Struggling to Keep the Kids Occupied? Teach them to Weave Baskets!

If your young kids are anything like mine were, when we hit the dog days of August everyone is looking for something exciting and different to do. Try this free download from Handwoven to create fun baskets, and good memories, with the little ones. —Katrina

A few years ago, members of my guild spent several happy hours weaving paper bag baskets based on “Paper Bag Basketry” from Handwoven March/April 1994. It was a chance for us to get together casually without need of a paid instructor, special equipment, or expensive supplies.

We brought paper shopping bags, scissors, rulers, binder clips, and our lunches, and made an afternoon of it. I’ve made a few more of the baskets since then as gifts, and use them myself to hold yarn and equipment (and sometimes a napping cat).

The weaving process is kid-friendly, although younger ones may need your help to get started. If yours are really little, they can color on the paper before you cut the bags up, and then see how their designs look when they‘re woven.

While they don’t hold up in the quite the same way as reed baskets do, paper-bag baskets have a certain charm and durability. If you join the kids as they weave, you can craft a few to keep on hand as a creative alternative to purchasing gift bags.

Paper bag baskets are:

• Free, and if you don’t have paper bags you can substitute other types of paper. Freezer paper or large rolls of art paper are other good options.

• Good for teaching you a little about basket weaving without the angst of working with new-to-you materials.

• Useful, and fun to weave.

For all of these reasons, we‘re offering a free download of the Paper Bag Basketry pattern here. The instructions will help you weave your first basket, and from there you can branch out into other sizes.

Weave the baskets with your kids, try it with your housemates or anyone else you‘re hanging out with these days. Make an afternoon of it. Who knows, you may find you like basket weaving and want to pursue it further with other materials!

Weave well,
Susan

Originally published May 13, 2020; updated August 5, 2024.