Baskets from foraged materials

I’ve been interested in foraging for food for a few years, after attending a foraging walk, but I hadn’t thought about how foraged items could be used in other ways. Just by chance I came across this free workshop that was being run by Jan Hendry at Lochore Meadows, to learn to make baskets from foraged materials.

The morning was spent learning the technique of making the baskets. We stripped the leaves of bulrushes into thin pieces, then bunched these together and stitched them, using a technique that is used by Native Americans. You can also use rope found on beaches, and I'm keen to try this!



In the early afternoon, when our baskets were well on their way to being finished, some of us had a walk in the woods to gather interesting things to add to the baskets – berries, seed heads, etc.



After that I had time to make a second basket – I had kept my first basket really tiny so it was quick to make.



This was a really useful workshop and it has given me lots of ideas about how I can use foraged materials. I took some of the bulrush leaves home with me, and I was able to make an even tinier, dollshouse-sized, basket the next day!