Sauna Baskets and Repair with a Master Basket Maker

 

West Highland Ponies by William Shiels (1738–1857), National Museums Scotland, National Museum of Rural Life

One of my related interests to sauna is the craftsmanship of items used in the ritual. There are a number of things that when hand crafted add to the simple beauty of a sauna experience: textiles used for covering the sauna bench and toweling off; soaps, scrubs and lotions, whisks, buckets and ladles, woolen hats, etc. On this list, there is a special category for useful items woven from birch or other natural materials. The Finns, like many other northern peoples, have a strong tradition of basketmaking from birch. For our backyard Bad Sauna, we use baskets of all types for holding, towels and other items, large and small, and I am particularly enamored of birch wrapped glass jars for sauna tea.

Fennel and mint tea served hot in a jar wrapped in birch by Beth Homa Kraus

An old bicycle basket sits in the sauna holding odds and ends

Basket with handles for carrying loads of towels

This basket woven by my sister Anne Rogan is the perfect size for presenting pefeltti (butt mats) for the sauna bench

It was basket week at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota (October 1–7). The schedule of activities included many cool things that I might have liked to join but we were only in town a couple of days and had a busy itinerary of other things to see and do. The one event that caught my eye was an evening of basket repair because basket maker Beth Homa Kraus would be present. My daughter Lucy and I signed up for a birch bark weaving class with her on November 1 at the American Swedish Institute. I was thinking two birds with one stone–we could meet our instructor in advance of our November class and maybe learn how to repair an old basket; I had a specific one in mind.

Jack and I have had the old willow basket for many years (at least 30). It came from my parent’s house. My dad says he doesn’t really remember where it came from. For a long time, the basket sat in our kitchen and served as the repository for kids’ drawings and school assignments. Then it ascended to the attic in some great reordering of the household and was out of sight for many years. It came to mind as we planned our trip to the north shore of Lake Superior and I saw the basket repair opportunity at North House Folk School. I climbed the attic stairs to retrieve it and bring it along.

Community Craft Night: Basket Repair
7:30pm
Our occasional drop-in and craft together night focuses on basket repair. Instructors April Stone and Beth Kraus will consult with anyone on how you might undertake a repair. Bring your baskets in need of care, or any other project you’d like to work on.

Lucy and I walked onto the Folk School campus courtyard Saturday evening with the basket and had not even made it to the door of the classroom building before someone came rushing over to admire it. As we settled into the classroom space, curious basket makers drifted over to the corner where we sat. They admired the basket and speculated on the challenges and value of repairing it. One man said that it was beautiful as it was and that he wouldn’t disturb it; it was an object worthy of display, broken twigs and all. Beth Kraus, the birchbark weaver we wanted to meet, looked it over carefully and said, I want to show this to Steen–he’s an expert in willow baskets. 

We quickly apprehended that Steen Madsen was a very important guest at the Folk School that week. He is a master basketmaker and noted historian on the subject.  He had come from Denmark to talk about crafting very large baskets. I was introduced to him and he immediately took an interest in the basket. He said that, yes, it could be repaired–it would take a long time but he would show me how and get me started. 

He speculated that the basket was from the 20’s, 30’s or 40’s. He said that it was most likely made as a household working basket, made out of willow, for carrying laundry or to hold raw wool for spinning. He explained to me how the original basket was constructed with a bent wood frame secured with “skeins,” shaved strips of willow. He brought out “withies,” the slender branches of willow, that he had brought to Minnesota from his own willow farm in Denmark and started weaving them into the bare spots.

As we worked together, people would drift over to watch or even help in the repair. Steen carved ash to splice and repair the broken handles. He brought out tiny nails to secure them. He explained that they are carpenter nails, a tiny size that is difficult to find. He found his supply at a flea market in the German Democratic Republic (former East Germany). As he worked, he instructed me in how to soak the withies, how to twist and soften them, weave and clip them, etc. Someone remarked to Steen as he worked away, that he looked happy. He said, yes, I do feel happy when I work on old baskets. It makes me feel close to the hands that originally made them. 

The evening filled me with emotion. This old basket, broken as it was, had value to me. For many years, I had not been able to part with it but neither could I imagine how to use it or display it. On a warm October evening on the shore of Lake Superior, I happened upon a community of people who recognized its value and beauty, who encouraged me to rebuild and treasure it– I left feeling deeply grateful.