How are willow baskets made?
The tools for making willow baskets are simple and inexpensive. The most important item is the “plank” which rests on the ground to form a firm workplace on which the maker can set his materials. A sloping “lapboard” resting on the basket-maker’s lap is the platform on which the basket is made. The basket-maker has a particular set of tools, such as shears, knives and a beating iron for knocking down the weaving. The only essential for willow basket making is a trough of water at least 2 m long. Willow is stored dry but to be made pliable it must be soaked in water. The basket-maker usually soaks the rods in clean water for an hour and then they are left to stand overnight in a cool draught-free area to mellow. This ensures that the water penetrates uniformly through to the pith for several hours so that the rods are sweet-smelling and pliable but not wet or slippery. Brown rods require about seven days soaking before they are ready for working. Willow must be kept damp as it is worked
