“And we have no peace! Burn, but live!” - so it was sung in a famous song. Of course, we are not “on fire”, but we are writing, but we definitely have no peace! So, hello, dear Babies! now I’ll definitely tell you about those treasured methods of weaving from birch bark, which is called "birch bark".
My descriptions begin here:
And how does it all start here:
Let's get started, I guess! Having completed all the preparations, armed with scissors and a ruler with a pencil, we place a clean sheet of birch bark in front of us, the yellow side facing the table, the white side facing us.

The yellow side is the one that was inside the birch.


Birch bark is a layered material and it would be advisable to clean the sheet to a uniformly distributed layer, well, if not at all, then not at all


you need to make sure that the brown lines on the birch bark, which are called "lentils" or "stomata" were located horizontally. Lentils are the pores through which the tree breathes. And we draw strips of the required width along the ruler. Most often and most conveniently, strips 1.5 cm wide are used. It is important to remember here that it is along the lentils and not vice versa

If you cut it across, the strip will be very fragile, it will tear and you will not be able to work.


So you cut along the fibers and the strip becomes as strong as a leather belt, by the way, in the old days birch bark was also called "forest skin".
Birch bark is a very pliable material and “delicate”, so any marks and scratches remain on it forever and darken over time. Therefore, all markings are done on the white side, which will be inside the product. White side, "street"


when it is peeled, porous and absorbs everything, any touches leave a mark, over time it seems that the thing is greasy and looks ugly.
Now let's do it "braid" that is, we intertwine the required number of ribbons in a checkerboard pattern, but only now with the yellow side facing us and the white side facing the table.


This is where you have to choose the weaving method. Of course, the choice is made much earlier, in the master’s head, perhaps even when this birch bark leaf is peacefully rustling through the leaves in the forest. It’s just that the differences begin from this moment.

Straight weave:
This type of weaving is more ancient and it is believed that it was from this that all weaving began, and not only from birch bark. It happened when one of our ancestors came up with the idea to cross two stripes of whatever it was, and continue to cross them until something good came out. For straight weaving, an even number of strips is almost always taken. Having made the bottom of the required size, a blank was placed there, the remaining strips were raised up and the weaving took place according to the principle of any weaving “strip on the outside, strip on the inside”
Believe it or not, China has succeeded here too, a guide to weaving:


Having risen to the required height, the master took out the blank and covered the edge of the product with an additional strip.


The blank is needed to maintain even angles.
Most often, various bottles were made this way


The diagram shows the principle of weaving.



the same napkins


simple household utensils


salt pans, for example “utitsa” (duck means) were made without a blank, only the lid was made of wood, in the form of a cork or a duck’s head

The simplicity of execution and a small variety of techniques did not allow one to get too excited in creativity, so the objects were purely everyday, although if you tried you could get creative

Objects made from birch bark have become so firmly established in everyday life that they were used by many artists for still lifes, for example in the painting by Eduard Panov, on the table there is a basket of straight weave


Of course, most often baskets were woven


the simple handle was not very strong and was more of a decorative character, but the wicker one was stronger





By the way, the feet were made with mixed weaving, because part of the product was woven in a straight way, and partly in an “oblique” way, the edge was closed in front as in straight weaving, and on the side and back as in oblique. Perhaps the very need to manufacture a larger number of different objects, and accordingly the emergence of new methods and techniques, separated them into a separate method.

Oblique weaving:
Here you can talk for hours and post photos for kilometers. All modern products are made with oblique weaving. In principle, there is not such a variety of techniques, but the possibility of using them in various combinations and ease of use have given rise to such a variety of forms.
After “braiding”, we determine the location of the corners of the future product and make them by crossing parallel strips. Tricky? Here's the diagram


Anyone who wants can contact the Chinese

Interesting weaving from birch bark for beginners - an article that will help you learn the basics of work. How often do you want to do something yourself! To brag to family and friends when they come to visit. I would like to be amazed that I was able to do this only with effort! The question arises: what to do? Almost everyone can accessorize, you need something new. But why look for something new if there is something old that has been forgotten? Tree bark weaving is a beautiful product made with love.

The beginning has begun

Birch bark is the bark of a birch tree. In Rus' it was used only in construction. In the future - for the manufacture of household utensils and various crafts. Our ancestors also made roofs, summer houses, and boats using vines and bark. In those days, people mostly wore bast shoes, which were made from exactly this material. In those days, leather cost a lot of money. There was a problem with water resistance, so they used birch. These shoes were suitable for peasants. Of course, the main disadvantage was that you couldn’t wear them in “wet” weather.

Nowadays, products made from this material are expensive. All due to the fact that such an original craft is losing its practical application.

