Straw Plaiting: Heritage Techniques for Hats, Trimmings, Bags, and Baskets

An engaging makers’ guide to the history and craft of straw plaiting, brimming with helpful step-by-step diagrams. Straw plaiting is a method of manufacturing textiles by braiding straw and other materials, and has been used for everything from hats to baskets, handbags, trimmings and homewares. Once employing tens of thousands in the UK alone, the craft is now listed on the Heritage Crafts Association Red List as a Critically Endangered Heritage Craft. This book aims to change that, drawing on more than 50 previously unpublished patterns and techniques that will help you to unlock the history and preserve the skills of straw plaiting. Colourful, inspiring photographs and more than 400 diagrams allow you to replicate traditional techniques from around the world, explaining how they were developed and providing comprehensive information about materials, tools and preparation. Modern plaiters use a wide variety of materials including paper, woodchip, grasses, palm, cereal crop straw and synthetic fibres. Once familiar with the plaiting techniques, you will be able to mix the materials and develop your skills, possibly blending in recycled materials, which are increasingly being used to produce beautiful, unique pieces.