Basketry is one of the oldest crafts in the world, and it's relaxing and satisfying to make something useful with your own hands. This badge teaches you materials and weaves, then you'll make three projects. Take your time and your weaving will get neater with each one.
Why it's worth it
People on every continent have woven baskets for thousands of years to carry food, store seeds, and even cook. Basketry puts that skill in your hands. You'll learn to soak and shape reed, keep your weaving tight and even, and finish three projects you'll actually use, including a seat you can sit on. It's calm, focused work that's great for a rainy camp afternoon, and it connects you to craft traditions from many cultures, including American Indian basket makers whose work is in museums today.
Start this week
- Look around your home for anything woven, like a basket, a chair seat, or a placemat, and study how the strands go over and under each other.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Basketry counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Find out whether your council's summer camp offers Basketry in its handicraft area, which can supply materials and a counselor in one place.
- Practice a simple over-under weave this week with strips of paper or cardboard to get the rhythm before you use real reed.
Stay safe
- Use knives and shears with an adult nearby, always cut away from your body, and wipe up water from soaking tubs right away.
Requirements · 3
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
Safety and first aid
Tips for this section: Think about cuts, splinters, and sore hands from tools and materials. Keep a small first aid kit nearby while you work.
Example for this section: Talk through real hazards: cuts from the knife or shears used to trim reed, splinters and sore fingers, and slips from a wet floor around the soaking tub. Show your counselor how you'd clean and cover a small cut.
- Requirement 1a
Explain to your counselor the hazards you're most likely to face with basketry tools and materials, and how to anticipate, prevent, reduce, and respond to them
- Requirement 1b
Discuss how to prevent and give first aid for injuries from basketry tools and materials, such as cuts, scratches, and scrapes
- Requirement 2
Basket types and weaves
Tips for this section: Look at real baskets or photos and sort them into plaited, coiled, ribbed, and wicker. Practice each weave on a scrap piece before starting a project.
Example for this section: Sort baskets from around your home, a craft store, or museum photos into plaited, coiled, ribbed, and wicker, and point out what gives each one away. Then weave three small test strips showing plain weave (over one, under one), twining, and a twill pattern (over two, under two, offset each row).
- Requirement 2a
Show your counselor you can tell apart plaited, coiled, ribbed, and wicker baskets
- Requirement 2b
Describe 3 kinds of weaves to your counselor
- Requirement 3
Weaving projects
Tips for this section: Start with the square basket, then move on to the round one and the seat. Soak materials as directed so they bend without cracking.
Example for this section: For the square basket, soak the reed for a few minutes until it bends without cracking, weave the base first, then turn up the spokes and keep each row snug. Save your round basket for second, once your hands know how tight to pull, and the campstool seat for last.
- Requirement 3a
Plan and weave a square basket
- Requirement 3b
Plan and weave a round basket
- Requirement 3c
Plan and weave a campstool seat
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A craft guild meeting or fiber arts center
Experienced weavers can show you techniques up close and help you fix problems with your own work.
How: Have an adult look up a local weaving or basketry guild and ask whether a Scout and parent could visit a meeting or workshop.
A museum with a basket collection
Seeing baskets from many cultures shows how materials and patterns change with the land and the people who made them.
How: Check the museum's website for collections on display, and go with your family or patrol. Bring a sketchbook to draw weave patterns.
Where it can lead
- Craft artistMakes and sells handmade work at fairs, galleries, and shops.
- Furniture restorerRepairs antique chairs, including re-caning and re-weaving seats; often learned through apprenticeship.
- Museum conservatorCleans and stabilizes fragile objects like old baskets so they last for future visitors.
- Occupational therapistUses hands-on activities, including crafts, to help people recover skills after injury or illness.
Ask yourself
- What do you think will be hardest for your hands to learn: keeping it tight, keeping it even, or finishing the rim?
- Which project made you most proud, and why?
- When a row came out uneven, how did you decide whether to fix it or keep going?
- How did it feel to use something you made with your own hands?
- What craft tradition would you like to learn more about after this badge?
Good questions to ask a basket maker or craft instructor
- How long did it take before your baskets started coming out the way you wanted?
- How do you keep the sides straight as a basket grows?
- What materials can you gather from nature, and how do you prepare them?
- What's a basket tradition from another culture that you admire?
- What's the most unusual basket you've ever made or seen?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Host a weaving session where scouts can work side by side and help each other.
- Check with your council's summer camp; many offer basketry in their handicraft area.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Craft stores — Kits and materials for beginner basket projects.
- Local weaving or craft guild — Experienced weavers who can offer tips.
- National Basketry Organization (opens in a new tab) — Basket makers across the country, with exhibits and information on the craft.
- Handweavers Guild of America (opens in a new tab) — Weaving and fiber arts guilds and learning resources.
Pairs well with
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.