The art of creating decorative mats from marsh grasses has survived to this day. You can make some types of mats yourself.

A mat with large geometric patterns can be made from chakan marsh grass, similar to sedge. Such mats are called “chakanki”; ​​the Adyghe people, the indigenous inhabitants of the Kuban region, were especially famous for the art of their making.

Make a frame of wooden planks as shown in the picture. Its size depends on the size of the future mat. For the frame, make a reed, also from a wooden, but less massive plank. Its length should correspond to the width of the mat. Drill holes with a diameter of 7-8 mm in it at the same distance from each other. The distance between the holes is at least 3 cm.

Leaning the top of the frame against the wall, check the verticality of all the tensioned twines. Now you can start making the mat.

Since chakan does not have such softness and elasticity as yarn, the pattern of the mat becomes strictly defined. geometric shapes in the form of rhombuses, zigzags, etc.

Split the stems into two halves and wet them to make them more flexible.

To get an inclined line of the pattern in the mat, the step should be shifted to the right or left by one or more twines, leaving the calculation of intertwining them with the stem the same. When pulling the third stem, maintain the principle of shifting the step, as when laying the second. After finishing each laying, do not forget to press the stem with the reed to the previous ones.

If you use a chakan of one color, say golden, you can get a strict graphic design. At the same time, the pattern stands out in slight relief, which is especially impressive when lit from the side. Using chakan of three colors in a reasonable combination will enhance the decorative qualities of the design and the product itself. In the old days, and even now, to create a rich play of texture and color, cereal straws with a more intense golden hue were often laid between the stems of the chakan. We talked about such mats in the article Warmth of Reeds.

More multi-colored and graceful mat can be made from two materials - the stems of the steppe chiya plant and unspun wool, dyed in different colors. The craftswomen of Kyrgyzstan are famous for the art of making such mats.

Start mastering such a mat with a small-sized product. After collecting a bunch of chia or reeds, select the stems according to length and thickness. Then lay them out on the floor, placing them one at a time tightly against each other. Having aligned the ends on one side, cut off the excess length of the stems on the other using a sharp knife along a ruler.

Unspun sheep wool clean from impurities, wash, dye, dry and comb each color group of fibers on a carding comb.

Once you have finished winding the wool on one stem, set it aside and move on to the next one. Place each wrapped stem next to the previous one in a certain sequence. As each stem is prepared and attached to each other, a colorful mat pattern will emerge.

Now tie the stems one by one. Tie the first stem to the bar with each paired ends of the threads. Having tied the first stem, take the next one in order, tie it to the first and so on. When all the stems are tied, cut the threads from the strip and trim their ends.

Instructions

Prepare material for weaving. Harvesting reeds can be done all year round, however, in winter it is quite difficult due to snowdrifts, and in spring due to floods and mud. Therefore, reeds are harvested in summer and autumn. Material cut into different time, will differ in shades.

Cut the reed stems with a knife or sickle. Tie them into bunches and hang them under a canopy in partial shade. After 2 weeks the material is ready for use.

Sort the reeds by length, thickness and quality. Select stems suitable for weaving. Clean them of leaves, leaving the good leaves and discarding the damaged ones. Split thick stems into ribbons of different widths and lengths.

Moisten dry reeds to restore their flexibility. Before starting work, immerse the material for 1-1.5 hours in cold water. While weaving, periodically moisten the reeds with foam sponge or washcloths.

The reeds can be bleached or dyed before weaving. Make a solution. Heat a 10% solution of hydrogen peroxide to 60°C, add a 2% solution of sodium silicate to it, put the reed stems and leaves in it and boil for 2 hours. The material will take on a silver color. Then rinse under running hot water.

Dyes are used to color reeds. Prepare a solution at the rate of 5 g of dye per 1 liter of water. Then add 1 g of table salt and 2 g of acetic acid to it. Boil pre-bleached reeds in this solution for about 30 minutes. Then rinse under running water.

To weave a tray or plate for bread, prepare 30 leaves. Wrap the wet leaves that you will use later in a damp cloth so that they do not dry out. Choose a template to weave with. This could be an ordinary saucepan.

Cut the leaves into equal strips. Their length should be 5 cm longer than the template. Lay 4 strips in a row. At a distance of about 1/3 from the edge, lay the sheet perpendicularly so that strips 1 and 3 are on top of it, and strips 2 and 4 are below it. Weave the next strip in the same way, but in a checkerboard pattern, that is, 2 and 4 strips of the base should lie on top of the sheet, and 1 and 3 below it. Weave a square in a similar way.

Twist the thin and short parts of the leaves remaining from pruning into flagella. Place the pan on the bottom, tie it with twine and continue to braid the base in a circle with the prepared flagella in a checkerboard pattern. Place them as close to each other as possible. When the length of the rope ends, substitute the next one and continue weaving.

Once the bottom of the tray is ready, fold the base strips upward. Braid them with flagella in a checkerboard pattern to the required height.