Every housewife used birch bark baskets. They were suitable for harvesting, going into the forest to pick berries and mushrooms. Birch bark has properties that are indispensable for food storage. Instead of bags for flour and cereals, they used wickerwork, because pest bugs did not appear there. Scientists have proven that sugar and bulk products are stored best in them.

Work progress

Let's try to make a basket with our own hands.

To work you will need:

• birch bark (tape) 20 pcs, 45 cm each;
• sharp knife;
• There are many knives for work that differ in size, purpose and shape. Use an awl with different rods, pliers and round nose pliers;
• Flat awl - kocheldyk.

So let's get started!

1. Let's start weaving a fabric that has a rectangular shape. Take four ribbons that you will pass through each other.

1. This is how any weaving begins. To obtain the desired size of the product, you need to bend the tapes upward. It is worth remembering that the material is very whimsical and often curls. The unwinding technology is simple - pull the tape in your hand using the edge of scissors or a knife. Thus, the tape will twist in the opposite direction. This is how the bottom turned out.

1. The difficult part is the handles for the basket. The diagram for them is presented below:

1. Take aluminum wire, which will serve as a frame for the product. We formed an edge by passing wire inside. Start in the middle of the sides. Make the hem to the middle of the short side. Make a place for the exit by forming a clove. There should be several ends of wire coming out of its top. Make sure that the first is from the woven edge and the second is for the edge of the second side of the piece. Remember that the ends must be long.

1. Handles connect both sides of the basket. Make the edge to the end, and then braid the product with a second layer.
2. The handle can be made in several ways.

Method 1.

You can braid it using the tape itself. This method is quick and simple. Wrap two wires around to form a handle. Take a long ribbon, enough to cover the handle.

Method 2.

This is a weave of 2 ribbons. The technique lies in the size of the tapes. Their width is narrower than the product ribbons, so take one long and narrow one. Place the strips on either side of the wire. Secure the third one near the base, braiding wide ribbons, securing them on the opposite side of the handles.

Method 3.

The most difficult way to weave. The top tape must be divided in half, intertwining between four stripes.

The box-basket looks good with a handle - a bookmark.

Pay attention! You need to use four ribbons, weaving them into the base of the handle. Don't forget about the length of the ribbons.

Now you can look at the result:

This master class is perfect for beginners because it is quite detailed. This product may receive a difficulty level of two stars out of five.

Multifunctional friend

What else is birch bark suitable for? Boxes, bracelets - they can be easily woven from it, not even the name of skills and experience. Everything comes with time. Many masters, in order to achieve success, study for years for the benefit of their craft.

Cube - you need to use 8 strips of 30-40 cm each and 10 mm wide. Anyone, especially a child, will love this souvenir. You can see the step-by-step execution of the product.

A few tips: when using the diagram, carefully watch the master’s hands. There are many times when you need to tighten the bands tightly. But do not forget that they are fragile and can tear or break, ruining the entire product.

1 Introduction

This guide is intended for those who like to make beautiful and useful things from birch bast with their own hands. It does not examine many aspects of this ancient craft, which existed in every peasant hut of the Russian North.
In museums in the north-west of the country you can see numerous forms of things that were constantly used in peasant life. The literature indicated in this manual and extracts from it will help you improve your knowledge on the proposed topic. By visiting various exhibitions, fairs and meeting craftsmen, you will be able to master weaving new forms of products for your family and friends.

2 A word about birch bark

2.1 Birch bark (birch bark), (birch bark). Birch bark is the top light, striped layer of birch bark. She basically goes to waste. Birch bark is a flap or strip of birch bark. Birch something, entwine, tie, fasten with birch bark, birch whip.
Bast is a young bast, fibrous, fragile subbark from any tree. Under the bark is bast, under it is pulp, under it is elk, young wood.
Blon, bologna, blonka are young, outer, not yet completely woody layers of any tree.
Lubok, splint - subbark, underbark, covering the blond. Bast falls well (is washed off) in warm, damp weather with wind. (Ref. 8)

2.2 Birch bark is the top layer of birch bark. Birch bark bast shoes were woven, but there were no bast (linden) bast shoes in the North. Birch bark - birch bark bast. It’s very comfortable to walk in birch bark. (Kholmogorsk) We need to stock up on birch bark and make birch bark. There are whips, made from thin birch barks. Narrow birch bark, thin and soft. I walked around and tore bast out of birch bark. Kototsek removes the birch bark. Lapots are woven from birch bark. And the birch tree needs to be put in boiling water. Berestennik - just add flour. They use birch bark and pester to weave for flour. (Ref. 7)

2.3 The technique of weaving from birch bark, as well as objects made from it, came from ancient times, without losing its utilitarian meaning today. And there is no better basket for berries and mushrooms than the northern crawfish. Products woven from birch bark - a light, convenient spatula for timber, body and pesteri - hard shoulder bags, it is convenient to carry food in them when you go to reap, and when returning from the forest - fish and game.

