Basket Case: My Crafting Adventure with Traditional Crafts Kits

Hey there, fellow craft enthusiasts! I’ve been on a basket-making venture lately, having tackled 5 out of the 6 beginner basket kits I snagged from Traditional Craft Kits. Their big kit collection: gives you experience with baskets using coiling, coiled wrap stitch, coiling with pine needles, simple plaiting, twineing, and wicker. And I’m super excited to share my thoughts with you!

So, a little backstory – the only other basket I’ve ever made was way back in my Girl Scouts days (and let’s just pretend that was a minute ago!). I haven’t tried any other basket-making kits, so this was new to me.

First off, let me tell you, that the instructions in these kits are a breeze to follow. Each one focuses on teaching 2 or 3 different skills, and the size of the projects is just perfect. They’re small enough to finish in a day, but big enough to practice the techniques several times. Two things I noticed are that they take a novice longer to make than what they say. Plus, the instructions don’t specify the size of the weaving or coiling materials. I grabbed my knitting gauge to measure them and jotted down the sizes, just in case I wanted to make one using different stuff in the future.

The kits come loaded with all the materials you need, except for a few basics like scissors, pencils, a ruler, and an awl-type tool. They even toss in a large-eye tapestry needle and a wood clothespin, which is pretty handy.

Now, let’s talk about the end result. These baskets are definitely show-off worthy! They’re made with recycled, reformed paper, which is super cool, but be careful – the paper can separate a bit during the making process. But a word of caution: if you need to unravel and redo stitches, the material isn’t the most forgiving. Also, keep them away from water or beverages. I learned that the hard way!

For those who love a good visual guide, you’ll be happy to know that some of the kits have instructional videos on YouTube. Just search for “Traditional Crafts baskets,” and you’re all set.

I’m planning to finish the remaining baskets before I dive into more expensive materials. If you’re a beginner or know someone 12 or older interested in basket-making, these kits are a fantastic starting point. Enjoy!