Evening star., 1901-03-12
DISSEMINATING NOW A FAD
AMERICAN WOMEN TAKING yP LAT
EST ENGLISH CRAZE.
Weave Wicker Ware From Every
Manner of Fanciful Material
Art Readily Acquired.
From lhe New York Times.

|
From The New York Times
The girl who wishes any number of pretty
hats this summer-one with every gown
must begin Learning basket work at once.
The hatmaking comes in in the basket work
and the prettiest hats imaginable can be
made of raffia, which is as soft as down,
weighs no more than dried leaf and takes
dye-wen comparisons stop there, but the
| dye can be applied with the best of re-
suits and the girl can have a hat of sky
blue If she likes and others which run the
gantlet of the rainbow shades.
Basketmaking is only now being taken
up to some extent in this country. 1t has
been a fad for several years in England
| and Englishwomen do very clever work in
| sketmaking The work has many attrac-
| tions-it is simple to learn, easy to do and
offers great scope for the individuality. In
fact, two people starting in with the same
| materials cut the same length, will after
| they have learned the principles of the art
find when the two baskets are finished that
they are as unlike as possible. 1t is more
difficult for two workers to make two bas-
kets alike than to bring out new and origi-
| nal results.
| The art of basketmakng is so little known
in this country that 1t is difficult to find
| teachers These are increasing in numbers,
| however, for matchmaking is considered
| one of the best of the industrial arts to
teach for manual training, and it is taught
to some extent in the schools. OF those
| now taking up discriminating some will
| teach, but others studying for their
own amusement. They have an outside
| class at Pratt Institute this winter, de-
| parture, as heretofore basket making has
only been taught in the regular normal
! classes.
Teaching the Art.
When the children are taught they begin
| with the simplest kind of work, using splints
and raffia, making baskets and tiny car
| pet beaters of these two materials and lit
| tie hats and little baskets of the raffia,
which is easier to use than the rattan.
which requires some strength in the hands.
| For the regular students the rattan work
| is begun first and mat about the size of a
| tea stand is the first piece to be made. The
general principles of the work are learned
! in this first lesson, and after that the work
| is comparatively simple. Baskets of differ
| ent sizes follow, each having a different
border, and work in the raffia comes IN lat
| er and is used according to the judgment
| of the worker.
! The rattan baskets are not inexpensive
| They cannot be made for much less than
| they can be bought at the shops, for these
are imported and sell at low prices. They
say of the palmer baskets that come from
| Germany-clothes and other practical baS-
| kets-that they are made In small quantities
| by individual families, much work IS
| done In Germany, ana WOFkeTS are dDie
| to gather all the willow they use and in
| this way make the goods for remarkably
| low prices.
The rattan in this country sells according
| to the size, and there are some twenty sizes,
numbered from l up, the No being the
| finest. 1t costs, according to its size, and
| the finer the rattan the higher the price.
| Nos. and are chiefly used at the insd
tute, though occasionally with and s. The
price ranges from about 40 to GO cents for
these numbers, and almost double on the
No. 1, the finest which is S125 a pound.
Basketmaking has been so little done by
private individuals that 1t is still difficult
to obtain the materials in desired quantities,
as at the factories they will not sell less
than five pounds at a time of a kind, and
that all of one number. Occasionally, how
ever, in some Of the shops, a man who is
generally patronized will keep the material
on hand and sell any quantity desired.
Produce Artistic Effects.
The raffia, which comes in long strips, is
the outer cuticle Of the leaves of NADIA
| gascar palm, and is the same material with
which florists tie up their plants in the
spring. 1t is to be found at the seed stores
and costs very little. The use Of raffia is
| taught later in the course of basket making,
| for, being soft and pliable, 1t is easy to
work. In some instances it is braided tight
| ly and woven in strips into a basket or
baskets are made after the style Of those
| sold in the shops for knife baskets, the
rama lHItducu d large needle ana
sewed around the rattan. This makes a
| most attractive basket, strong and durable,
| but though simple to make, 1t takes time.
One small, round basket made by one OF the
| members Of the institute class cost ten
hours of work.
Entire baskets of raffia are made, the
material being softly woven. and the result
| Is extremely good. These little baskets
counting the value of the material cost only
| few cents apiece. The children in the
schools like to make little hats of raffia,
but the girls of an older growth are quite as
| pleased in making hats for themselves. The
raffia as we'll as the rattan WILL take dyes
excellently well, and with regular dyes or
soaps used for that purpose, with directions
bring about excellent results. The hats are
as pretty and comfortable to wear as they
are pretty, and they are most attractive for
summer with light gowns.
Pretty effects are made in baskets by dye
| ing the rattan or raffia before 1t is woven
| and then putting it in according to the in
| dtvfdual taste. If only one color Is desired
the basket can be dyed after 1t is complet-
! ed. One little mat which has been made
| with the rattan covered with the raffia has
| the design woven in different colors.
1t fs Easily Learned.
| The work Is simple to do and easy to
| learn. When the principles are conquered
| the progress Of the worker depends upon
| her own ingenuity. There is a certain num-
| ber Of weaves to know and she can origi-
! nate as many as she likes after that. To
the greater number Of people there is fas-
| cination in the work. 1t requires a rather
strong hand for some of the work, but the
rattan is first soaked to make it flexible,
and there is more knack than strength re-
| quired. The time required for learning de-
| pends upon the individual. A course is ten
] lessons and 1t Is seldom that everything is
not learned In that time and occasionally
In half the number Of lessons. Often the
| work proves so interesting that the begin
| ner continues the lessons for certain de-
| gree of perfection after the principles have
been mastered.
There are few tools required. The work
can be done with a pair Of scissors and
penknife and perhaps a worsted needle for
the raffia In England regular sets OF tools