Part 8 (2/2)

_Material_--No 3 reed: eight stakes, each 20 inches long; one stake 11 inches long Weavers of No 3 reed

Make two groups of four each of the twenty-inch stakes Place one set at right angles across the other, and beside the under set insert the eleven-inch spoke Hold the spokes firer of the left hand, and with the weaver in the right hand place the starting end under the edge of the upper set; bring it around and over set No 1, under No 2, over No 3, under No 4, and repeat this operation four tiht twos and one single, and weave four rounds Next cut seventeen eleven-inch stakes and push one in beside each stake already used

Divide them into seventeen pairs Weave round and round until you have a base three and one-half inches in dia sure that the weaver is daers, or ”pliers,” bend up the stakes close to the weaving, at right angles with the base, and continue weaving until the basket is four inches deep Then trith and bend them over to forht to left Bend down No 1, pass under No 2 and over No 3 Then take No 2, pass under No 3 and over No 4 Continue until every pair of stakes has been turned down and worked into the border All ends must come inside the basket; after it is dry, tri with the wet reed your basket may seem not to have the proper shape Soak it well and you will be able to mould as you wish it Add a handle

[Illustration: REED BASKET WITH HANDLE]

This basket is made almost exactly like the little hamper basket previously described, except that in this one, we use double stakes, while in that one, single stakes were used; the sides of this one are vertical, those of that one slightly curved

In passing from the reed basket, the next step would be the raffia and then the combination of reed and raffia, which is worked out in all forms of Indian basketry The most common stitch is known as the ”lazy squaw,” and isthe raffia round the reed one, two, or three times, as space is desired; and then the needle is taken through the row below to make the stitch Each stitch is a repetition of the one before and the roith the effort There are innun in Indian basketry, and it is here that the work of an artist nized

RAFFIA CONSTRUCTION

We may correlate and combine raffia with reed in construction The two e and interest to the child For instance, when a napkin ring has been made of reed let the child next construct one of raffia, and then compare the finished article as to the material vised, the beauty, the flexibility, the durability, and the nativity of each

As in the case of reed, so with raffia before constructing with it, pass a piece to each child and give the life history of the plant

Madagascar ueness of his knowledge concerning it may cause him to realize the distance of the island from us and appreciate that this si has traveled thousands ofhim a story and an occupation

Raffia, a native of the South Sea Islands and of Madagascar, is the inner bark of the raphia palm, pulled off, torn into narrow strips, dried in the sun, and bound into bunches, which are plaited together and stored ready for use or shi+pping

We receive the raffia in its natural state, butIn _Practical Basket Making_, by George Wharton Jaiven; but the small quantity of raffia a teacher will need may be dyed with very little trouble with the ”Easy Dyes” manufactured by the American Color Company Follow directions and the results will be most satisfactory

Be very careful to have the dyes strong enough, as raffia absorbs an enor All raffia should be washed before dyeing; it should be well dried before being put into the dye pot, since it takes the color better when dry

If you have pupils old enough, or a class on which you can rely, nothing will delight therade class in one of the Baltimore schools has successfully dyed all the raffia, cord, cotton, and textiles used in their classroo different shades to ill arouse an intense interest in procuring these colors It will be unusual if the pupils do not handle with care thea coe of how the colors in clothing are obtained will develop and there will be created in the child a new idea of life and of man's work

The natural color of the raffia isit loosen it and soak it in clean water so that all dust and dirt htened out; then hang it in the air until thoroughly dry

Before offering any ive a few of raffia alone, as we did of the reed

7 Plaited Rope

_Problem_--To teach different ways in which the plaited rope of raffia in the use of raffia by teaching the child the three-strand plait, adding a new thread fro rope is made Next teach how to coil this rope into a , keep the raffia daloss and smoothness to the finished article

[Illustration: THREE-STRAND PLAIT]

In the construction of articles of plaited raffia an opportunity opens up to bring the child's inventive ingenuity into play Get hiht hly of paper With his uide for shape and size, he can easily reproduce it in raffia The first pattern may be crude, but each repetition will produce a better one, and interest will lend enchantment, until both pattern and reproduction will be most creditable