(Ref. 8)

2.4 One of the favorite materials of the craftsmen of the North was birch bark. It is durable and not afraid of dampness. In everyday life, in peasant life, birch bark found the widest use, although this material, at first glance, is discreet and modest. But no matter what the master’s hand touches, everything comes to life and takes on a completely new, special sound. (Literature 4)

2.5 Even in ancient times, birch bark attracted folk art masters with its dazzling whiteness, and also because the reverse side was yellowish, velvety, very similar to noble, well-crafted suede. When processed, birch bark retained its properties: softness, velvety, flexibility and amazing strength, which made it suitable for making vessels for liquids, for storing and transporting milk. (Ref. 11)

2.6 Spring birch bark has a coolish yellow color, autumn birch bark is warm, dark brown. When combining birch bark of different colors, an additional effect is obtained. Birch bark consists of many thin but dense layers. Every year a new layer grows on the birch, and the bark becomes thicker. The inner layer can be yellow, ocher, brown, yellow-green... Masters call this side the front side.

(Literature 15)

2.7 Birch bark has different shades depending on the time it was removed from the tree trunk and its age. The older the tree, the larger its diameter, the darker the shade of the birch bark surface. “Hard” birch bark, which has a white surface inside when split, is not suitable for weaving. It doesn't delaminate. The best birch bark is smooth, with small stripes of a natural pattern - from one of the most common birch trees - downy birch. A peculiar feature of the downy birch, which makes it possible to distinguish it from another species - the warty birch, is the small dense fluff that covers the young shoots and leaves. Downy birch is found more often in low, floodplain areas that are flooded with water in the spring. For decorative work, you need birch bark that is smooth, without painful thickenings, sagging or cuts.

(Literature 2)

2.8 If someone gets cut while haymaking, they immediately bandage the wound with a thin strip of birch bark instead of a bandage, and lo and behold, by the evening it has already healed. There is a lot of tar in birch bark, and they also found silver in it, which is probably why it itself does not deteriorate. And birch bark preserves products for a long time. Soaked and fresh berries and salted mushrooms are stored in birch bark tues and boxes. Even fresh fish can be stored for a long time.

(Literature 23)

2.9 Products made from birch bark, which in the past made up a significant part of household utensils, are also very interesting. The abundance of objects that have come down to us allows us to form a fairly complete picture of the birch bark utensils that existed among the Karelians. Karelians made saltboxes, beetroots, tues, baskets, wallets, etc. from birch bark. These products were distinguished not only by their beautiful texture, but also by their remarkable strength. (Literature 14)

2.10 Today, when we are trying to revive ancient types of crafts, gradually the best qualities of handicraft production are wasted and diminished, as is the aesthetic experience of craftsmen and consumers of products. A wide variety of things were woven from strips of elastic, strong and beautiful birch bark. These included large shoulder bags, boxes, baskets, shoes of very different shapes, and salt shakers in the shape of a bird.
Any item could be woven, but useless things were not done. The lightness of the material was taken into account, objects were made in which it was convenient and expedient to carry. The beauty of the material taught the master to appreciate the expressiveness of the weaving itself. The material is perfectly revealed in large products, but also in small, small objects, the master does not trifle birch bark, he appreciates its texture and color. The weave remains structured and clear.
Texture - processing, structure. In decorative and applied arts - polished, rough, etc. surface of a product. (Literature 21)

2.11 A lot of imagination and ingenuity was shown in the creation of products from birch bark. From prepared balls of birch bark tape, with the help of sticks - clamps, craftsmen wove bast shoes and baskets, bread bins and pesteri bags, damasks, figured ducks - saltboxes. During the weaving process, the ribbon was placed in patterned compositions - in a cage, a braid, a rope, or triangles. With a simple design, play of chiaroscuro, and nuances of the golden color of the material, they endowed ordinary household objects with beauty. Motifs of circles, rosettes, diamonds, stars, rhythmically scattered across the background or arranged in rows and oblique stripes, gave the objects a discreet decorative quality. They delicately enriched the natural texture of birch bark, blending well with its natural color. In addition to painting, birch bark was decorated with embossing, engraving and slotting, patterned stripes were made from it, and entire figured objects were woven out of it. (Literature 6)

