We make woven containers on our Cordage & Containers day. This weekend we had some bark left over and decided to have a go at folded bark containers instead. In many ways folded bark containers are simpler and quicker to make and so I took a few photos as we put one together. We had already stripped the outer bark off a sweet chestnut stem but it isn’t necessary for this type of container, and one of the reasons it’s quicker.
First up mark up a rectangle on a piece of bark, avoiding any knots. Then find the middle along the longest side and draw on 2 arcs.
Cut out the rectangular shape.
Use the tip of your knife to gently scribe along the arcs, but be careful not to cut too deep.
Bring the 2 ends together; the bark should fold around the scribed arcs.
Mark where the holes for stitching will go and drill them with the tip of your knife.
We used more of the sweet chestnut bark to stitch.
Put a piece of bendy stick at the top of the container to prevent it from shrinking as the bark dries out, we used some goat willow.
Give it a go and let us know how you get on.
You can see photos from our Cordage & Containers course on our Facebook page.
