Inexpensive Basketry by William S. Marten presents a focused introduction to making continuous coiled baskets with readily available plant materials. Issued by The Manual Arts Press in Peoria, Illinois, as Manual Training Reprints, Series A, Number 4, it combines discussion of materials and equipment with a photographed sequence of the actual hand movements. The volume carries a 1912 copyright, while William T. Bawden’s foreword is dated January 17, 1913.
A small course with a clear purpose
Marten developed the work through experience with elementary school classes in Durham, North Carolina. His introduction explains why he considered basketry useful both in the classroom and in the home. He emphasizes purposeful objects, local resources, observation, design, and the coordination involved in making something by hand. The aim is to make usable containers while learning how materials behave.
The foreword describes the text as a revision of articles that had appeared in Manual Training Magazine. Rather than survey every form of basketry, the practical section concentrates on one continuous coiled method. That narrow scope is one of the book’s strengths: the reader can follow a complete process instead of moving quickly between unrelated techniques. The educational discussion, construction lessons, suggested course outline, and references are clearly separated.
Choosing fibers and simple equipment
The materials chapter distinguishes the bundle that forms the coil from the material used to bind it. It discusses grasses and rushes, pine needles, grain stalks, corn parts, and other suitable plant fibers. Toughness and length matter, and the author encourages attention to what can be obtained locally. He also considers preparation, curing, storage, and the different requirements of the binding strand.
Cane and raffia appear as options where useful, but the central idea is to avoid making the craft dependent on an elaborate purchased kit. Equipment is similarly modest. The discussion includes scissors or a knife and an appropriate pointed tool or needle, with different choices for large and small work. These pages make the book relevant to readers interested in understanding a material from collection through construction, rather than simply following a packaged project.
Starting and expanding a coil
The construction section is the heart of the handbook. It begins with preparing the material and making the starting tie, then follows the second and succeeding stitches that establish the first circle. Close photographs show hands, the fiber bundle, and the binding strand at successive stages. They give the reader a view of the work that short written instructions alone would struggle to convey.
As the circle grows, Marten explains adding strands to the coil, making regular stitches, and maintaining the spacing between them. Tying on a new binding strand receives attention as well. The sequence makes clear that a basket depends on consistent handling of a series of small operations. It is useful to read the complete process first, then return to each photograph while studying the corresponding movement.
Shaping sides, handles, and the rim
After the base, the lessons turn to changing direction and building the sides. The position of each new coil influences the resulting shape, so this stage connects technique with design. The text continues through inserting handles, finishing the top, and polishing. Photographs of completed work illustrate the variety that can result from the same basic method.
The introduction mentions uses including table mats, trays, wastepaper baskets, lunch baskets, and other holding or carrying objects. These are examples of applications, rather than a separate detailed pattern for every named item. A later outline suggests how teachers might vary problems, sizes, details, and materials for different grades. Readers planning their own learning sequence can use that outline to think about starting small and increasing the demands gradually.
Who will enjoy this reference?
This is a good fit for readers exploring traditional fiber craft, resourceful homestead skills, and the history of hands-on education. Its strongest practical feature is the photographic treatment of coiled construction. Its strongest broader theme is the relationship between a useful object and the ordinary materials available around its maker.
The educational language and some finishing suggestions reflect the early twentieth century. Choose materials and finishes appropriate to the intended use of a modern basket. The final sections provide references on manual training and a basketry bibliography, showing the wider reading available to teachers at the time. The PDF preserves the original cover, photographs, advertisements, and library marks. It includes searchable text, though recognition errors mean the page images remain the best guide when wording is unclear.
Book details
- Title: Inexpensive Basketry
- Author: William S. Marten
- Publisher: The Manual Arts Press, Peoria, Illinois
- Series: Manual Training Reprints, Series A, Number 4
- Date: Copyright 1912; foreword dated January 17, 1913; title page undated
- Edition: No numbered edition stated
- Language: English
- Format: Illustrated scanned PDF, 52 digital pages
- File size: 2.62 MB (2,623,573 bytes)
- Subjects: Coiled basketry, plant fibers, basket construction, manual training, simple craft tools
