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About Wicker and Straw
PROPERTIES AND APPLICATIONS
WICKER
The art of wicker weaving is probably one of the oldest human pursuits. It is older than the pottery craft. The principles developed in wicker weaving were subsequently applied in cloth-making. It is apparently the only craft that has survived unchanged to the present day.
Wicker, flexible willow twigs, is collected by hand in the spring time before buds swell or in the fall before trees begin to shed leaves. After wetting or steaming, twigs are cleaned of the bark. In some cases they are split into narrow bands, then graded by thickness, dried and stored in bundles.
Before weaving, twigs are again wetted to make them flexible. Then comes the most important stage, creation of wickerwork things, when craftsmen apply all their skill and ingenuity, the warmth of their hands and allegiance to tradition.
Various weaving techniques - diamond, stitch and knot patterns, etc. - are used to make baskets, sweets and fruit bowls and other things. Many other natural materials such as birch bark and straw are also applied in the making of wickerwork articles and, coupled with a combination of weaves, help the weaver to produce a diversity of artistic patterns, while always preserving traditional weaving techniques and craftsmanship. The range of colors depends on the natural color of the willow twigs used in weaving and also contributes to artistic diversity.
Wickerwork articles exude a pleasant aroma and tend to turn somewhat reddish in the course of three years.
Wickerwork is distinct for being light and pliable, yet durable. Since the invention of the first ever balloon all aeronauts have invariably favored wicker baskets as best-suited to cushion the impact on landing. Quality wicker furniture is capable to withstand a weight of 150-300 kg.
Wicker baskets are invaluable for storing and preserving onions, garlic, potatoes and other vegetables for a long time as the basket surface is not chemically treated and the wicker freely "breathes" ensuring the optimum humidity.
There is virtually nothing that can beat the laundry wicker basket in the bathroom. The laundry remains ventilated even if kept there for a long time owing to spaces between the twigs. Meanwhile, the combination of wood texture and ceramic tiles continues to inspire interior designers across the world.
With reasonable care, wicker articles can serve for twenty years and more.
Wicker works are readily cleaned with salt and soap solutions with a few drops of liquid ammonia.
STRAW
Straw is the tubular portion of the stem of any of several cereals. It stands out for strength while its golden coloration has a wide range of shades from silvery green to deep yellow and reddish. Straw to be used in weaving is collected by hand by means of a sickle. The straw so cut is tied into sheaves and then, upon being dried, is carefully thrashed to remove grains. Bundled in sheaves, straw is stored in a dark place.
Before weaving the straw stems are cleaned of leaves and knots and bulges are removed. The stems are then graded by length, thickness and color. To attain a uniform golden shade, the straw is laid out and kept in the sun for a period from a few hours to three days. Bleaching is applied when it is necessary to obtain a silvery white color.
Objects made of straw are wire-framed or not. The non-wire-framed varieties that include baskets, fruit and sweets bowls are made of long round straw and adorned with separately made decorative elements. The wire-frame of such articles as caskets and boxes are bordered with straw-woven pieces supplemented with three-dimensional straw squares and mats.
The process of making things of rye straw begins with selecting straw stems of equal thickness and color but of different length.
When plaiting separate straw stems, the weaver does what is called "outward" weaving, keeping the work piece on his lap. On the contrary, when working with wisps of straw stems, the weaver does the job by way of "inward" weaving after their away end is tightly secured. The straw is used to plait mats in a checkerboard or square pattern. Using natural color shades of the straw the weaver can produce a variety of shade combinations from golden to violet-rosy.
Variation of straw stem thickness also allows to diversify ornamentation. The choice of weaves and techniques of stitching separate pieces together depends on the initial product design. Straw is used to make three-dimensional rhombs and squares. They are produced separately and then stitched together to make a casket or a box.
By varying combinations of three-dimensional rhombs and mats, the weaver can produce a diversity of variants of the same article.
Two stitch techniques are used when fastening the parts of an article together - back stitch and forward stitch in an end-to-end, benching or flat mode. The whole process of weaving a straw article ends with assembling and decorating caskets, boxes, baskets, biscuit dishes and sweets bowls according to the initial design standard.
In olden times straw-work was widely used in Slavic peasant households. Vessels and baskets were indispensable for storing grain and flour, carrying food and animal feed and gathering mushrooms and wild berries. Tightly woven of straw braids, they were as strong as wooden barrels and sometimes so tight that did not leak water.
Thick and strong straw walls kept away mice while ensuring air ventilation required for cereals and flour storage. These straw-work articles were durable enough and often served the peasant for over half a century. Basket-like vessels were used in grain sowing. They were also used for storing cereals and eggs and for chicken-brooding.
A straw hat - beautiful, light, protecting from the sun and rainproof - was an indispensable part of the peasant's apparel.
To restore the straw's golden color, straw-work is to be rubbed with a brush moistened in a salt solution.
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