2.12 Birch bark is the top layer of birch bark: it is mostly torn off in the spring from living trees, used for bast shoes, baskets, boxes, beetroot, etc. Beautiful birch tar is extracted from birch bark. Birch is widespread in the USSR from the North to the steppe strip. Many types of birch are valuable forest ornamental trees, provide the best fuel (trees at 40-60 years old are already suitable for cutting for firewood), are an excellent material for various carpentry products, but are of little use for buildings.
In spring, birch produces sweet sap containing up to 2% sugar. From the outer layer of bark (birch bark), northern peoples make dishes, cover their homes with it, sheathe boats, etc. Tar is extracted from birch, which is used for processing leather (yuft). When wood is burned, soot is produced, which is used for printing and painting inks. Young birch branches are used for brooms and brooms, the leaves represent a folk diaphoretic, green paint is obtained from the juice of young leaves with alum, and yellow paint with chalk. An alcohol tincture of birch buds is used in folk medicine for cuts and stomach diseases.

Of the 40 species of birch trees growing only in the Northern Hemisphere, about 16 species grow in the USSR, of which the most important are the warty and downy ones. (Ref. 35)

2.13 The Russian word “birch” is very ancient. In the pre-Slavic era (before the 8th century AD), this word sounded like berza. In Indo-European languages, the word “birch” was an adjective and meant light and white. In the old days, the Slavs began the year not in winter, but in spring, so they greeted it not with spruce, but with birch. At this time, farmers began agricultural work, and the birch tree was the first to bloom. March was the first month of the year until the 15th century; Since then, the Russian calendar has been rebuilt, but the name has been preserved in the Ukrainian language, where March is called Berezne.
It is known from ancient chronicles that in those days when the Slavs believed in forest, water and heavenly spirits, they had a main goddess named Bereginya, the mother of all spirits and all riches on earth, and they worshiped her in the form of a sacred white tree - a birch. The birch was perceived as a living, powerful creature, capable of fulfilling desires. It is no coincidence that the birch tree is one of the main images of folk poetry. In folk songs, tales, and legends, the birch tree is a symbol of spring and homeland. The favorite tree was endowed with the most affectionate epithets. She was called slender, curly, thin, white, fluffy, cheerful...
Signs: A lot of sap flows from a birch tree - for a rainy summer. When the birch tree opens its leaves in front of the alder, the summer will be dry, if the alder is wet in advance. In our forests, birches older than 150 years are not found. The bark of birch trunks is white, it seems to glow in the dark. The bark of young branches is red-brown, covered with warts (lenticels). (Ref. 15)

2.14 Due to its remarkable properties (strength, flexibility, resistance to rotting), birch bark has long been widely used in everyday life. All the various birch bark products of the peoples of Russia can be divided into 3 groups:

1 Things made from a whole piece of birch bark, the simplest in shape: chekmans (wide and low tetrahedral open dishes), boxes, nabirushkas.

2 Wicker products of various shapes and sizes: small saltboxes, huge bags - shoulder pads, wicker shoes, etc.

3 Stitched products, the most complex and labor-intensive: beetroot, boxes.

There are also various ways to decorate birch bark products: scraping and engraving, embossing and carving, painting with paints. (Literature 25)

2.16 They didn’t make anything out of birch bark in Russia! Before starting work, the sarga is lightly lubricated with linseed oil. When weaving, they use a wedge-shaped tool made of wood, iron or elk horn - kochedyk (in other dialects - kotach). Bast shoes are woven on a wooden block. Weaving is carried out in 3-4 sargs, which results in a durable item that does not allow water and air to pass through. Even shepherd's horns and children's pipes were made from birch bark. They wove waders, waterproof jackets and caps from this material. A mug, a solonik and a shovel - a bag for a whetstone and shovels, which were used to sharpen and straighten a scythe, were not a burden to the peasant who went to reap on a hot day. Birch bark is light and durable. A camping salt-water duck could serve at the same time as a toy. Birch bark balls, birds, and rattles were specially woven for children.
Under the influence of urban household items, peasant handicraftsmen also made such gizmos as, for example, an ink set. But the most common were baskets of various shapes and capacities, suitcase boxes, shoulder bags with straps, boxes for storing flour, and bags for fishing. They say that in such bags the fish does not freeze in winter and does not spoil in the heat of summer. For fishermen, they made birch bark sinkers, braiding stone with sarga, and floats for nets. The bottles were braided with birch bark. Bottles were also made from birch bark itself. It is impossible to list everything. (Literature 4)

3 Masters of the Arkhangelsk region

3.1 The hands of a folk craftsman, artistically transforming practically useful things, turned them into works of art. Books and illustrated albums mainly reflect the art of decorative design of products, while the technology of their production and the features of materials used in the past and present are almost not covered. For example, a pine tree cut down in December is almost twice as strong as a pine tree cut down in February. (Literature 2)

3.2 According to craftsmen, birch bark has about a hundred color shades: from white, pale pink, amber-golden to dark brown. Understanding the natural properties of a material, the ability to identify and emphasize its beauty, and to make a useful thing with love constitute the amazing properties of folk craft, for which they call it art.

