Finishing Pine Needle Baskets: Sealing and Waxing for Preservation and Longevity

In episode 6 of the pine needle basket series, we'll be finishing a pine needle basket, including how to seal and wax the basket.
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[@VikingMakery]

Love how small they turned out. The colors look great.

[@TextileIndie]

Thank you! It was a very satisfying project.

[@spinningLola]

This is very good info and your videos are engaging. I have shared them with my own university students incase they forget what I showed them in class. Thanks for the quality videos!

[@TextileIndie]

Thank you so much for sharing them with your students, thats amazing! I hope you enjoy teaching!

[@sharonmcanoe]

Thanks for covering this. It makes sense to finish and protect your lovely creations. I like the third recipe, as it sounds much more natural. Looking forward to getting some time to try this out 🤗

[@TextileIndie]

I like that recipe the best too. I'd love to see your project, you can tag me on all the social @textileindie

[@heathergreen4055]

Tyanks for this video. I was wondering if you have successfully used any oils other than jojoba mixed with beeswax and pine reain? I just finished a basket, and have resin and beeswax, but no jojoba. :(

[@TextileIndie]

I have not tested with other oils, but I would imagine something thats a liquid at room temperature would probably work as a substitute. Maybe a little olive oil would do the trick?

[@kelsworthy]

Have you tried Clapham’s Salad Bowl beeswax finish on baskets?? It’s good grade , so safe to use for baskets used to serve food. I’m going to use it today. Not sure if I’ll need to put in oven to soak into needles.

[@kelsworthy]

Food grade

[@TextileIndie]

I have not tried Clapham's, I hadn't heard of it until you mentioned it. Let me know how it goes.

[@kelsworthy]

I tried the Clapham’s. It is made of just beeswax and mineral oil. It takes a while to soak in using hairdryer. It darkened the needles. I didn’t wipe off excess, so there is a bit of sticky residue that seems to be soaking in over time

[@FuzzyPanda962]

I created a pine needle basket similar to the dish made in part 5, just taller. It has now dried out and I want to seal it but I'm unsure: do I need to try to re-moisturize the needles before sealing with wax? Like, to capture the moisture inside? Or do I need to leave it dry before I apply beeswax/parafin?

[@TextileIndie]

Hello! You do want it to be completely dry before adding any sealer so that it doesn’t mold from the inside out. So dry and then seal. If you do beeswax and paraffin this will naturally add the conditioning the pine needles need. All the other methods are the same, dry first and then apply the sealing method.

[@elisasmith649]

Great video! What temp should the oven be? Is 200 degrees ok? How many minutes do you leave it in the oven?

[@TextileIndie]

Thank you for watching and for your question! When it comes to drying pine needles for basket-making, a lower temperature is preferable to preserve their color and natural oils. Around 200 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 93 degrees Celsius) is a good temperature to use. As for the duration, it's recommended to dry them for about 20-30 minutes, but keep a close eye on them to prevent over-drying. The exact time may vary depending on your oven, and how dry the needles are to begin with, so checking them regularly is key. Have you made a pine needle basket?

[@elisasmith649]

@@TextileIndie thanks for the tips! Yes, I made one this last week.

[@TextileIndie]

@@elisasmith649 Did you get it sealed? How did it turn out?

[@ellenwilson9429]

Beeswax and oil

[@TextileIndie]

Is that what you used on your basket?

[@danettecross8608]

Shellac is not poly based. It's made from bugs actually.

[@TextileIndie]

Oh interesting! Learn something new every day. Thanks!

[@dalebaker9788]

Melt the wax in microwave oven

[@TextileIndie]

Good tip