Groundwork’s weaving teachers take orders for custom-made baskets, designed to your specifications. Our baskets are made with all-natural willow and cottonwood branches. Scroll down for design ideas and photos. Willow and cottonwood are extremely strong and durable, and our baskets will last many years, even with heavy use. We have woven all types of custom baskets, including:
- Decorative baskets
- Pack baskets
- Basket paniers for bikes
- Basket caskets and basket coffins for natural burials and cremation
- Basket urns for ashes
Custom Basket Inquiry Form
Design Elements
Replaceable Foot
Baskets that will see heavy use like pack baskets can have a removable foot woven onto the base. A basket foot is a ring of reinforced weaving that extends from the base of the basket. It is designed to be the part of the basket that contacts the ground or whatever surface the basket rests on. It protects the permanent basket base by taking all the wear and tear from moving the basket around and setting it different places. The foot is attached by weaving a willow ring onto the bottom of an already-finished basket, so if it wears out, it’s easy to remove and replace with a new foot.
Spiral Patterns and Stripes
Spiral patterns and stripes are achieved by using alternating willow colors while employing specific types of weaves (French randing weaves and chasing weaves).
Available Colors
Willow comes in many colors. We tend to weave with locally-harvested willow from western Colorado and Wyoming, but we can weave with any willow you might want! Local willow is a more affordable option, since we harvest the materials ourselves. Baskets can be a single color or incorporate accents or blocks in different types of willow. Color options include:
- Locally-harvested wild willow from Western Colorado and Wyoming: light to dark brown. Some greys.
- Locally-harvested cottonwood from Western Colorado and Wyoming: a light grey-green or grey-blue.
- Locally-harvested and peeled wild willow: Peeled willow is bright white, and is often called “wicker”. Willow can only be peeled in the springtime, so we have limited quantities available by the end of the calendar year. Willow is hand-processed and hand-peeled using traditional techniques, so white accents and white baskets are a little more expensive.
- Cultivated willow: we purchase cultivated willow from organic willow farms. Different varieties are naturally colored in different shades of yellow, orange, red, black, brown, and green. Projects using these colors will be a little more expensive.
Sample Photos of Baskets
Large Baksets
Largest basket: Double French rand weave, with stripes of local brown willow and cultivated green willow. The top and bottom borders are cottonwood.
Mid-size basket: Triple French rand weave, with stripes of local brown willow and cultivated green willow. The top and bottom borders are cottonwood.
Smallest basket: Single French rand weave with local brown willow. Top and bottom border are thick 3-rod waling bands.
Baskets With Hoop Handles
Left: Local brown willow woven with a double French rand weave
Center: Local brown willow with a slewing weave
Right: Local brown willow with a single French rand weave
Cottonwood Woven On Brown Willow Spokes
Pack Baskets
Left: Woven with a mix of cultivated green willow and local brown willow. Bottom is a double French rand weave, top is a single French rand weave.
Right: Woven with brown local willow. Bottom is a double false wale weave. 
Flower Basket and Fruit Basket
Woven with a mix of local brown and cultivated green willow.
Frame Baskets
Woven with a mix of local brown, local cottonwood (light green), and cultivated green willow (dark green) .
Tatza (Polish Bread Basket)
Woven with cultivated green willow.
Round Shopping / Harvesting Baskets
Woven with local light brown willow.
Circular French Randing Base
Circular Baskets
Woven with a mix of local brown and cultivated green willow. French randing weaves. Left: simple French follow border. Right: basic border.
Flower Baskets
Left: Woven With a mix of local brown and cultivate green willow. French randing base.
Right: Woven with local brown willow. French randing base.
Arrow-Weave Base
Woven with local brown willow on a frame of cultivated green. Note the pattern—alternating rows weaving opposite directions creates this “arrow weave” pattern.