3.3 There is a special interest in birch bark now. She is experiencing her rebirth - the “birch bark renaissance”. Among folk craftsmen working with birch bark, a kind of specialization occurred. Embossing on products, weaving ornaments on simple or refined products from ribbons of different shades, birch bark sculpture, by type of product.
Birch bark, as a material, is not squeezed into the rigid framework of modern technology. A birch bark bread box cannot be made by several people in stages, as, for example, a wooden bread box can be cut in stages from aspen.
In the hut of the Russian peasant, birch bark took second place after wood. Tuesa (beetroots), boxes, pesters, shoulder pads, purses, baskets, oil dishes, stuffing boxes, baskets, goblets, salt shakers, supplies, sharpeners, berry boxes, under-pots, toys, rattles, and you can’t list everything. (Literature 16)

3.4 It is interesting that in the products that craftsmen weave today, it is rare to find a performer who understands birch bark in this way. More often there is a tendency to use narrow strips, to complicate and refine the weaving pattern. I don't think this is a coincidence. A modern master often considers what is beautiful to be complex, elegant, miniature, and brightly decorated. Usefulness and constructiveness cease to be criteria for the aesthetic. And he makes birch bark objects not for life, but for an exhibition or for sale in an art salon. The connection between the useful, vital and aesthetic principle, which was born in hand-made craftsmanship, is disintegrating. Craft is the sphere of creating things necessary in life. Their utilitarianism is natural. (Literature 21)

3.5 It is necessary to highlight several general artistic, characteristic features traditional for folk arts and crafts:

Utilitarianism is the practical purpose of fishing in response to everyday needs and economic needs.

The fusion of works of folk art with the surrounding life and native nature.

Unity of processed material and technical methods.

Traditionality of forms and experience.

The collective nature of creativity, which saves masters from mistakes, misconceptions, fruitless experiments and hesitations, a waste of energy.

Maximum economy of artistic means.

Close to children's creativity.

Elegant decorativeness, festive impression.

With a small number of plots, there is an abundance of their variants.

Masters, turning to the same motifs, interpret them and find new options. (Literature 22)

3.6 This is their artistry - to do the same thing as other masters, only differently than them, in their own way and better.
Currently, wicker products made at a high artistic level, having utilitarian practical significance, not only benefiting a person, but also satisfying his spiritual needs, nurturing and forming good taste are in great demand.
Products can perform all these functions provided that they are modern in form, original in design and technically well executed. Ornament, artistic design of the appearance of the product, its marking, trademark and other indicators characterizing the presentation are given paramount importance. Overloaded ornamentation is unusual for works of decorative and applied art. (Literature 18)

3.7 Since the mid-60s, the Arkhangelsk Union of Artists, the regional house of folk art, regional and district museums have been working to survey the ancient centers of the North, villages and hamlets of the Arkhangelsk land, identifying hereditary craftsmen who possess the skills of traditional crafts.
For more than 15 years, folk artists have been working closely with the Art Fund of Russia, actively participating not only in annual regional exhibitions, but also in major regional, republican and foreign shows. Museum collections have expanded significantly over the years. (Literature 28)

3.8 Contemporary creativity of northern masters is widely known today. A number of albums and theoretical studies by specialists, as well as numerous popular publications, are dedicated to him. The personality of the folk master - the keeper of ancient culture - enjoys respect, love and glory. The oldest of them perfectly know and remember the variety of forms and techniques for decorating baskets, bodies, baskets, salt shakers, etc. Wicker products, basically, retain their everyday purpose: they are used both in rural areas and in the city.
The personality of the folk master - the keeper of ancient culture - enjoys respect, love and glory. The oldest of them perfectly know and remember the variety of forms and techniques for decorating baskets, bodies, baskets, salt shakers, etc. Wicker products, basically, retain their everyday purpose: they are used both in rural areas and in the city.
Some young masters also mastered the art of weaving, for example, Yuri Khodiy and Olga Pavlenko from Arkhangelsk, who studied with hereditary masters - Velsk residents Yakov Grigorievich Rokhin and Dmitry Evgenievich Zadorin. The famous folk artist Alexander Ivanovich Petukhov, who lives in the Konoshsky district, became close to the tree. (Literature 28)

3.9 The recording of a conversation between the writer O. Larin and the master M.F. Fatyanov from the Leshukonsky district is an example of the preservation of the Russian folk language. “In the old days, the Kovds sat down at the table with only birch bark and saw: dishes, salt shakers, ladles, glasses, damasks. And even when the birch bark was used for wire rods, they made galoshes from it. .
Birch bark comes in three varieties - thin, warm, soft, velvety, extensible, wide-layered - without fungus, which means without crusts - “fat”, white, pale yellow, young. This has never happened here before.

