Ivy Basket Weaving Tutorial

[@scabdah]

Thanks for the tutorial! My mother taught me this technique with willow branches when I was about 6 years old, but I'd forgotten the specifics over the past 12 years. Now, for my 18th birthday, I'll be able to make her a basket like the one she made me once upon a time.

[@freethefern]

Oh what a lovely connection to your mother! I love that! It is so great to see these old skills being used again - reconnecting with the land and nature crafts. I am sure your mom will be so happy to receive your handmade basket ❤️

[@minakhan8184]

I’m from the lower mainland as well!! ❤ this is the best tutorial I’ve seen I finally understand how to do this now

[@freethefern]

Awesome! So glad the tutorial was useful for you. Please reach out with us at Free the Fern if you would like to gather more ivy with us for weaving!

[@spectacularbear]

I am from the lower mainland and somehow I never thought about this... I will be able to fight the ivy in style now

[@freethefern]

Greetings! Glad to inspire you to do something useful with invasive ivy!

[@sophiaw2195]

Thank you for this tutorial! Thanks to you, I made my first basket and removed invasive ivy from my yard!

[@freethefern]

Yay! Great work! Happy to support your stewardship and ecoart effort! 😊

[@sprhtiger]

That was incredibly helpful. Thank you. I didn't know how to start weaving until I saw your video. There are other sites but not very good ones for beginners, I feel anyway, they either go to fast at the beginning or their method is not a very good one, I found yours to be both easy to follow and do. So thank you. Shane from Australia 🇦🇺

[@freethefern]

Thank you for your kind words. Glad to hear it was helpful for beginner weavers! Happy weaving! 😊

[@yulia_plat]

Your video helped me so much! Very clear and useful explanation! I needed to make a miniature basket for a barbie doll, so I used wire as the base and natural hemp cord as the weaver. I struggled so much when I tried to do with only one the weaver based on another video, but with two I got it right away the way I wanted. I really enjoyed your enthusiasm and presentation of information. I send my best wishes🤗

[@freethefern]

A Barbie basket?! Fantastic! So glad you found the video helpful and you were able to adapt the technique to your materials and purposes.

[@sandravanderschaaf3853]

What a lovely gentle instructional video. Thank you!

[@freethefern]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Mushels]

I’m so excited and can’t wait to go make some baskets! Thank you

[@freethefern]

Glad you found the video useful - have fun with your basket making!

[@parry3231]

Great 👍 👌 ❤Twinning feeding in the weaver..just keep going. Twinning ❤

[@yoo571]

Thanks, I've been interested in how it's started and couldn't find how, now this video was recommended to me, very well explained

[@freethefern]

Glad the video was recommended to you and you found it useful! That was the goal of creating this video - to inspire more people from around the world to try ivy weaving. Best of luck!

[@soniacriswell269]

Awesome! Good, clear and precise! Very inspiring! Thank you!

[@freethefern]

Thank you! Glad you found it useful!

[@moniquerichards6099]

Wow this is so beautiful I’m looking forward to trying this Thank you

[@freethefern]

You’re welcome 😊

[@niijntje]

I'm so happy to see this tutorial. I have been using ivy as cordage when making plant supports for the garden, but only wearing gloves and full length clothing because from google searches and asking around it seems that even if it is not the poison ivy species but common ivy, its sap can be an irritant on the skin (and having sometimes very delicate skin I tend to be cautious) - but clearly from the way you handle it, it doesn't seem to be a problem. So why on earth isn't it more popular? I was assuming that its 'poison' _had_ to be bad since it's such a great material otherwise. Have everyone else just been fooled like me?

[@freethefern]

There is a small chance that person may find ivy irritating to their skin. However, in the many workshops with weaving ivy we have run, I have never had a single person exhibit a reaction to common English ivy. So, this reaction seems to be incredibly rare. Yes, I agree with you that ivy should be used more, as it is a very useful weaving material! Plus we want people to gather it in our parks and forest spaces, as it poses a risk to climbing and killing the local trees. If ivy weaving becomes more popular, it could do wonders for our local environment!

