Technics and materials

Traditionally utilitarian article, robust and intended for very frequent use, often adapted to a specific trade (bakery, laundry, agriculture, etc.)

Cove dressed with long strands of corded material wrapped around the sub-cove.

Wickerwork made from small diameter wicker.

The curved part of the basket, either arched, semicircular or ring-shaped, through which certain containers are picked up. There are small coves

Used for light baskets, it consists of a sub-cove surrounded by a thin splint of regular width.

Mainly used at the edge of baskets with interlocking lids. A distinction must therefore be made between the basket and the lid fitting.

Technique that finishes the object. The border is made with the ribs which are layered and braided in various ways.

A piece of iron used to compact the wicker strands as they are made. It is fitted with a ring

An edging technique that consists of interweaving groups of strands.

Braided edge with two, three, four, five or six ribs.

Braided edge with three, four or five strands.

Active elements that are woven between the ribs.

A weaving with two strands that pass in turn over one rib and then under the other. Once the strands have been weaved, it continues with new

It can be round, oval or rectangular, interlocked or not.

Rib which is cut before doing the edge.

A single turn of the torch closed on itself.

Large diameter turned wooden ribs, placed in the corners of a rectangular basket or a wood basket for example.

Openwork wicker in which each ribs is doubled to obtain more crossings.

Weaving with a single strand that is weaved along its entire length. Once the strand has been weaved, we continue to weave with a new

Layering of two laces made in opposite directions.

Crocane weaving in which two strands are placed behind each rib (here the ribs are also doubled, this is not necessarily the case).

Work in which ribs and coursons are joined by a trace.

The strands are laid and worked one by one, with the next one laid in the gap just to the right of the first. This overlap

Make a sharp angle in a wicker strand. Once bent, the strand remains marked.

The thinnest end of a wicker strand.

Attachment for fixing a lid to the basket.

The technique of bending strands or groups of strands into an irregular tangle.

Openwork wicker often used between two strips of weaving to enhance the work.

Openwork in which the ribs cross the coursons between two traces. The ribs are not in the same trace passage unlike the double openwork.

Crocane weaving in which every second strand is made of raw wicker. This alternation of colours creates a pattern.

Strand followed weaving in which the strands are very tightly packed with a bat until the ribs are completely hidden (formerly used to make fire buckets

This weaving gives a very regular appearance to the work in which one strand is placed behind each ribs ; there are therefore

A two-strand weaving that is weaved on two diagonal ribs. The entire height is weaved. Then repeat the operation so that the strands cross each other

Crocane weaving with a passageway of two in front of the ribs and one behind them.

Cane mesh or interlacing used to upholster a seat and the back of a chair.

Rattan bark splint.

All the strands intertwined between the ribs from the base torch to the edge.

Also known as peeling or debarking, this is the action of removing the bark from the wicker to obtain white wicker. Formerly done manually, it is now done

Machine used to hull wicker.

A thin, regular slat obtained by passing the rattan stem with its bark through a splitting machine. Smooth, shiny and darker than

Wicker bark can be used as a tie or become also as a material for weaving.

A thin, even strip obtained by running the rattan marrow through a splitting machine.

Thin the strand that will act as the rib on part of the foot, so that it is flat and flexible enough to turn around the large strand (the core) that

A thin and regular strip of wicker that is calibrated in width and thickness. Made by hand with the help of a scratch gauge or mechanically with

At the end of the weaving process, cut off any excess strand ends on the inside or outside of the article with a pair of secateurs or a peeler.

Bottom on a mould in which the strands are cut at the edge of the mould or used to make ribs.

A bottom made from a circular, oval or rectangular shape of wicker (which can be created from a template), crossed by strands hemmed onto this

Bottom made of very straight wicker sticks, or wooden slats, held together by traces.

Also called nose and crunched-nose A system consisting of two elements that allow the lid to be kept closed on the basket for transport, for example.

