English Ivy Hedgerow basket

My second attempt at a basket yielded much better results. I attached a loop for hanging on the wall. English Ivy is a pain to process but i love the look!

Experiment with Freehanding using a Heat stylus

tried my hand at freehanding Thor's hammer and a less than authentic Yggdrasil pendant! XD Will celtic knots be far behind? Of course there will be knotwork!

I have decided to try my hand at hardwood carving. I have a nice block of oak begging to become a panpipe! next we will be covering the art of celtic knot-style work, with a focus on animals!

Wood burner!

I got a wood burner tool today! I decided to put the wolf mascot from NEO Viking on my Jorvik Pan Pipes!

you can see how i made this panpipe here http://magicmeadgoat.blogspot.com/2013/02/recreating-viking-jorvik-pan-pipes.html

Recreating Viking Jorvik Pan Pipes!

Thanks to this handy guide at http://www.panflutejedi.com/viking-pan-flute-tutorial.html I made a Jorvik Pan Flute!

We started with a block of wood, preferably hardwood like oak. a good hardwood makes for a much clearer sound. Because I had no drill press a bit larger than Instructed, (11x7.5cm) for a more forgiving gap. ^ ^;

I drew a center line, marked the dots and punched a starter divot with an awl or nail to guide the bit. Using a small bit I bored the first lead holes.

Then i took the hole size up one extra stage with a 3/16" bit to make a nice straight bore, careful not to reach the actual intended depths.

Using a marked dowel to determine depth, I carefully bored the varying depths to make the different pitches. 

Bit size 5/16"

in CM from low to high:
5.85 6.75 7.75 8.35 9.1

I used my 3/16" bit to bore a small hole in the high pitch corner for a strap. I used the 5/16" to bore a small divot to curve it in a bit.

Sand sand sand! The smoother you make it inside and out, the clearer your sound will be! Experiment with the depths using drops of beeswax to adjust the pitch.

And that's it! paint or seal with your preferred finish tie on a strap and have fun!

Hedgerow basket!

Today I wove a simple basket.

While the Vines were still wet, I started the basket. I made a crisscross of grape vine sections and wound the vine around it to create a base.

Then I bent the vines into a rough form of the basket base.

The fun party was experimenting with different weaves. I began to get something that looked like a fancy bird's nest!

When I was satisfied with the depth of my "nest" I bent the grape vines down and tucked them into the weave.

Then i wove vines around the top into a fun wrap to hide and secure the Grapevines

and Voila! a tiny basket that looks rather like a nest. next time we will use Blackberry brambles and try our hands at a big basket with a handle!

Hedgerow Basketry Day 2

After Soaking the Vines overnight, we stripped the bark by drawing it between 2 nails in a board. This way they turn out a lovely smooth white. Then it is coiled and ready for use!

Hedgerow basketry

This time We are focusing on hedgerow Basketry! Hedgerow baskets are made of the vines and brambles found in common hedgerows.

This basket we are weaving is made of grape vines and English Ivy!
I found a big patch growing on the side of a friend's house.
We uprooted it and stripped all the leaves. Now we are soaking them in water overnight. More to come!