Art of basket weaving

Wickerwork is the production of household and artistic products from various elastic materials, one of the oldest crafts. It originated, like ceramics, before the processing of wood and metal, which required appropriate tools. Its traces have been found by archaeologists as far back as the Neolithic period. The oldest examples of Ukrainian wickerwork date back to the late 18th century and early 19th century and are preserved in museums in Kyiv, Lviv, and other cities.

Wicker products made from willow are one of the oldest crafts in Ukraine, and the process is quite lengthy and meticulous. The products were used for storing, transporting, and carrying goods, as well as for making fences and utility rooms. Traditional wickerwork encompasses a wide range of items from construction elements and furniture to small products and toys. Wickerwork was both blind and openwork. Openwork weaving was mainly used in furniture weaving. In the early 1930s, wickerwork transitioned from a cottage industry to factory production.

Wickerwork developed in areas where willow grew. It is pliable and does not break when bent or woven. Over the centuries, technical methods for processing the material for weaving have accumulated, along with skills in utilizing its practical capabilities and artistic features.

Characteristic features of willow products are that they are lightweight, convenient, quite durable, and can be used in various natural conditions. The practical utility of the items is the foundation of their design. The most common products include baskets, flower holders, breadbaskets, plant pot stands, bottles, and trays.

In many areas of Hutsulshchyna, folk craftsmen specializing in wickerwork produce furniture such as tables of various shapes, chairs, cabinets, bookshelves, and beds. Wicker furniture is universally associated with a special home coziness. These items create the soulful atmosphere that seemed to have forever faded away with the past, measured and calm life, ancient estates, and touching tea gatherings under blooming apple trees. Wicker products conditionally form six categories: furniture, decorative plastic, household items, baskets, clothing items, and toys.

Harvesting willow takes place in the autumn over two months. The willow stems should be 1200-1500 cm long. After cutting the willow, the stems are tied into bundles of up to 10 kg. To obtain the necessary raw material, the bundles need to be boiled for two hours. Therefore, the stems are manually stripped of their bark, and the main thing during cleaning is not to damage the stem, and they are dried in special dryers. The raw material is stored in a room that is constantly ventilated. Ventilation is one of the mandatory conditions for storing willow. Before starting the weaving process, the willow is soaked in water for two hours. Only after this can it be used for work (it becomes suitable for processing).

There are several types of weaving:

Simple weaving through one stake (this method is mainly used for weaving the walls of products)

Simple weaving through several stakes (this method is used for securing and fixing)

Layered weaving (this weaving is formed with several rods through one stake)

Row weaving

Square weaving

Weaving with cords

Weaving "zalinki"

Diagonal weaving (this type finishes the weaving of baskets and other items)

Openwork weaving (weaving with open cells)

Diamond-shaped weaving

Weaving of closed figures.

Folk decorative art of weaving is a unique artistic phenomenon of Ukrainian folk art.

The artistic foundation of it is a rational correlation of tradition and innovation, collectivity and individuality in the creative process. Folk weaving art is characterized by precision, clarity, and impeccable perfection. This is the result of the labor of many generations, an artistic tradition that has absorbed the experience of the past.

The technique of wickerwork.

There are several types (main) of weaving. The simplest is weaving with one end. This method is mainly used for weaving the walls of products. In a closed contour (circle, oval) and continuous weaving, the number of stakes must be odd.

Weaving with one end can be done not only through one stake—one in front, the other behind—but also in another order: one in front, two behind, one behind, two in front, two behind, two in front.

Weaving with two ends is used in row application during continuous weaving with an even number of stakes.

Weaving with two ends using a cord – this method is used at the beginning of weaving, as this method secures and fixes in a specific position in one pass, as well as for separating one type of weaving from another.

Weaving with three ends (cord in three rods).

This type of weaving is used for decorating the beginning or end of weaving, as well as for separating one type of weaving from another. Sometimes it is also used for continuous weaving when a beautiful item needs to be obtained.

Weaving with a paired rod.

Weaving should begin with 2-3 cords in two or three rods.

Weaving starts with the butts. Two rods are inserted behind one stake with the butts and then wrapped around the stake in front, two, and behind, the third stake is brought outside. The next two rods are inserted behind the stake, woven in the stakes, and brought outside. Thus, two rods are woven for each stake. After this, each pair is woven around the next two stakes until the rods run out.

All pairs of rods must wrap around the number of stakes.

Weaving a braid.

The braid from the ends of the stakes is woven as follows. The extreme left stake is bent to the right outside, next to it are laid two rods of the same length and thickness as the stake; the ends are released inside by 2.5-3 mm. Between the second and third stakes, two rods are laid, releasing the ends outside and the tops inside.

Then they are pressed down with the end of the second stake, bending them outside to the right: the end of the third stake is bent the same way as the end of the first, and next to it, two rods are laid with the ends inside. Thus, due to the additional rods, one side is turned double, and the other side has triple ends. The further work consists of weaving the braid with two rods to the right and three to the left. From the three rods laid to the left, after turning them to the right, only two rods are woven, and the third is cut off. After the ends of the braid weaving disappear, all rods should be pulled out, and the ends of the woven stakes should be threaded in their place. The overlay braid is woven in three or four pairs of rods using simple weaving, alternating the rods to the right and to the left.