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
Please contact us for more photos of any particular type of basket!
