What You Need to know about Pine Needle Basket Making

You must have been intrigued by one and decided that you have to learn how to make a pine needle basket as a new hobby. The fact is that with a bit of instructions, weaving skills and dedication, by observing these few tips, you are well on your way!

• Gather pine tree needles from a tree – there are the long ones and the short. Whichever is available is fine.
• Prepare the needles for weaving by soaking the needles in bucket of hot, soapy water. A bit of added chlorine bleaches the leaves and kills moulds.
• Allow the needles to remain for a while in the solution before rinsing and spreading it out to dry.
• Store away the needles in bundles in a hollow tube until all is set to commence your basket weaving. Cardboard tubes will suffice.
• Before weaving starts, you need to soften the leaves to prevent it from snapping easily during the weaving process. Soak the pine needles in a container of hot water for about 20 minutes. Some weavers prefer to remove the fascicle on the end of the needles at this stage – it is purely optional.
• The next step is to choose the type and colour of the thread that you want to use. You are at liberty to allow your artistic self loose. After all, you want to create a basket that is not only beautiful but unique.
• There are many methods to form your basket base. Research and use whichever way you desire or are most comfortable with. The idea is same as weaving with any other materials.
• Weaving time is totally up to the weaver, you can take a few days to a few months to finish your project but, always remember to soak the needles in hot water each time you plan to weave. In fact, leaving it in water for a few days doesn’t really destroy the pine needles.
Pine needle baskets – raffia, making is a Native American art form. Fresh or dried pine needles can be used to weave the baskets and can take as much time as you need as long as you prepare the needles properly each time you wish to weave.

There are plenty of video links online that shows step-by-step methods of how to make a pine needle basket. This could be a new hobby that you could take up to feel those spare moments that you dread. Although some level of sewing or knitting skill is required to master this hobby, all you need to make your first basket is the internet, pine needles and a lot of patience!



Chris has written this article and he likes to write and share articles on topics like how to make a pine needle basket and pine needle basketry.