Once the bark is harvested, the sheets are laid out flat to dry. Once dry, patterns are used for making a particular container. The shape of the pattern is scratched onto the bark with an awl, a jack knife or any sharp instrument. Next it s cut out and then heated to make it malleable. In the past, it could be laid on hot coals for a short time.
Today holding the bark above a gas or electric stove works just fine.
Once heated, it becomes very pliable and can be gently molded by hand into the preferred shape. After the corners are folded in, it is stitched together with the fine roots of a spruce tree that have been soaked. Once baskets are sewn together, the top edge can be finished off with design elements such as sweetgrass, pine needles, feathers, bone, shells or beads. If it s a pail-type of container, handles constructed of branches are stitched onto the top edge. If a basket needs to be watertight, spruce gum is applied to the seams.