Thick, smooth, durable, but needle-like, multi-colored - reddish in the south, and yellow in the north. This one hasn’t ripened yet, I’ll come back next year.

And the third variety: thick, tundra-like, spotted, covered in shadrinkas, covered in scabs, and covered with tendrils. This one is a dime a dozen here. Take it, I don't want it...

In the old days, you won’t believe it, we wove bast shoes from birch bark. Weaving bast shoes is not running a house, the science is not tricky. For one leg, five stripes were required, you wet them, carved them, sharpened them and put them in water. They bend more easily." (Literature 34)

3.10 Kostylev laid eight double strips crosswise, folded so that the inner side of the birch bark was the front side. Holding them with clamps, he began to weave tightly, cell by cell. When there was no birch bark, I wove boxes, eyeglass cases, handbags from paper ribbons... If you wipe the strip with a cloth dipped in sunflower oil, burrs do not form on them, the birch bark becomes more elastic, loses resistance, and the color appears more actively. Vasily Alekseevich finished weaving, ironed and straightened a small rug of golden ribbons, beat it with a mallet, rolled it into a tube and began to form corners. Using tweezers, he pulled the free ends of the stripes under the adjacent cells on the outer and inner sides of the product. (Literature 30)

3.11 I consider it my duty to remember:

Mikhail Vasilyevich Varvarsky from Konevo;

Magician Vyacheslav Makarovich Trapeznikov from Nyandoma district, Lepsha;

Vladimir Nikolaevich Burchevsky, an ascetic of folk art,

Valentina Dmitrievna Kuznetsova, head of the Berendey club, Velsk;

Smiling and kind Ivan Kirovich Lavrentyev and Evstafy Mikhailovich Druzhinin from the same famous arts and crafts club "Berendey";

Nikolai Aleksandrovich Uvarov, a teacher from Nyandoma;

People's master Sergei Grigorievich Kanyshev with his wife Lena, who teaches children weaving, from Kargopol;

People's master Alexander Vladimirovich Shutikhin from Kotlas

and many other craftsmen who introduced me to the art of birch bark weaving with their products.

3.12 In Severodvinsk I know the following weaving colleagues:

Wide-ranging teacher Ivan Grigorievich Kleshchin,

Pensioner Grigory Grigorievich Poroshin,

Vladimir Alexandrovich Korobkov,

Mikhail Evgenievich Strelkov and others.

4 Working tools and accessories

4.1 The braider's tool is simple - it's a weaver, a knife-jamb, scissors, "pinchers" for clamping birch bark strips, a kochedyk that helps pull through the birch bark strips when weaving, templates, a ruler, a pencil. All this is in every home or you can easily make it yourself. The workplace is small and consists of a low bench, a stool with a tool under a seat-lid and a tank (polyethylene container) for wetting the tapes.

4.2 A picker is an ancient tool for safely removing bast from a tree. A simple root, branch or similar of hard wood is sharpened at two angles. Sochalka is a spruce branch for removing birch bark. It can also be made from other hard wood. The sochalka is similar in shape to the kochedyk, but has working planes cut at two angles.

The edge of the birch bark is undermined by a piece of bast and pulled at an angle to obtain a long ribbon.

4.3.1 The knife must be very sharp. It is convenient to work with a knife shaped like a shoe knife. Knives - jambs come with different blade widths and different bevel angles. You can cut birch bark with your toe or heel. The blade of the knife - jamb, made of tool steel and well polished, has a length of 50-70 mm, a width of 10 blades.

4.3.2 The knife has a straight blade 25-30 mm wide and 80-150 mm long, length with handle 180-270 mm. The most convenient handle for a knife is straight-shaped with rounded edges and a head, with a handle 100-120 mm long, 20-30 mm wide, 12-15 mm thick. (Literature 2)

4.3.3 The knife blade must be perfectly sharp. When sharpening a jamb, a chamfer is removed from both sides of a narrow beveled edge at the same angle. When sharpening, the knife is held so that the chamfer fits tightly to the block, and a reciprocating movement of large amplitude is given to it. As soon as a burr appears on the cutting edge, the knife is turned over. The sharpening is completed on a fine-grained whetstone and sharpened on a whetstone, giving the knife the same movements as when sharpening on a whetstone.

