My Creative Workbook

Christine de Beer - effortless floral craftsman

Cane and Willow Nest Shaped Basket

You will need 8 short cane strands and one long one to weave with.

Stain a few strands of cane with coffee.

Stain a few strands of cane with strong coffee.

See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on staining with natural dyes

Weave the strands together in pairs

Weave the strands together in pairs. Follow the basic over and under pattern.

For more detailed instructions on weaving see the Tutorial below.

I also used this weaving pattern to create an Autumn hat. See the Tutorial below.

Weave in the long strand

Weave in the long strand. Over the first pair and under the next.

Bend the long strand down

Bend the long strand down

Bend the long strand over the first pair

Bend the long strand over the first pair, then weave it under the next strand and over the one next to that

Continue the over and under weaving pattern weaving the strand in spiralling circles

Continue the over and under weaving pattern weaving the strand in circles spiralling out

Twirl thin willow stems around the cane to carefully weave into the basket

Twirl thin willow stems around the cane to carefully weave into the basket

Continue to weave the stem spiralling out

Continue to weave the stem spiralling out

Leave a slight gap to create a open weave

Leave a slight gap to create a open weave

Randomly add willow stems to the weave.

Randomly add willow stems to the other cane strands and continue to weave.

Continue the weaving pattern

Continue the weaving pattern to create the base of the nest.

Adding willow stems as you go along

Adding more willow stems as you go along

Fold the strands pointing out up

Fold the strands pointing out up

Gathering the pairs from each side

Gathering the pairs from each side

To meet at the top

To meet at the top

Carefully wiggle the strands at the base to seprate it and spread it around the sides of the nest

Carefully wiggle the strands at the base to seprate it and spread it around the sides of the nest

Continue the over and under weaving pattern up the sides of the nest

Continue the over and under weaving pattern up the sides of the nest

Fold the long strand up and gather with the rest of the side strands

To end the weave, fold the long strand up and gather with the rest of the side strands

Secure the strands with a pliable willow stem

Secure the strands with a pliable willow stem

See the Tutorial below for more detailed instructions on manipulating stems

Tie a knot in the stem

Tie a knot in the stem

Slip the chocolate eggs into the nest basket

Slip a chocolate egg into the nest basket...

or three

... or better yet, slip three chocolate eggs into the basket

And glue in a few test tubes as a water source for the fresh flowers

And glue in a few test tubes as a water source for the fresh flowers... and the basket is ready to design with

See the Tutorial below for detailed instructions for making your own test tubes from drinking straws

For my display I set the basket on an upturned wine glass

Design note: For my display I set the basket on an upturned wine glass

Every week I add a new design with related tutorials. Be sure to subscribe to receive an email notification with design inspiration.

Tutorials

8 June 2011 Foliage Weaving

For this tutorial I focus on a simple weave pattern that does not require you to soften or prepare the leaves to be more durable or flexible. This is the starting point in...

15 October 2014 Thanks Weaving Hat

This is the basic pattern used to weave a hat

19 February 2013 Manipulating stems: Snapping at an angle, Bending, Spiraling, Curling and Straightening

Most stems, twigs and even sturdier branches can be bend into shapes. It takes practice and more than a bit of patience. The main idea is to slowly manipulate the branch without...

4 January 2011 Drinking straw "test tubes"

When you need to keep a tiny stem hydrated this is just what you need.

Related Designs

8 April 2015 Just think!

Weave a nest for chocolate Easter eggs

11 April 2017 Well… we did it again!

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8 April 2020 Don’t put all your Baskets in one Egg

A bit of a wrong way round pretty Easter design. Put the basket weave inside the egg instead of putting the eggs in a basket.

29 March 2023 To grow a patch of grass of our very own

The first of my new monthly articles about growing the material you need to design with. This month we are taking stock of what we need... and growing wheatgrass.

3 May 2023 Spring Row

Viola and chives cleverly dancing upright in a row.