- It's not scrap!
- Lots of my favorite patterns call for short spokes. I save all
my 1/2" and 5/8" scraps and cut them to the lengths I use lots of
( 6", 8", 10"). I store the cut to length spokes in open plastic
bins til enough is gathered to bundle up for storage.
-
- Tame that unruly cane!
- Cane seems to become tangled so easily. I use the following
method to help control it. Cut the strings, wet the entire hank or
bundle in hot water. I hang the wet cane up over night to help it
straighten. I then measure and gather the like lengths together,
the 2 foot, 4 foot etc. lengths. I usually bundle the sorted
lengths with rubberbands, storing in labeled bins. I have to admit
this is prety boring so I do several hanks of cane at a time. Put
a good movie in the VCR and go to town!
-
- Seagrass has a tendency to tangle quickly
- I have begun to use a Rubbermaid containerTM a bit
bigger than the Seagrass hank. I drilled a hole about 1/2" Thread
the seagrass through the hole and seal the hank inside the
container. For really tangled hanks I plead with hubby to wind it
into a ball.
-
- Bagging it
- As a NEW basketmaker One little thing I have learned is you
can ruin a pattern in a minute, since working with water. You can
protect the pattern with plastic sheet sleeves, or just put it in a gallon
size baggie, with a paper clip. Keep the picture of the basket on
one side, and the instructions on the other. Works great. (BL)
|
|
- Working more quickly
- When measuring spokes I always cut more than 1 by holding two
or three long strips of reed in my hand with the 1st spoke I
cut.(PL)
-
- Centering life and spokes
- When marking centers, I soak my spokes, then fold them in half
and mark them.(PL)
-
- Lashing tips
- When lashing a rim on. I cut my lasher at an angle, so it will
travel well, and I always insert into the next two or three spaces
on the rim, so it doesn't tangle.(PL)
-
- Torching it
- My best investment was a propane torch for singeing hairs off.
I always give my baskets a "haircut". They look 100% better.(PL)
-
- Keeping straight where you startedWinner
- When doing a braid for a border, use a scrap of Round Reed to
mark your starting place. You could also use a twistie. I learned
this at the MO convention several years ago from Ann Renli. It
saves so much time trying to figure out where that last piece of
reed is supposed to go.(SJ)
-
- Keeping AlignmentWinner
- To make aligning the parts of the base of a basket, I was an
old Rotary Mat (22" x 17"). Since the mat is divided into one-inch
squares, I find the mat a very practical surface which allows me
to set up spacing so easily. As one who likes to reuse or recycle
whenever possible, I found this to be a practical way to reuse my
old mat. (NB)
-
- A Flowery Idea
- I save scraps of dyed reed, 1/4" or smaller, to weave flowers
with. (MCH)
|