4.3.4 After sharpening and straightening, the instruments are wiped dry, laid with their handles in different directions so as not to damage the tip, and wrapped in thick canvas or stored in a special case with pockets. Foam rubber should be placed under the cutting edges. To protect against rust, the blade of cutting tools should be lightly wiped with oil. (Literature 2)

4.3.5 Special cutter knives with limiters located on a long handle are also used. The cutting part of the blade should not protrude above the stops by more than 2.5-4 mm, depending on the thickness of the birch bark. (Literature 23)

4.3.6 It is even more convenient to cut a birch bark strip of a given width with a special cutter with a limiter. The cutter blade cuts through the birch bark, and the stopper hook simultaneously separates the tape from the trunk

Birch bark is the name given to the pliable thin birch bark, which is fertile ground for creativity. What is made from birch bark? Lots of products: bread bins, boxes, other household items and even jewelry! Wicker souvenirs have always been in good demand, be it small crafts for kindergarten or a voluminous pestle for picking mushrooms.

These crafts are simple, but look incredibly beautiful. A small master class will help beginners master the art of weaving from birch bark. It’s easy to make something beautiful!

Don’t be afraid to start practicing this type of needlework like birch bark weaving. For it, just like for knitting, there are simple and understandable patterns, pictures illustrating the process, and various master classes and video lessons.

Bark harvesting should be carried out in late May - early July. It is during this period that it is easy to remove and has a pleasant golden hue. Remember that birch bark can only be removed from fallen trees in areas of planned felling. Removing bark from trees standing on the root, it is impossible: this will cause irreparable harm, they may die. The basic rules for procurement are as follows:

What tools are used when working with birch bark:

• cutters;
• punches from tubes having different diameters and shapes (circle, oval, diamond, etc.); instead of tubes, sheet steel can be used;
• chasing - tools with which an in-depth relief is applied; the material for them can be either thick copper rods or thick wood (boxwood, pear, juniper);
• awls, the end of which is slightly blunt;
• linden or aspen cutting boards;
• wooden hammers;
• wire;
• metal rulers.

Crafts made from birch bark are very popular; they can become not only a worthy interior decoration, but also great gift for adults, and for children. Even beginners will find it easy to figure out how to weave birch bark crafts with their own hands. A detailed master class will help with this; in particular, you can make a beautiful box from birch bark with your own hands.

Gallery: birch bark crafts (25 photos)

It can be oblique or straight, depending on the angle of the intersecting strips relative to the horizon. The main one is oblique weaving; such crafts are more durable. Straight weave suitable when creating flat products - napkins, book covers, etc. Volumetric products - baskets, vases, caskets, flat-type straps can be made using the oblique weaving method. This master class will introduce you to the techniques of making crafts.

An important nuance: in the straight weaving technique, the number of ribbons can be any, but with oblique weaving - only an even number.

Making a birch bark basket The first and most important step is creating the bottom. It is made by interlacing strips until a square is formed on which a checkerboard can be seen. The size depends only on the number of tapes used: 4x4, 6x6, etc. Number of tapes: 8, 12, etc. To fix the strips during the weaving process, weights (for example, glass) with clamps are used. After obtaining a clear square, they begin to mark the bottom; it may have square or rectangular shape.

Then they begin to form the walls. In the technique of direct weaving of birch bark baskets, the volume is formed around templates with the appropriate dimensions. All protruding strips should be bent in turn at right angles to the top and tied with ropes. Then, from any angle, additional stripes are drawn horizontally and intertwined with vertical stripes. The height of the finished box depends precisely on the number of horizontal stripes.

In oblique weaving, an angle should be formed at the place where the marking is applied, crossing and intertwining adjacent strips. After all the corners are intertwined, the desired height of the birch bark box is set . So that the product has smooth walls, you can apply the template around which the product was formed. During operation, the walls are pressed all the time, and a dense wall is obtained.

After completing the inner part of the tape, bend it down and begin weaving the outer layer. All crafts consist of two layers, both the outer and the inner will be visible. If the length is not enough, it should be increased: put under the previous layer, carefully lifting it with scissors or an awl with a blunt end. As a rule, weaving birch bark boxes end on the outside of the bottom.

Weaving bread boxes from birch bark

If you want to complement your kitchen interior with an unusual, but beautiful and unique wooden element, try weaving a birch bark bread box with your own hands. Folk craftsmen call the weaving technique “rug”: collect an even number of strips, fold them, stretch them and intertwine them on a horizontal plane. The front side of the tapes birch bark should be placed on top, and the resulting surface should be placed bottom to bottom.

Creation of many types of objects for various purposes, as well as some elements of products from other materials.

