THE BASKET MAKER

The raw materials for basketry must be both flexible and resistant. On a local scale, the plants that meet these characteristics are: straw, wicker, sea rushes, wood chips, beech, oak, birch and even chestnut stems. Others are imported, such as rattan, raffia, alfa, sorghum, palm leaves and bamboo. To these multiple materials can be added aniline dye, alcohol varnish and glues according to the desired object, as well as ribbons or satins.

Wicker grows everywhere, despite popular belief. It is harvested from December to April with sharp tools such as pruning knives, knives or secateurs. However, it cannot be used while it is still green. The objects produced would otherwise be brittle. The wicker dries in the open air, from May to June, and is transformed into a ready-to-use wicker: grey wicker. The strands are then braided and packed together with sticks.

The wicker basket is a round basket used mainly for raising bread. Straw and bramble are used to make it. Rye straw is preferred, as it is hard. It is harvested from May to June when it grows into a cob and can be stored until winter. Bramble is easier to work with when harvested between December and February; it is more flexible. After removing the thorns, the bramble is cut into 3 parts; only the ends are used. The sections are then drained of their sap with a knife; only the bark should remain! Finally, the edges are trimmed along the entire length to reduce the curved shape of the bramble. The basket maker's work can begin! The technique is to bind straw to bramble bark around a loop. The process is repeated to create a spiral pattern that will give the wicker basket its shape.