Remove the template and tuck in the remaining ends. Use an awl to move the edges of the tray and insert the protruding tip into the hole. Tuck all other ends in the same way. In a similar way, you can weave a mat, basket or bag from reeds.

Reed weaving is the oldest handicraft known today. The art of pottery began with it, namely, the first pots and bowls were created from twisted stalks of reeds, which were coated with clay. For beginning needlewomen, the cheapness and availability of material for work is very important. Reed is an ideal plant for weaving, because it can be found in any damp place and prepared without special skills. To weave reeds for beginners, you need to know some subtleties about this material and its preparation for the product. Having studied this type of craft in detail, you will know how to weave a fence, a mat and many other interesting things.

Preparation of material

Reeds and other marsh plants are harvested in June-July or September. The stems of this plant are very fragile, so it is better to harvest them in small bunches. Cut and harvested stems must be dried before storage, for example, hung under a canopy or stacked in bunches in the attic so as not to expose them to sunlight. If Sun rays fall on the stems, they burn out, lose their natural color and become too fragile.

Please note that in plastic bags they become covered with black spots and become unusable.

By choosing reeds for crafts, you can easily build not only baskets and hats, but even slippers. The world of crafts made from this material is very diverse, so you don’t even need to think about it, but just start making them! Numerous master classes and schemes for performing work are not uncommon for modern needlewomen and craftsmen. Here are some inspiring photos:

Next we will learn how to weave a basket for small items with our own hands. This master class was created to teach you how to use simple little things to make crafts and learn a lot of new and useful information. If you correctly follow all the recommendations, you can perfectly master the technique of making products from reeds and cattail leaves.

Cattails are often called rushes, although the only similarity between them is that they are perennial herbaceous plants.

To make a basket for small items from reeds you will need:

• Reed;
• Glue;
• Accessories;
• Stationery knife.

Basket weaving: step-by-step instructions.

1. First, weave the bottom of the basket in a circle;
2. Then, when the bottom is ready, proceed to the sides of the basket;
3. After the sides, weave the walls;
4. Use a utility knife to cut off all excess particles;
5. When the product is completed, you can decorate it with accessories. This will give the basket uniqueness and zest.

Your small change basket is ready! Enjoy using it!

The manufacture of a fence made of reeds deserves special attention. He will have attractive appearance, at the same time - inexpensive and very easy to prepare materials. Let’s look further at how to weave a fence from reeds.

Features of work

A reed fence is a natural and quite original fencing.

We start with preparing the material. Reed grows almost everywhere near rivers and is harvested in September-October. During this period, the plant reaches its optimal height, which is important when constructing a fence. Before you start weaving, you need to make a simple workbench for making mats. The length of your table should correspond to the height of the future fence. We spread the material on the table in a thick layer ranging from 15 to 20 cm. Then we lay boards on it, with the help of which the plant stems are fixed. Next we perform the firmware. It is very similar to the firmware of a regular broom.

Before making a wicker fence from reeds, you should think about the fastening system of the fence. Can be used various materials, for example, wooden beams. But better and more reliable are metal poles or pipes. We attach the finished, stitched mats to the posts using wire. The fence must be treated with a special protective fire-fighting agent, since reeds, under certain conditions, flare up like a match. There are various variations in manufacturing. For example, you can make a fence using alternate sections, as well as using branches and mats. An excellent option can be made using a mesh - chain-link.

Decoration methods

A fence made using this material is itself a very decorative and original structure. In order to make your fence more unusual and give the structure a characteristic rustic atmosphere, you need imagination and various additional elements. These are various figurines using wicker, pottery, and cart wheels. The flowers look especially beautiful. They can be planted along the fence or planted in wicker pots.

Mats

No one natural material did not escape the man’s attentive eye, his inexhaustible imagination, and skillful hands. Even seemingly unremarkable marsh grasses and reeds found their second life in human hands in artistic products - patterned mats. They were made one-color and multi-color.

The art of creating decorative mats has survived to this day. You can make some types of mats yourself.

A mat with a large geometric pattern can be made from chakan marsh grass, similar to sedge. Such mats are called “chakanki”; ​​the Adyghe people, the indigenous inhabitants of the Kuban region, were especially famous for the art of their making.

Preparing the grass takes some time. Chakan is harvested at the end of summer, when it still retains green color. If you divide an armful of chakan into three parts and process each of them differently, you can get three colors of grass.

Dry one part in the sun - it will acquire a beautiful golden hue. Dry the other one in the shade - it will remain green, but less bright than the one just cut. Place the third part in a bunch in still water - to the bottom of a river, pond, or, in extreme cases, in a large tub of water - and soak for 20-30 days, then rinse in running water and dry. The smooth surface of the chakan trunk will turn brown and acquire a soft silky shine.

