Basket Making
Reference DIY Basketry Vintage Crafts Crafts Decorative Art Traditional Skills
Basket Making by Olivia Elton Barratt is the 1992 hard-cover bible that collectors and crafters reach for when they want the classic, pre-internet know-how that modern YouTube tutorials still quote. Printed on heavy, matte stock and library-bound to stay flat on the workbench, this 224-page reference walks absolute beginners through harvesting willow, shaping stakes, twining, randing and finishing a market basket, then scales up to picnic hampers, bicycle panniers and sculptural art pieces. Every step is illustrated with crisp black-and-white photos and measured diagrams, so you can see exactly how the angle of a spoke or the tension of a weave changes the final form. Unlike quick pamphlets, Barratt devotes whole chapters to design theory—proportion, color, handle ergonomics—so readers learn to invent their own patterns instead of copying a single template.
What makes this copy special is condition: the dust jacket shows only light shelf scuffing, the signature square binding is still drum-tight, and every page is clean, unmarked and free of the foxing that plagues most 30-year-old craft titles. Because Basket Making went through only one U.S. print run before F&W Books shifted focus, unjacketed ex-library copies usually flood the market; a collector-grade hardcover like this one—never inscribed, never stamped—has become genuinely scarce. Whether you’re a traditional artisan reviving heritage techniques, an art teacher building a STEM basketry unit, or a hobbyist who wants a single authoritative guide that will outlast trend cycles, this volume delivers the historical context, safety notes and project sequence today’s reprints leave out.
Searchers hunting “how to weave a sturdy Easter basket,” “willow basketry instructions for beginners,” or “best vintage basket making book” consistently land on Barratt’s title because its thorough index cross-references every alternate name—stake-and-strand, splint, Nantucket, rib basket—making it effortless to locate the exact technique you need. Pick up this well-preserved 1992 edition and you’ll own both a practical manual and a piece of craft-book history that appreciates in value as handcrafted homewares surge back into style.
Refer to our eBay listing for a full condition report and many more high-quality pictures of this item.
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