Menu Basket
14"w x 8"h x 4"d
Summer is here now and with all the outdoor activities going on, the beach, the kid's sports, hanging with friends who wants to cook?! I'm sure you are accumulating a lot of local restaurant menus, so keep them all in one nice place with this basket. If you run a bed and breakfast or if family is staying at your house for a few days, keep brochures of local attractionsi so that they can find things to do.
Looks nice outside your office door to collect memos, too!
Materials:
- Uprights: 1/2"FF : Cut 3 @ 34"; cut 13 @ 24"
- Weavers: 1/2"FF natural and 1/4"FO natural and cranberry Locking Row: 1/4” FF
- Handles: 2 small side ears or 2 small bushel type handles
- Rim Row: 3/8"FF
- Rims: 1/2"
- Rim Filler: seagrass, #4RR or none at all
- Lasher: 1/4"FF
Let's get to weavin':
- Mark the centers of all uprights on the wrong side, then lay out base to measure 1-3/4" x 11-3/4"
- Weave a mitered locking row with a piece of 1/4” FF
- Upsett sharply… weave all 4 corners as square and vertical as possible… this will result in a very nice boxy shape.
- Weave start/stop:
- Rows 1, 2, 3: 1/2” FF
- Rows 4, 5, 6: 1/4” FO cranberry
- Row 7: 1/2” FF
- Row 8: 1/4” FO, natural
- Row 9: 1/2” FF
- Row 10: 1/4” FO, cranberry
- Row 11: 1/2” FF
- Row 12: 1/4” FO, natural
- Row 13: 1/2” FF
- Rows 14, 15, 16: 1/4” FO cranberry
- Rows 17, 18, 19: 1/2” FF
- Row 20: weave the rim row with 3/8” FF
- Pack, dry, then re-pack your basket again… Drying and packing the basket before you cut and tuck will give a tight basket.
- Re-wet the top of the basket, then cut and tuck the stakes.
- Sand your handles with coarse sand paper, then final sand with a fine sand paper, rub done with fine steel wool or fine scotchbrite. This will make your handle SMOOTH.
- Insert them into the basket
- Rim with 1/2” FO
- Double lash with 1/4" lashing, use the rim filler of your choice.
- As your basket is drying, make the rim corners very square by gently squeezing into a nice crisp shape... slow and steady, though, you don't want to crack it...
Sign, stain and enjoy!