Knock down a frame of wooden planks (Fig. 1). Its size depends on the size of the future mat. Make a reed for the frame - also from a wooden, but less massive plank. Its length should correspond to the width of the mat. Drill holes with a diameter of 7-8 mm in it at the same distance from each other. The distance between the holes is at least 3 cm. Tie pieces of strong twine - cotton or, better yet, hemp or jute - to the top bar of the frame. The thickness of the twine is at least 2 mm. Tie the twines at the same distance from each other as the reed holes. Insert the free end of each segment into the holes of the reed and tie it to the bottom bar of the frame. Make sure the twine is stretched evenly.
Leaning the top of the frame against the wall, check the verticality of all the tensioned twines. Now you can start making the mat.

The pattern is formed by interlacing twines with chakan stems laid between them. Chakan overlaps patterned groups of twines, which creates the impression of patterned coverings similar to heald weaving.

Since chakan does not have such softness and elasticity as yarn, the pattern of the mat takes on strictly defined geometric shapes in the form of rhombuses, zigzags, etc.
To quickly master the technique of weaving a mat, apply a gouache or ink design to the twines.

If, for example, you need to make a mat with a zigzag, think about how wide the step of a given pattern will be, that is, how many twines will be covered by the stem of the chakan and how many times this step will be repeated across the entire width of the mat.

Split the stems into two halves and wet them again to make them more elastic. Raise the reed to the top bar of the frame. At the bottom bar, according to the calculation you determined, draw the stem of the chakan (Fig. 2) from right to left between the twines across the entire width of the future mat and press it to the bottom bar with a reed.

If the stem is short, bring its edge inside out and bend it, securing it to the nearest twine covered by the same stem. Do the same when joining the stems. different colors, if your mat is multi-colored. Make sure that the stem takes a strictly horizontal position relative to the vertically stretched twines. Then pull through the next stem. To obtain an inclined line of the pattern in the mat, the step should be shifted to the right or left by one or more twines, leaving the calculation of their interweaving with the stem the same.

When pulling the third stem, maintain the principle of shifting the step, as when laying the second. After finishing each laying, do not forget to press the stem with the reed to the previous ones. To obtain a zigzag, pull the stems of the chakan in the reverse order. The pattern will also acquire a stepped character due to the width of the stem, reaching one and a half centimeters.

If you use a chakan of one color, say golden, you can get a strict graphic design. At the same time, the pattern stands out in slight relief, which is especially impressive when lit from the side. Using chakan of three colors in reasonable proportions will enhance the decorative qualities of the design and the product itself. In the old days, and even now, to create a rich play of texture and color, cereal straws with a more intense golden hue are often placed between the stems of the chakan.
When the weaving is completed, place the frame on the floor and alternately untie two twines from the bottom strip, tying them tightly together.

Make sure the stems remain tightly pressed together. When removing the mat from the top bar of the frame, carefully untie all the twines, then remove the reed and only then tie the twines - also in pairs. Since the chakan stems remain free at the edges of the mat, trim them evenly using scissors or a sharp knife along a ruler. The mat is ready.

Many stores now sell all kinds of wicker items for the home. As a rule, they are made by craftsmen from Southeast Asia from local plant material.

Meanwhile. Few people realize that it is possible to weave various beautiful things from our reeds, or rather cattails, which grow in swamps and along the banks of rivers and streams. This master class is about how to weave a cattail mat with your own hands.

What you need to weave a mat

• simple homemade loom,

• cattail (stems),

• large (“gypsy”) needle,

• twine, cotton threads and ribbon.

Procurement of material

Cattail is better known in our country as “reed” and grows along the banks of reservoirs and in wetlands.

It is best to harvest it in the summer (June 9, July), or in September. But if you really need it, you can do it at another time.

Plants are cut with a sharp knife closer to the root.

The collected stems are dried in the attic or somewhere under a canopy in a well-ventilated place, the main thing is that there is no sun there. It makes plants fragile, they fade and lose their beautiful colour. The main thing is not to store the material in cellophane after drying, otherwise it will become moldy.

Preparing material for work

You need to soak the stems for 10 minutes in a trough or bath. Then the plants are wrapped in wet gauze or cotton. cloth and keep in it for 2-3 hours. Do not keep the stems too wet, otherwise they will shrink after drying. After this, weaving begins.

Making a simple loom

Essentially, this is a rectangular frame made of wood measuring 70:100 cm, on the short sides of which screws are screwed in every centimeter.

Stretch strings of twine over the frame (the number of threads must be even) every 2 cm.

Weaving a mat

Take several stems at a time from the soaked cloth.

We take a cattail stem and stretch it under each even thread. We pull the next stem under the odd thread.

The result is a fabric with a checkerboard weave.

We cut off the extra stems at a distance of 4-5 cm from the last thread.

Now you need to strengthen the long edges of the mat. We take the stem and sew it with large stitches from the wrong side of the mat parallel to the last warp thread.
After this, remove the mat from the frame. We cut the threads between the screws and tie them in pairs.

We decorate the hand seam by sewing braid from the face using a machine. The mat is ready! It can be used as a rug for the beach or for yoga, for interior decoration or as a hot stand.

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