CUT OFF FREE END.

The Coiled Basket – design a symmetrical, attractive, elegant, cylindrical form that uses all 10 yards of fiber core. + Select (3 to 5) colors that go well together (unity). + Add a texture either beads, sea shells, or fringe to at least one row of the baskets. + Include patterns that can be created with the colors and when stitching the layers of coils together. + The basket should be symmetrical, and attention should be paid to form, color, texture, rhythm, proportion, and variety. + Finished basket is about 4” x 6” and tightly woven to hold its form.

A finished basket.

Note pattern created by stitching down two coils.

Motif Imbrication Most of the symbolism composed on Native American baskets were organic in nature. They would feature abstracted or simplified patterns of various elements in nature. Some of the designs had religious symbolic meanings. Most geometric designs were solely for aesthetic purposes and had no religious significance.

The various patterns made on the baskets were also named. Some of the most popular Native American basket patterns include the leaf pattern, the tree pattern and the mountain pattern. Each group of basket weavers had their own secret techniques to making these baskets. These techniques were passed down generations and were kept as secrets not to be revealed to anyone outside the circle. Motif Imbrication http: //www. kwintessential. co. uk/articles/article/USA/Native-American-Basket-Symbols--/2266

VOCABULARY Chevron: A geometric design element shaped like the letter “V. ” Coiling: A basketry technique in which a foundation material (such as split root bundles) is coiled upwards and sewn into place. False embroidery: A technique used to decorate twined baskets in which a third, colored weft element is incorporated into the outer wefts. These designs are not visible on the inside of the object. False embroidery slants in an opposite direction to the rest of the twining. Geometric: (as in “geometric figures” or “geometric designs”) Design elements which feature geometric shapes such as squares, triangles, diamonds, chevrons or zigzags. Imbrication: A technique used to decorate coiled baskets in which the decorative material is folded under each sewing stitch on the outer surface of the basket. The design is not visible on the inside of the basket. Imbrication folds on a basket resemble rows of corn kernels. Jog: In twined and coiled baskets, a transition from one row of stitches to the next row. A jog can be up or down to the right or left, depending on how the basket was made (Haida basketry, for example, usually jogs up to the right; Tlingit baskets jog down to the right). Motif – a design, pattern or symbol that represents something such as triangles for leaves Overlay: A technique used to decorate twined baskets in which an additional, colored weft is incorporated into the other wefts. The resulting design may or may not be visible on the inside of the object, depending on whether full- or half-twist overlay is used. Overlay design slants in the same direction as the rest of the twining.

NATIVE AMERCIAN COILED BASKET