Plaited basket

This is an example of plaiting. It is a simple construction, this one being thin strips of plain paper. Baskets are often made with this technique, using natural materials such as flat reeds.

Iris Leaves in Coil Basketry

At a crafts guilds fair, I saw a woman making baskets from natural materials. I got inspired to make some baskets. Here is the start of a coiled basket made with plant material from my garden--Iris leaves, vinca vines, and stems from rosemary (for a lovely scent). Unfortunately, it's not the right time of year to collect Iris leaves. The ones I used here were from last year and are very weathered from being on the ground all winter. At the end of summer or fall I will collect some more Iris leaves and see about doing some basketry work with them.