[@niijntje]

@@freethefern I agree. Our forest garden has quite a big area covered in ivy, and while I don't mind some of it aesthetically, when you want a garden on the wilder side (so not mowing between trees and fighting nature all the time), seeing ivy taking over a previously diverse patch is a bit of a bummer. But an important lesson I learned about weeds and unwanted plants is that the property that annoys you the most about a 'weed' is often a good indicator of how that plant can be a resource - so plants that are really hard to get rid of often are so because of their strong fibers - meaning they probably serve well as cordage or weaving material. And that made the ivy invasion a lot easier to handle, mentally. But going from harvesting a bit of cordage to actually making baskets is a lot more motivating! I just needed to know I wasn't completely bonkers for using it 😀 So thanks a lot! - I hope this trend catches on! ❤

[@freethefern]

@@niijntje I hope it catches on too. Very observant about the properties of invasives. Yes, I have heard from another eco-artist who uses morning glory for cordage too. It is so strong! We used it recently for making a bird nesting cage (see our most recent video on our channel). Best of luck and happy weaving!

[@bernadetterussell5891]

Thank you for sharing your skills and knowledge

[@freethefern]

My pleasure!

[@martadugoecka7003]

Now I understand how to do it, thank you! :)

[@freethefern]

Glad the video was helpful to you! Happy weaving!

[@AllisonWCone]

Thank you so much for sharing this technique. You explain it very well. I really appreciate it. I am wondering if one wanted to make a larger basket, would it be as simple as using more across the bottom instead of 3 and 3, maybe 10 and 10?

[@freethefern]

Yes, if you wanted to do a larger basket you would need to add more stake to frame your basket. In addition, each stake would need to be cut longer. I have seen someone create a very large laundry basket out of ivy. It does take more time to complete of course! If any of your ivy starts to dry out, it can also soaked in water to make it flexible again. Best of luck!

[@ecampbell7166]

Love the idea of using invasives in such a positive way! Could you use a basket like this for food storage? Would it be safe for kids to play with? Or should those be avoided since ivy is poisonous?

[@freethefern]

English ivy leaves are not poisonous (unlike poison ivy, which you might be thinking of). You can actually buy ivy cough syrup at the pharmacy here in Vancouver, Canada. So, it is definetly fine for kids to play with the basket. As for food, we have had people use the baskets to store fruit, but other wet food wouldn’t work due to its structure. Many use the baskets to put small potted plants in, store buttons etc, and tall baskets can be used as a pen holder. So many uses!

[@Child-of-Astara]

Sooo... I can go ahead and weave while the ivy is still fresh? Or is it better to dry and rehydrate later?

[@freethefern]

I have always woven from fresh ivy. I think it is preferrable to weave from the fresh ivy, as the ivy is perfectly pliable and does not need to be soaked in water to "remoisten". You may collect it a day or two in advance of weaving, though. I would only dry ivy if I would need to collect it and use later in an area where ivy is not accessible. As, it ivy is readily available in my area, I have no need to dry for later.

[@lisascenic]

Very inspirational! Thank you!

[@freethefern]

You are so welcome!

[@IAMGiftbearer]

I didn't know you could use English Ivy to weave with! I have tons of it in my yard and have been researching basket making techniques, so this will be really helpful! Do you do anything to prepare it or just pull it out of the ground and use it?

[@freethefern]

You can use the ivy freshly picked (just remove the leaves and trim off any small roots). If you want to gather ivy and use it later to weave, you can hang the ivy to dry and then soak in water to make it soft and flexible again. But I have always used my ivy fresh (gathered at most 2 days before using). Happy weaving!

[@IAMGiftbearer]

@@freethefern I gathered a bunch of it about a day ago and am working on two muscadine vine baskets first; one is a big harvest basket and the other is a random woven tall skinny basket. Once those are completed I'll start some ivy ones! I'm looking forward to comparing the muscadine to ivy and honeysuckle. Muscadine is very stiff compared to the other two from what I can see so far. I hope you'll do more of these weaving videos. I just subscribed to your channel!

[@janahudak4304]

wow beautiful basket

[@freethefern]

Thank you! It is so fun to make them too :)

[@susansimaunda4103]

So good.

[@Christina-dw8we]

I'd like to try this but I can't tell what he's doing to get the new weaver in :(

[@freethefern]

Sorry that integrating the new weaver wasn’t clear. To integrate a new weaver, you match it up with the weaver you are replacing and trace back the path of this previous weaver (like it’s twin or shadow) for a few over and under movements through the basket. This allows the new weaver to be stuck in the basket and then it can be used as the new weaver. I hope that makes sense!

[@hanankhalaf8813]

شكرا لتعليمك هذا الفن الرائع ❤ بارك الله في هاتين اليدين باسم يسوع ❤❤ اربد معرفة اسم هذا النوع من النبات هل تستطيع ان ترسل لي علي الخاص صورة لشجرة هذا النبات؟ تحية لك من مصر❤

[@freethefern]

The plant we used is called English ivy.

