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This vintage pattern for a round reed, double walled basket with a convex/concave weave and rolled collar first appeared in an antique basketweaving book that I have in my private collection by George Wharton James.

Practical Basket Making. 124, [2] pp. Illus. & plates from photographs. New Edition, Enlarged and Revised. Pasadena: George Wharton James, no date, no copyright notation. Though not stated, it is apparently the second edition; the third edition was published in 1903 and totaled 136, [20] pp.

This is the first of the antique basketweaving patterns I will add to a new section of BasketMakers that I have named The Vintage Files. While you may not necessarily be able to weave this basket using these vintage basketmaking instructions, it is interesting to see how patterns have changed over the last century or more, as well as how they have stayed the same. I have transcribed the instructions on this page and I have linked to a graphic of the page in the book itself at the bottom of this feature.

LILY BASKET

Bottom. __Take 12 spokes of No. 5 reeds 13 inches long. Make the bottom in usual way to seven inches in diameter. Insert 27 stakes of No.5 reeds 22 inches long, but do not cut off ends of bottom spokes. Weave 1 or 2 rows of 3 strand upset and weave up side of basket to 6 inches, perfectly straight and using wide, flat reeds.  Now return to bottom, weaving it out to between 11 and 12 inches. Cut off ends of bottom spokes and insert 39 pairs of No. 3 reeds 22 inches long. Make a round upset with 3 soft No. 3 reeds. The round upset is made by bending the stakes as you weave the upset instead of pinching and turning them up sharply. This will require more rows than when done in the usual way, at least 6 rows. Your object now is to weave up to the top of inner basket, drawing in your stakes so that your outer work will meet the inner work evenly. The concave and convex work is a pretty way to weave the outer basket.

Divide your stakes in five parts, 8 stakes in each of 4 parts and 7 stakes for the fifth. Use No. 2 reeds for weaving. Place the end of your weaver between fourth and fifth stakes of first part; turn around turn around fifth stake inward; bring out to left and turn around fourth stake going in; take one stroke to the right and turn back to left around sixth stake and take 2 strokes to third stake; 3 strokes to right and turn around seventh stake, 4 strokes to right and around second stake; 5 strokes to right and around eighth stake; to left and around first stake; to right and around seventh stake; to left and around second stake; to right and around sixth stake; to left and around third stake; to right and around fifth stake; to left to fourth stake. Do the same thing with the other 4 parts. Put a 3-strand wale, No. 3 reeds, one row and pound down closely. The result will be five plain convex figures. You now fill up the five hollow parts in the way you wove the other figures. When your work is level, weave one row of wale. Repeat this style of weave until 5 inches high. You weave to the top of inner basket with a 2-weaver slew. When you have reached the top of the inner basket, you may put on 3 rows of wale, bringing the No. 3 stakes beside the No. 5 ones, making the former act as by-stakes to the latter, one pair on each side of main No. 5 stakes, inserting extra No. 3 stakes where needed.  Make a 1½- inch feather-pitch. Take soft No. 4 weaver, double it. Take up right hand pair by-stakes of first set-- middle stake of center set-- and left hand pair by-stakes of third part, pass the loop of weaver around them and bind stakes by twisting your two weavers. Repeat this till all your stakes have been taken in. One row of wale on top of pitch.

The pitch should flare a little.

The next step is a straight V compound pitch 1½ inches high. The loop of your pitch weaver is placed around one of the No. 5 stakes and twisted so as to bind stake; next you take the two nearest pairs of by-stakes, binding them together with pitch weaver. Repeat to the end. Two rows of wale on top of this pitch. Cut out the right hand side pair of by-stakes and you are now ready for three-quarter roll. Divide your stakes, which are now 54 in number, into 5 equal parts and work on a 2 inch convex. One row of wale. Another 1-inch convex on top of the other. Finish the rest of roll with over 2 under 1 weave. The roll finishes with back of one front of two skirt border. Your basket should now be 7 inches diameter at base, 12 inches high and 9 inches wide at top, inside measurement.

Graphic of the original pattern text.