A tool for splitting wicker by hand. A pear-shaped piece of hardwood with a fin at the end. The wicker is split prior to the manufacture of splints.

Machine for splitting wicker mechanically. The wicker is split prior to the manufacture of splints.

Starting point of an object. It can be round, oval, square or rectangular and filled with twined weaving, crocane or chain pairing.

Wickerwork characterised by a tightly woven weave on an oak slat support (van, hood for example).

Bottom starting with three or four sticks with more sticks going through. The sticks (or spokes) are spread out as they are filled.

Made of wood or iron, it is used to form the framework of the background or to tighten the trace work.

Weaving in which the ribs are grouped together.

The inner part of the rattan vine. The vine is stripped of its bark and then mechanically calibrated to obtain stems of regular marrow. When the

Machine for making wicker splints mechanically.

In the body of the basket, the ribs are the strands that occupy the vertical position around which the other wicker is interwoven. They can be fixed in two

A piece of wood used as a guide to obtain and reproduce a precise shape.

Freshly harvested wicker that has not been dried. It is not very suitable for manufacturing because green wicker loses half its volume during

Wicker divided into 2, 3 or 4 equal parts along its length. Manually with a splitter or mechanically with a splitting machine.

Place where wicker is grown.

Willow branches of the year. Harvested in winter, sorted by size, and dried to make the main plant material worked by the basket maker. Different varieties

Wicker production.

Placing the chipped ribs around the mold to begin assembling the work. The ribs are said to be hemmed.

Wicker from which the bark has been removed before drying, having a smooth and shiny appearance and a color ranging from white to golden.

Wicker from which the bark has not been removed before drying, having a rough appearance and a colour that can vary

Wicker that has been boiled to remove its bark. The tannin in the bark penetrates in the strand during cooking.

Tool used to spread the weave to form a pathway, for example for other strands.

The 'pignon' is a part of the weaving that does not go around the basket. There are many different forms.

Movement of a strand around the number of ribs prescribed by the weaving method.

Handle formed by two strands which are corded around a sub-cove

A handle made up of a single strand that strings itself, it is the simplest of the handles.

The thickest end of a strand or, in the case of a basket, a rim added to the bottom of the basket, which is in contact with the ground. It is most often composed of a few turns of torches and a border,

Artisan who creates rattan furniture

A trailing palm tree whose stems are covered with spines. Rattan stems are long and slender and can reach up to 250 metres in length with a diameter of no more than 60 mm. It grows in the tropical forests of equatorial Africa, South America, Australia, India

A natural or artificial basin in which the foot of the wicker bundles, previously graded, is immersed to allow them to regenerate from winter to spring. This process allows the riseof sap in the wicker strands

Also known as "soul", it is a large strand of wicker, or more rigid wood, using as a framework on which strands of wicker or splint are wound to form the handle. This makes for a more robust handle.

Sharp tool for cutting strands.

Plantation of willow of different species as a conservatory.

Inclined work surface, used to support the basket maker's work

As opposed to openwork, the term "solid work" is used for work where the walls are entirely covered with weaving. It is also known as "solid basketry" and "solid weaving".

Tool for scratching the width or thickness of the wicker splint by hand. It is called a width or thickness tool.

Process of immersing plant fibers in water before using them, in order to soften them. Step is essential for weaving wicker or rattan.

A trace in which the two strands wrap around themselves between two ribs. Used to create or fill a wider distance between two ribs.

Assembly of ribs separated from each other in width by traces. The ribs are more or less close to each other, giving a more or less openwork. It is also called "openwork basketry" and "openwork weaving".

Assembly at least three strands intertwined around the ribs giving the illusion of a string. It is placed before the start of a weaving to reinforce the structure or at the end of a weaving before the edge

Two strands of wicker intertwined between the ribs and the coursons to keep them in the open work.

Artisans making objects weaved from plants fibers

Art of weaving plants fibers.