TLE

10 Basketry/
Macrame
Quarter 1

LEARNER’S
MATERIAL

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 WEEK The Origin of Macrame and Basketry
1-2 Lesson

What is Macrame' and basketry?

It is believed that macramé and basketry are hobbies done for pleasure during the ancient
times. These kinds of activities are done for relaxation. Macrame’ is a fabric craft that uses
a variety of knots to create functional and decorative items. It can be worked in many
different kinds of threads, strings and rope and is often used to make jewelries. Basketry is
the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as
baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making
baskets may be known as basket makers and basket weavers.

The principles of basket weaving are the same whether you work with willow or cane so that
there is very little difference in the two techniques. Young willow shoots are called osiers
and are cut into rods of various colors and sizes to be used for basket making. They are
prepared in a surprising number of different ways, some are cut when very thin, some
allowed to grow thicker; some are stripped of their bark, some dried, some boiled, some
steeped in water, some split. The result is that there are many weights available, suitable for
both light and heavy work. There is also an attractive range of natural colors too - from a
gleam- ing white, to a more golden tan to a rich dark brown. Of course, though many people
prefer to keep the natural country look, there is nothing to stop you from painting your
baskets in bright colors

Cultural and Economic Importance Macrame

Another interesting part is how various countries and their people are utilizing macramé as
well as other craft skills as income in poorest areas. Macramé art in Ghana has now been
adopted as one of the most important manufacturing methods for fashion accessories. This
art form now provides an alternative method, especially for bag and shoe production in the
fashion industry. The number of younger users of macramé products has increased over the
past few years. The youth of today is trendy and putting a great emphasis on new creative
designs. Now macramé art is not only an occupation for the youth, but an acknowledge-
ment of the creative development of the ingenuity of Ghanaian youth.

Basketry
Modern archaeologists have found a great deal of relevance to both ancient sites and cul-
tural practices in its prose.

All cultures on earth have basket weaving traditions that date back before the times of Gil-
gamesh, which we are still learning about. Indigenous tribes on every continent, including
Australia and America were involved in basket weaving.
The key to their success was an innate and intimate understanding of their natural envi-
ronment, as well as their skills in designing nets, baskets and bags that were both flexible
and adaptable.

Basketry plays a large role in the Philippine economy where our local farmers in Palawan
(Ibaloi, Banayakero weavers) Ifugao Basketry Village outside of Banaue and other part of
Luzon depends only in basketry weaving as their source of income for the family.

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HISTORY OF MACRAME'

The history of macrame' can be traced to the early 14th and 15th centuries when this craft
was practiced in France and Italy. The patterned knotted fabrics created out of macramé
craft were used in churches for vestments and altar cloths in early days. This craft then
became popular among the British during the 19th century. Legend says that North
American sailors spent long hours aboard ships practicing macrame' square knots and hitch
knots. These sailors made fringes for wheels and bell covers, netting, and screens. It was
revived in the 60's with the hippie movement, which brought with it a recovery of interest
in this ancient craft. Today, macrame' craft has regained its huge popularity.

The word macrame' describes any elaborate fringe of knotted thread or cord, but the
Arabic word migramah, from which macrame' is derived, originally meant "stripped towel"
or embroidered veil." The craft is supposed to have been brought from the Middle East to
Spain by the Moors. It then spread through Europe and was introduced to England from
Holland by Queen Mary, wife of William of Or- ange, in the late 17th century. Macrame'
soon became a popular pastime in court circles.

Macrame could be used to decorate almost anything and could be found in every prosperous
19th century home. With the introduction of machine lace for clothes and a desire for
simpler furnishing styles, the art of macrame' was almost forgot- ten. The last few years
have seen a revival as another generation rediscovers its fascination.

HISTORY OF BASKETRY

Basketry or basket making is one of the oldest crafts. Prehistoric humans used limbs, leaves,
and vines woven together to carry their supplies. From these basic beginnings, different
cultures have urbanized literally hundreds of styles of baskets. In many cases, the style of
basket depends on the availability of resources and plants suitable for basket construction.
In early times, baskets were a necessity. This was before the days of metal and plastic
containers. They were used to carry and store various materials. Today, baskets are used
for the same purposes, but also to decorate at home, to hold flowers for weddings and
hospital visits, to store personal items, and to make arrangement for holiday festivities.
Since the materials for basketry are as close as the nearest palm tree, cane stalks, or rush,
its development was universal. Early weavers sometimes lined their baskets with clay to
make them watertight; from these beginnings, pottery has developed.

Today, basket making survives in many parts of the world using forms, techniques, and
materials like to those employed in previous ages.

