Shaping Your Basket
Here's a peek behind the curtain.
When baskets are shipped to us, they’re packed flat to save on space and cost.
The magic is water. Wet your basket and it can be shaped and reshaped almost endlessly.
We'll send your basket shaped and ready to show off, unless it takes an extra large box. And when your shopper starts to look floppy or your round isn't level, you can spiff them up.
To start:
Run the basket under a sink or tub faucet, or take a hose to it outside. It doesn’t have to soak, just be sure to wet the entire basket and handles so colors are consistent when dry.
Wear gardening gloves if you’re sensitive to splinters. Dried grass can get you.
Shaping techniques:
- Press your palm inside and out to even and smooth.
- Pinch the edges of your shopper or the base of your pot to get a nice curve.
- Scrunch and knead your sculpture or star-shaped basket to get a new look.
- Pay special attention to the crease, the line where the basket was folded.
Press one hand inside while giving it a good whack with the heel of your palm outside several times. Also try folding the basket along the line in the opposite direction.
See Simbala shape a basket here.
They're really durable:
You’ll see a little bit of dye runoff. Don’t worry, water doesn’t make it fade. (But direct sun will.) Your basket should easily last 10 years and we hope it’s much used and loved during that time.