About the occurrence of birch bark

Nothing meaningful can be said about the history of birch bark weaving now, I think. Another thing is that there are quite a few facts attested to the use of birch bark itself, because fragments of birch bark that were used for writing, for example, were found. But you must admit that these Novgorod letters, dating back to the 11th century, were not wickerwork. The emergence of birch bark weaving as a craft, according to various sources, is attributed to the 18th - 19th centuries, but this is no longer such a distant past.

I have neither the goal nor the desire to find out when the first birch bark product was woven and when it became mainstream, well, in the sense of when this craft became widespread.

I can only say that many evidence of truly ancient crafts is documented based on the age of found products made from very durable materials, which birch bark is not, or based on the age of the tools used in production. For example, pottery is considered to be very ancient, since fragments of ceramic products about 8 thousand years old have been found. This also includes weaving, because the oldest loom has a history of 6 thousand years.

But what’s interesting is that if you look at the simplest fabric, you can see perpendicular threads intertwined with each other. It is easy to see that a similar technique underlies birch bark weaving, where instead of threads there are ribbons. When such a principle of weaving takes place, nothing prevents it from being extended to other materials, which means why not birch bark weaving arises as soon as a person finds a white-trunked tree. In any case, this is just speculation and unsubstantiated lyrics.

Birch bark weaving as a craft

Based on the definition of craft (small handmade production), birch bark weaving clearly falls under this interpretation. If we consider that birch trees are widely found in the northern part of Eurasia and North America, then we can draw conclusions about the approximate area of ​​distribution of birch bark weaving, because when there is material, there will be someone who will use it. It’s a different matter that not every type of birch is suitable for weaving, but that’s a completely different story. On our land, birch bark was most widely used by the inhabitants of Siberia and the Far East, as some open sources claim.

Let me make one more assumption about birch bark weaving: birch bark jewelry, various kinds of souvenirs, toys, etc. arose later than utilitarian products. I think that initially they produced dishes, shoes and maybe furniture elements, that is, things that make the life of a peasant more comfortable.

For bulk items it was possible to weave a container with a lid, and for collecting berries and mushrooms - a basket or box. Any peasant could weave his own bast shoes on his knees or repair them while moving from village to village, if we talk about shoes. To store things, chests and caskets could be woven or braided. I wouldn’t be surprised if some master of those times came up with a headdress made of birch bark.

Later, most likely, toys and some ritual objects, amulets began to appear, which could have been on the shelves of fairs.

If we do not consider the use of birch bark as weaving, then there is generally an abundance: from construction to fishing floats. You can read about this in the article about the properties of birch bark.

Birch bark could extend the life of, for example, a broken ceramic product if it was braided while maintaining its integrity.

Birch bark weaving also goes well with other types of birch bark processing. For example, the outer layer of tues can be partially or completely woven, and also advantageously complemented by embossing and carving on birch bark.

In my opinion, woven elements look a little worse on products, for example, made from wicker. I would try to refrain from such crossbreeding, but this may be a matter of taste. From a utilitarian point of view, it does not matter at all what materials are used in the product - what is important is its specific application. The best solution is a compromise between practicality and aesthetics.

Birch bark weaving XXI

Now birch bark weaving is still alive in some places in the form of school circles, lives among rare old masters without successors, and almost does not exist at the level of enterprises engaged in the streaming sale of products. You can’t earn much from this now, but it’s easier to realize yourself in areas other than dying crafts. I, in turn, try to save information about birch bark weaving on the Internet.

Of course, you can disagree with me and, by typing the phrase “birch bark weaving” in Yandex, show many sources where there are craftsmen, and even online stores with an incredible assortment of wicker products. Yes, someone is still seriously involved in this, but certainly not young people, which means the craft is aging, and someday it will probably be lost.

One can talk a lot about the reasons for this state of affairs with crafts in general and birch bark weaving in particular, but this reasoning alone is a useless exercise. Having studied some handicraft, you or I will do much more than just shouting about how the world has become synthetic and there is nothing natural left in it.

On the website "SPLETENO.RU" you can see many master classes on weaving from birch bark, where, first of all, the basics of birch bark weaving are discussed, allowing you to create complex utilitarian or artistic products yourself. Among the master classes there are educational materials on the implementation of individual elements from which wicker products are built, as well as articles on the implementation of full-fledged popular items from start to finish.

I really hope that the reader will like and find the information from the articles useful, and I also hope that you will support the author with a kind word in the comments or show the results of your work to replenish the gallery of photographic materials.

Let me remind you that the site has an error reporting system, and although I try very hard to write clearly and competently, I periodically rewrite some articles, it does not always work out as well as I would like, so the help of readers in improving the resource will also not be superfluous. Thanks to everyone who is already helping me make the site more literate.

The article uses some materials from the site muz-school9tihvin.eduface.ru