Map Basket

Unusual baskets can be a focal point, a conversation piece or a source of inspiration. A basket can tell a story or evoke a particular mood. This decorative basket's mood was "contentment in isolation."

The note I scribed for inside the basket read: " If you weave your heavenly thoughts, your heartfelt grace and your utmost praise deep within your spirit... then wherever your travels take you, you will be home"

Supplies
freshly harvested, long, green twigs
rawhide strands
map of USA
skein of raffia
assorted baby blue glass beads & 10- 1" wood beads
craft wire
grape vine wreath
wire cutters, scissors

Instructions
1. Submerse grapevine wreath in warm water bath.
2. Cut map into 1" strips and set aside.
3. String approximately 5' of wire with assorted glass beads and set aside.
4. String another separate 2' of wire alternating clusters of glass beads and the wooden beads.
5. Evenly arrange clusters of raffia in 10 strand bundles.
6. Unroll soaking grapevine wreath and pull out seven 4' lengths of the stronger branches, and one 51/2 ' lengths for up over the top and forming the handle.
7. Straighten them out as much as possible and set centers one on top of the other. If there is curve, let the curve face upward.
8. Using the rawhide cording, begin to wrap and stabilize the bottom of the basket at this core. Weave in an over- under pattern with the following components in this order.
9. Raffia, twigs, map, twigs, repeat. Now the layers are forming. Keep them as tight as possible.
10. Twist the two long heavy twigs together across the top forming an archway handle and carefully weave the "tails" back down into the basket.
11. Trim the tops of all the remaining twigs 1" above the top row-- this should end with twigs.
12. Using the 5' length of beaded wire, secure the snipped tops by wrapping a full circle around each twig, then move to the next one. Do this around the entire top.
13. Now take the 2' length of wire and twist around carrying handle. Secure on both ends by wrapping several times around stable basket twig.

There you have it. The blue beads around the top coordinate to the map strips and reflect the colors of a sunny sky.