Preparing willow for basket making: Soaking (answering questions, no background music)
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- Опубликовано: 3 июл 2024
- Here I finally sit down and try to answer all your questions on how to prepare willow for weaving. I go into a lot of detail on soaking, how to know when willow is ready, mellowing, soaking options, what to do after soaking etc.
Enjoy!
Time stamps:
2.35: willow types for weaving
6.43: 90 degree rule
7.43: Mellowing
10.29: Soaking tank options
11.57: Water temperature
13.39: Steaming
16.00: Keeping willow after soaking
17.18: Topping up after soaking when willow is going dry
18.43: Over soaking
19.29: Mold
21.46: Soaking timeline
Music by Benjamin Thompson, Lullaby
I am a full-time basket maker and artist living in Tipperary, Ireland with my family. Off-grid in the forest on a mountain.
My website: hannavanaelst.com/
FREE Online course BASKET MAKING FOR BEGINNERS:
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My online program: BECOMING A BASKET MAKER. 3 courses
Course 1: Round work
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This group is to discuss basket making techniques and materials for basket making, learn from each other, share projects and pictures and pose questions: Basket making with Hanna Van Aelst
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In a world of maximizing profit off your hobbies and artistic skill, Thank YOU for giving this for free 😊😊 ive always wanted to weave but I've never seen Anything so comprehensive!
Wow, what a treasure trove of information! Your my hero! soaking was so intimidating, but you broke it down so that now I am excited to get enough willow grown to get to this process. I finally figured out how to grow my willow successfully! I am going to keep expanding my willow beds but I may actually have enough for a few small projects possibly. Its all very exciting but taking years here to get there, but we are getting there slowly. Thanks for all the great insight, inspiration and encouragement.
So much better than plastic dollar store containers, ironically it will have longer service life too. I love the colour shifts you put in your work!
You have such a generous spirit. Thank you for sharing all this wealth with the world. God bless you always.
Thanks Hanna, learned loads. Love the splish, splosh splashing at the beginning of the video. Away to find a neighbour with an old canoe!
Thank you for your kindness and extensive teaching about willow. Been loving your videos. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much for sharing this great information!
I appreciate your videos so much Hanna - thank you for sharing your knowledge with us! I just started weaving about a month ago and I really got the bug, it's such a lovely thing to do/practice. Sending love from Canada!
Oh thank you Catherine, that is so lovely to hear!
Hannah, thank you so much. Such useful information.x
thank yoou so much for all the info you provided. id be lost without you
Great video! Finally I get what to do with my willow
Thank you so much love watching x
Thank you for this comprehensive introduction. Made me keen to begin experimenting!
Muchas gracias por compartir tus conocimientos, resultan muy educativos. Soy de Asturias (North Spain) y desgraciadamente aquí se han perdido este tipo de actividades que eran habituales en nuestro entorno rural hace apenas una generación. Me acercaré a la orilla de nuestro río y cortaré unas ramas de sauce, aquí las llamamos "blimas", para poner en práctica tus enseñanzas. ¡Mucha salud!.
good to have you back.
Oh how lovely!
Thank you! Just the information I needed. You do such a great job.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you. I appreciate the discussion and detail. I will watch several times, I am sure💫
Glad it was helpful!
Fantastic - thank you so much for sharing your expertise.
My pleasure Anne!
Thank you so much for this video Hanna, You answered all my recent ponderings on soaking my willow! Much love
Wonderful! Delighted to hear that.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge, very much appreciated and extremely helpful!
Glad it was helpful!
Hi Hanna, Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with everyone - really appreciate your help great suggestions for types of containers to use to soak the willow. I've been soaking it in the bath but family get a bit fed up with me as it has to be taken out so they can have a bath 🤣 Thank you again 🥰
You are so welcome!
Ha ha I have been there too!
Great video hannah, thankyou 😊👌🌿🌳
Glad you enjoyed it!
Wonderful info on your videos, thank you
Very Helpful. Thank you very much.
Hallo Hanna, I wached this Video twice or more and I am steel learning! You are a realy treasure of knowledge!❤Thanks!
Great to hear Martha, thanks! Much love to you xxx
Thank you so much! This was very informative.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you, I learned a lot!🤗🐝❤️
I'm so glad!
Thank you for sharing the info. I live in Arizona. Super dry here. So I soaked my willows with water. Hopefully I have longer lasting willows. And more pliable
Thanks Hanna! 😘
You're welcome!
Thank you for sharing this
You are so welcome
Привет! Очень благодарна за видео! Это очень важные уроки и опыт. Рада, что вы записали много видео. Спасибо!
Thank you! Happy you are here!
Thank you very helpful
Glad it helped
Show how can u splite a willow stick for use of basket.
More please 🥺
Such valuable information!
Since hot water can change the color of the willow, I'm assuming that steaming will as well? If so, does it do so even more than just hot water? How does hot change the color...make it more dull in color? Or more vibrant like cooking broccoli turning it a darker green? Or what?
Another question: We just bought some land (finally!) and are going to plant some different types of willow in the wetter areas. The problem is, we have loads of dear and elk out there, not to mention bunnies. I'm thinking that they will come eat the bark and ruin the crop? Do I need to find a way to protect it from wildlife by fencing it out or something, or is some damage/loss just part of the deal and we need to plant extra accordingly?
