Last weekend we ran our Bark Containers course and so I recorded some footage to show what goes into making a woven basket from sweet chestnut bark. The process is relatively straightforward – fell a sweet chestnut stem and cut it into manageable lengths; scrape off the outer bark; cut into strips; weave into a […]
We make woven and folded containers on our Cordage & Containers day and sometimes we have a little left over. This was the case on our last such course back in June and whilst the bark had dried out it became more than pliable enough to make a plaited bark strap after soaking for a […]
After our recent Cordage & Containers course we had some spare sweet chestnut bark and so Nicola decided to make another folded bark container, this one rectangular in shape. We’ve made cylindrical ones before but this time Nicola wanted to make a recantuglar one after seeing a photo of one by Christian Meinhardt and thinking […]
David, who attended our 5 day bushcraft experience in March 2013, sent these photos of his craftwork through to me. They were started on the course and finished at home. Below are a few tips David sent with the photos: “The bark swelled up and stained brown after soaking for 24 hours (i.e. probably too […]
I posted a few photos a couple of weeks ago showing a placemat that Nicola made from the inner bark of chestnut. Well, here are a couple of photos of some more chestnut bark weaving – this time a brilliant basket woven from the same chestnut by Alix , who was on our 5 day bushcraft course in March 2013. It […]
During last week’s 5 Day Bushcraft Course we felled a chestnut and used it for some bark weaving. The bark is best in the spring when the sap is rising. Scrape off the outer bark with the back of a folding saw, then score around the chestnut top and bottom and then down its length. Make […]