[@Child-of-Astara]

Are you guys branching out and "spreading" to Vancouver Island? Your work is needed there!!

[@freethefern]

Thank you for your comment. I love your idea of "spreading" stewardship, rather than spreading invasive species. Currently, Free the Fern is a volunteer stewardship group focusing on invasive removal in South East Vancouver. But, there is a regional invasive species organization on the island: www.coastalisc.com/ They do amazing work in the area of invasive species removal and education. I would recommend reaching out to them, if you wish to get involved on the island!

[@trspriyadarshini2468]

Lovely

[@shawnas464]

Nice video…please excuse me…I must go find some ivy now!

[@freethefern]

Glad it was helpful! Happy weaving!

[@Child-of-Astara]

lol! 😄

[@guyosborn615]

Thank you

[@freethefern]

You are most welcome!

[@SD-co9xe]

I'd like to make a loosely woven basket that looks like a nest. I've seen birch used for this but I don't have that available to me. I wonder what other kinds of branches would work? Olive maybe?

[@freethefern]

You can make a great loosely woven basket with ivy, as seen in the video. Just don’t pull it as tight when weaving. Looks a lot like a nest when done.

[@hiyacynthia]

Love it. Can Ivy be picked anytime - right now it’s under snow?

[@freethefern]

Yes, Ivy can be picked and woven at any time of year. I have made baskets in every season with ivy. If ivy is soaking wet, such as from being covered with snow, I recommend bringing it inside and laying it down on a beach towel. Once most of the wetness is absorbed by the towel, then the ivy can be woven. Have fun! P.S. I have to also mention that woven ivy baskets, turned upside down, make a lovely lantern when you place an LED tea light below. we organized a lantern festival last December, and the ivy basket lanterns looked particularly beautiful with their warm light reflected on the freshly fallen snow.

[@hiyacynthia]

@@freethefern I’m finding some of the Ivy is brittle - the larger stems. Right now I’m harvesting from Ivy growing up a tree.

[@freethefern]

@@hiyacynthia I don’t usually use the more mature ivy that is growing up the tree, as generally the stems are more thicker and woody. I use the ivy that is trialing along the ground, which is in a younger stage of growth.

[@hiyacynthia]

@@freethefern ok

[@Child-of-Astara]

@@freethefern As a gardener and near-forest dweller who sees how older ivy is decimating the trees, has anyone come up with cool ideas for using the older/more mature/tree-climbing pieces?

[@yonwife5879]

Fantastic, thank you so much for sharing. Today I picked some ivy. If it dries out can I still use it?

[@freethefern]

Yes, you can dry the ivy and use it later. It would just need to be soaked in water to soften it before weaving.

[@yonwife5879]

Oh that’s brilliant , thank you. I’m very new too this. I’m gathering materials whilst the weather is good, with a view to weaving in the winter.

[@freethefern]

@@yonwife5879 Weaving would be a great winter activity. The nice thing about ivy too is you can harvest it all year (unlike weaving with Himalayan blackberry, which can only be harvested when the canes are flowering)

[@yonwife5879]

Oh, I didn’t know that about the blackberry. I had best get my skates on and gather some. What is the best way to store blackberry? The ivy I have tied loosely and hung it in the porch.

[@freethefern]

A great video that outlines how to make a basket from Himalayan Blackberry is this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hKGtiaOhnbx7r8k

[@Mushels]

Do you put handles on them?

[@freethefern]

I don’t generally put handles on them, but it is possible to do that as a final step. I have had workshop participants choose to do that. But, for the purposes of this introductory video, we kept it simple for finishing the basket.

[@cicifreitas9993]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@lou6137]

my ivy keeps breaking. i dried it for two months. now i'm soaking it for about 20 min

[@freethefern]

Fresh ivy is always best, if possible. Generally, we collect ivy up to 3 days before and use fresh. But, yes, if you wish to use after drying, it will need to be soaked. Good luck!

[@nannastonechild1736]

☺

[@rasitawinner8203]

Nice idea but sadly not always the best angle to see your working

[@freethefern]

Hello thank you for sharing your comment. Sorry to hear that you found it to be hard to view. We tried our best to shoot from multiple angles. It is a challenging thing to capture the weaving technique, as the hands have to move over the basket. We tried our best with what we had available. Note we made this video as a 100% volunteer effort to support public education 😊