In the Philippines, raw materials for basket weaving are abundant. The most common are
bamboo, rattan, and abaca. Basket coming from the lowland are usually made of bamboo
and abaca, while in mountainous places, the main raw material used is chiefly of rattan. The
four types of basket found in the Philippines are snare and traps, holding basket, carrying
basket, sieves and strainers.

Traditional designs are still employed in making these four types of basket for special
purposes, such as crab and lobster pots, fish traps, eel traps, bird and fowl snares, holding
basket, and carrying baskets. Today, the basket weaving industry in the country has gone a
long way, as it remains to be a major basket- making producer abroad.

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Here are some sample pictures of macramé and basketry produce in different parts of
the Philippines.
Macrame

Basketry

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 WEEK Different Kinds of Macrame and Basketry
3-4 Lesson

Macrame’ and basketry products are wonderful and delightful crafts that are useful
from bags and hanging baskets to purely decorative objects like jewelry and wall
hangings.

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

enumerate different kinds of macramé and basketry products
describe different products of macramé and basketry.
MACRAME’ PRODUCTS
Macrame’ Necklaces - come in various designs and styles. The famous style is macramé
Y-shaped necklaces. By varying the knots, the position, and the kind of gemstone used,
several one-of-a kind designer necklaces are pro- duced. Macrame chokers that come
with semi-precious stones and freshwa- ter pearls are created.
Macrame’ Earrings – are light and various sizes and shapes
Macrame’ Bracelets – are made of nylon-waxed twine; are light to wear in con- trast to
silver, gold, and traditional jewelry with crystals and gemstone.
Macrame’ Textiles – is a form of textile making using knots instead of weaving or knitting.
It is similar to crochet or Chinese knotting, which is used to cre- ate intricate textiles. A
variety of macramé called cavandolimacrame’ is used to form geometric patterns
especially in weaving.
Chinese Macrame’ – is used to decorate the palace halls and country house- holds in
China since the ancient times. Chinese macrame’ has also appeared in paintings and
other pieces of folk art. Royalties in China had their chairs, lady’s dresses, mirrors,
pouches, eyeglasses, fans, and Buddhist rosaries decorated with macrame’. Chinese
macramé is ornamental and of immense aesthetic value. Complicated Chinese macramé
allows all kinds of variations that enhance its decorative value
Macrame' Bags – are fashion accessories now a days, trendy style made of beads or
sequences.
Macrame' Belts – are considered as unique item for fashion used around the waist as an
accessory or to support trousers or other clothing articles.

Basketry Technique
Coiled Basketry is a type of technique in basket making, which is Native Americans of the
Southwest are well renowned for. This comes in various styles and shapes depending on
the materials used and the type of stitch used to interlock the coil together.

Plaiting Basketry- is like to textile weaving where the material is plaited or woven to
produce a wide variety of items like bags, basket, purse, fan, etc.

Twining Basketry uses materials from roots and tree bark. Twining refers to a weaving
technique where two or more flexible weaving elements through the stiffer radial spokes.

Wicker and Splint Basketry uses materials like reed, cane, willow, oak, and ash to create
useful basket designs.

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 WEEK Different Kinds of Macrame Knots
5-6 Lesson

Macrame has been a popular way to decorate , bringing texture and warmth into a home
with knots that can be put together in unique ways in order to create one-of-a-kind wall
hangings, plant holders, and more.

In this lesson you will be able to:

Differentiate the kinds of macramé knots and basketry weaving techniques and
patterns
Identify the different macramé knots.
Describe the different kinds of macramé knots.
Select appropriate macramé knots.
Demonstrate the different kinds of macramé knots.

What can you see in the picture?

What you can see in the pictures?

Do you have one of that or any member of the family?
Where we can see that products?
Do you think we can do that for a project or for a source of income purposes?
What do we need to start a project aside from capital?

A good variety in texture and design can result from the arrangement of just a few knots.
The two basic knots used in macramé are the half knot and the half hitch. Other macramé
knots are mostly derived from these two. The flat knot consist of two half knots (one regular,
one reverse) and can be used as is or with a space left in between to produce the butterfly
effect. With slight variations, it makes the inside out square knot and alternating square
knot. Cording is the other most used knot made up of rows of double half hitches.

