Woven Basket Heads

My undergrad was for Crafts with a concentration in Fiber Design. If you just read that and are thinking "What in the world does that mean?" Don't worry, your not the first! I went on an interview right after I graduated (undergrad) and they though I had a concentration in Fiber-OPTICS. Yea, no way!
I took courses in weaving, needle felting, felting, knotless netting, etc. Then I went back to school to get my teaching cert. to teach k-12 art education.

SOOOOOOO.. what I am getting at is that I love to do a yarn woven basket with my 4th graders, pretty much every year. But after a while, even though the kids beg me to do this project, it gets a little redundant to say the least so this year I added a whole other element (humorous, engaging you might think!) to it, and they were totally successful.

I have the original lesson here. This year we turned our baskets in to Wacky HEADS/PEOPLE. We still focused on traditional vs. contemporary materials. They received a 'cup loom' a plastic cup cut into a odd number of 'spokes' or 'warp'. They wove in using a yarn color pattern 'weft'.

Add the top of the cup they could add a more contemporary material for hair or whatever they choose. Here are some of the outcomes:

 

These are just a few examples of the many that were extremely creative, humorous and well though out!

If you have any questions about the lesson, please let me know. This was done with 4th grade but could be adapted or modified for other grades

4th Woven Yarn Cup Baskets

I have done this project many times before. They students love it and you can just see so much growth in their work and confidence.

You use a 9 oz or 16 oz cups ( i precut them into 7 spokes) and talk about patterns and the plain weave.  Have stations around the room with yarn.

FOr the contemporary items at the top/ I put out a station with thick yarn, beads, pipe cleaners, telephone wire, straws, tissue paper, etc.

Plain weave basket

Ornament

I love these unruly curly Q's and beads.

Ornament/hanging how awesome!

Plain Weave

Basket

Mug how genius!

I am so blessed to have amazing, creative students who want to learn and try new lings.

4th Grade Woven Yarn Baskets

I know this is a common project with many art educators but I mixed it up by talking about contemporary versus traditional materials.My students learned how to do the traditional plain weave, warp/weft, shuttles, the Hopi Tribe, etc. We talked about different materials and I showed them photos of contemporary baskets made of jump ropes, phone wire (a picture of my own work), trash bags, etc.
I majored in textiles for my underground and I really love to include them in my lessons.

We did the traditional plain weave focusing on a color pattern with the yarn. When they were an 1" away from the top we started to include more contemporary/different items. I think they turned out great. We finished them right before the holidays and they said their families loved their baskets! Some of the students gave them as presents. I have one class working on them right now, to showcase them for the future spring art show!

The first picture/basket is made with pipe cleaners that spells the students brothers name, because he was making it for him for Christmas. What CREATIVITY!