Recapping the month of January brings to mind the basket weaving class that the girls and I attended. The class was educational, informative, and fun.
I became interested in the seminar when I learned that the demonstration would be making baskets with birch bark. I’ve been collecting birch bark, hoping to do something creative with it, and basket weaving seemed like an interesting option.
The instructor took his time and gave an informative and thorough demonstration. I forget the number of hours that go into making a birch bark basket, but it is very time-consuming. The bark must be soaked in water, shaped, and then sewn together to form a basket shape. With all of the labor and craftsmanship that goes in to one of these baskets, there is no doubt in my mind as to why they are so expensive.
There was a variety of baskets for inspection, and my girls and I enjoyed looking at the uniqueness of each carefully crafted basket.
At the moment, I am focused on branch art, but if I ever decide to try my hand at a birch bark basket, the class showed me more than enough of the basic fundamentals for getting started.
If you would like to make a birch bark basket, you may find this site helpful.