I'm learning so much from you about using willow. I really appreciate you and all that you're sharing!
Hi Carole, you're so welcome!
Yes steaming would change the colour even more. Mostly making the bark darker in colour. So I would never steam my green, yellow, red willow to preserve the colour. It can make some willow a lovely chocolatey brown though which can be beautiful too!
Deer, elk and rabbits all eat willow. You will have to see how hungry for willow they are depending on the availability of wild willow around. We tried without fences and in the end had to fence the willow patch. But I know in other countries where no fence is needed. You will have to try and see!
Much love
Amazing video, thank you! I wonder if it is fine (note: fine, not ideal) to use willow if it does not break when bending it to 90 degrees, but does break when bending it more than 90 degrees-100, 110 degrees for instance.
Norma St. Germain
Thanks for that very informative talk! I have found that preparing the willow for weaving is the hardest part of learning to make willow baskets. My question is - can you keep willow from molding and/or drying out by freezing it (wrapped in sheets) . I want to weave more in the summer when it gets hot. In winter I leave it outside when it is very cold (Vermont USA) and it keeps very well. Could I put it in a freezer in the summer to keep it usable longer?
Yes absolutely! That one thing I did not get into. Freezing is the best way to keep willow once soaked. Just take out and leave to thaw for an hour or so before weaving. And you can refreeze again after.
Thank you very much for your videos. I would like to ask if you know, if I can use for baskets chaste tree instead of willow using the same procedure?
I don't know, I have no experience using it. I would say try it out, you have nothing to lose only to gain experience and knowledge.
How long does dry willow keep after harvested?
Would blackberry-vines be fine too for this process?
Hi Hannah, thank you so much for your video. My husband is learning and has tried steaming in a number of ways. He is currently using a sewer pipe. The time you suggest of a number of hours - is this the total time or is it per foot. He doesnt seem to get it to a pliable 90 degrees bend. He is using brown willow. Thank you. Margaret
Hi Margaret. Did he soak before steaming? steaming dry rods does not work. So soak first for a day per foot. Then steam for an hour or so depending on thickness.
Hope this helps?
amazing artist and technical expert. Have reblogged via Sustainable Geoscience
Thank you very much Hanna. About steaming, what does it look like? How do you do that? Could we see? I can't figure it.
Hi Suzanne I made a video about syeami g my willow a while back you can look at that to see my set up. But I might make another longer one soon with more info.
Hi Suzanne I made a video about syeami g my willow a while back you can look at that to see my set up. But I might make another longer one soon with more info.
@@HannaVanAelst ok. Thank you Hanna. I will look for it. I thought I knew all your vidéo😍. Where could I find it?
How important is water quality? I could pond soak, but my pond is a little stagnant during certain times of the year. It's not muddy, but not the cleanest water. What do you think?
Can you make a basket base ahead of time? In other words, is it ok to make a basket with a base that was made previously and gone dry?
Yes sure, i do that all the time.
Would bog water be good for stocking Wellows
I have not tried it, don't see why not.
When soaking, how do you prevent sprouting?
Willow is fully dried out before soaking, so it can shrink. this means it is dead and can't sprout.
Just wanted to ask about soaking, then steaming. E.g brown willow. Would the 3hr steaming, follow on from the '1day, per foot' soak? I have steamed bundles for 30mins after, (as a top up). I prob soak a 1/3 the quantity i saw in the video. 3 hrs sounds quite a long time. Just interested to know the willows steaming limits!
Hi Jakki, Yes I steam after soaking willow the usual time. You can slightly under soak, and then steam. And yes steaming to 'top up' is a great method I have also used. What I try to avoid though is steaming more then once. The skin will get soft and damage easily. But my 3 hour steaming is in a large box. If you only have a small quantity in a smaller space (a tube or wrapped in plastic) half an hour might do fine.
@@HannaVanAelst Thanks!
Wow this is such a cool and informative video! I recently became interested in Willow weaving thanks to a lovely fiction book I read. In the Pearl thief by Elizabeth Wein one of the characters is a Tinker and weaves and sells willow baskets. My searches brought me to your channel. One day I hope to try basket weaving.. I love wicker baskets and dislike our constant reliance on plastic and how it continues to break and is so cheaply made. Thanks for a great channel! Question: Is there any willow that you can't weave with? I might practice with some green willow near my house but I live in Canada so it is quite a different climate than Ireland. :) Cheers!
Hi, most willow will work. There is some that will snap easily though. To find out which one it is take a one year old skinny branch fresh and wrap it around your finger or wrist. It should not snap. If it does move on. And there is no harm in trying and experimenting!
@@HannaVanAelst Thank you! :)
Have you tried flower pot method,
When we bring flower, we keep base of flower in vertical position inside water, keep base in standing position upto 10 cm.and it remain fresh for two three days. You can keep for fifteenth days in vertical position.
Try it ,thanks for this vedio.
Jay bharat.
It will remain fresh. Jay bharat.
You keep changing water, it can remain for months. Changing water keep it fresh. Jay bharat.
I use this method to keep my herb stick fresh when I am not using it.
Jay bharat.
um im pretty sure i hear backgroud music>>
Thank you Hanna, it is always inspiring to listen to you. I believe you saved the most important lesson for last: we need to learn to listen to the willow, eh?
Again, thank you.
So true!