Basic Macrame Knots

half knot

square knot

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 A double half hitch has one string bearing the knot while the
other string wraps around it.
Procedure: Pass the end of a rope around the object and
tie an overhand knot. For the two half hitches, repeat with
a second overhand knot in the same direction.
An overhand knot is created with just one string where you
make a loop knot onto itself.
Procedure: Form a loop and pass the end through it.
Tighten it to form the overhand knot. When pulled tight, it
can function as a simple stopper knot.
Larks head knot is used to tie the yarn mounted to
its anchor or starting cord.
Procedure: Pass the rope around the object, back around
itself, around the object in the reverse di-

Flat knot (Two Half Knot) consists of two half knots: one to
the left and one to the right. Four working cords are
normally used: two outer cords are tied around two
vertical cords.

Sample on Basic Macrame Knotting

Setting –on knot. This is the most method used to mount

cords on a holding cord, rod, or ring to start the project.
Cord are doubled and the loose ends are pulled through
the looped end.

Flat knot (Two Half Knot) consists of two half knots: one to
the left and one to the right

Flat knot chains. Flat knots tied in

succession around two holding cords.

Cording. This is composed of double half hitches

tied around a common holding cord running
horizontally or diagonally left or right.

Alternating flat knots. Flat knots tied on

alternating pairs of holding cords produce this
intricate pattern.

Half Knot Twist. Half knots tied repeatedly in the

same direction produce a twist or spir

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 Different Kinds of Basketry Weaving and
WEEK
Techniques
7-8 Lesson

Basketry is a craft or process of making baskets or objects woven like baskets from plants
and synthetic materials.
In this lesson you will be able to:
Differentiate the kinds of macramé knots and basketry weaving techniques and patterns
Identify the different weaving techniques and pattern.
Describe the different weaving pattern.
Select appropriate weaving pattern.
Demonstrate the different kinds of basketry weaving pattern.

TERMS TO REMEMBER
Weavers. These are the basket strands that weave through the spokes; they are lighter, thinner
and more flexible than the spokes to enable them to be woven in and out.

Spokes. These are the strands that stand upright and form the side supports of the basket; they
are much stiffer than the weavers and are strong.

Warp. The set of parallel bamboo strips that provide a basis for weaving patterns. In plane
bamboo weaving, the warp strips are positioned vertically on the work- bench.

Weft. Made up of the bamboo strips that are inserted perpendicularly under and over the
warp to create a design. In plane bamboo, weaving the weft strips are po- sitioned
horizontally on the workbench.

Basketry Weaving Techniques

There are four basic techniques used to weave a basket. These are stake and strand, coiling,
plaiting and twining. The use of these four techniques creates a variety of different types of
useful products from small to big basket.
1. Stake and Strand
Stake and strand weaving involve two elements: the
rigid stakes that form the ribs or warp and a more
or the weft. This method allows the use of a wide
range of materials as long as they are flexible
enough for the weft and rigid enough for the warp.

2. Coiling/ Coiled Basketry

Believed to be the earliest basketry tech- niques used. This method is
usually em- ployed for softer materials such as grasses. Strands of
grass are stitched together to form a spiral that is forced into a basket
shape. The base material is usually a straw, willow, palmetto or yucca,
while raffia and horse hair are stitched together using a straw.

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 3. Plaiting
Plaited weaving involves weaving wide mate- rials, similar in
shape to ribbons, such as palm, yucca, or flax. Both the stakes
as well as the weaving materials are identical, which are then
woven together at right angle. The plaiting can be either open
or closed. By using varia- tions of the basic plaiting methods as
well as the wide range of materials available means that each
basket can be a unique masterpiece.
4. Twining
Twine weaving refers to using multiple mate- rials, one that is
more rigid at the base and an- other two that are more flexible
at the sides of the basket. Twining is similar to weaving but two
strands are used to go under and over the ribs. Baskets made by
twining can be quite spectacular because 3 or more materials
can be used to twine a basket. In twining basketry, you need to
be quite experienced as the strands have to be woven over and
under the ribs in opposite direc- tions. There are also many
variations to twining such as leaving the warp open or twining
on the diagonal.
Basketry Weaving Patterns (Hard and Soft Strip)
A. Hard Strips
1. Randing Weaves (Over One Under One)

1. Closed Weaves (Over One Under One)

2. Sawali Weaves (Under Two Over Two) 4. Over Three Under Three

5. Over Four Under Four 6. Basic Hexagona

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7. Chevron 8. Zigzag

Basket Bottoms

Cylindrical Shape Rectangular Shape Oval Shape

A. Soft Strips
Basket Bottoms

Two – Strand Weaves Three – Strand Weaves Four – Strands Weaves

Two-Strand Weavers Three- Strand Weavers Four-Strand

Weavers
RIC-Rac) (Ric-Rac) (Ric- Rac)

Steps for Making Eight-Strand Weavers (Ric-Rac)

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5

Step 6 Step 7 Step 8

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