Baskets have been a useful tool throughout mankind’s history, filling many vital roles in the house, barn and fields. Until the turn of the 20th century, many families made their own baskets. Traditionally, a family would work together on the difficult task of gathering and preparing all the materials needed to weave a basket. Then, in the slack months, a skilled person, often an older woman, would do the actual weaving.

Today, basket weaving is still a popular craft with many applications. Common baskets are used to day to hold fruit and bread Some are as tiny as a quarter; others are woven so tightly they can hold water. Even hot air balloons use baskets to carry people in! The possible materials are even more various, from the ash wood native to New England, to the flat reed or rattan baskets of the Orient. Even southern pine needles can be used to weave a basket!