How to Make a Basket From a Palm Tree

A basket made from palm fronds is not difficult to make and can be a creative addition to your wardrobe, home decor, or picnic. Using the palm fronds, scissors, and some glue, you can make one in no time.

Collect palm fronds in a pile. Then, using your scissors, cut out pieces of palm frond that are 1/2 inch wide and 18 inches long. It can take some time to collect these —a make sure they are completely intact. Cut these strips until you have 27 strips of palm frond.

Take 10 palm frond strips out of this pile, and chop them in half lengthwise. Set these aside.

Pick seven more palm frond strips from the pile, and lay them side by side on a flat surface. Make sure the ends are even. Tape the edges of the palm frond, if necessary, to the flat surface.

Pick a strip from the pile. Starting at one side of the palm fronds that are secured down, push the strip underneath one of the strips. Pull it out, and then weave it over the next strip. Alternate in this pattern until you reach the end. Position the strip so it is even on both sides.

Repeat this process with more palm frond strips from the pile until you have woven all the strips that you secured down. Now, you should have something resembling a large, woven placemat.

Go back to the pile of strips that you chopped in half earlier. You will use these to create the sides of your basket. Starting on the left side of the woven "placemat," weave in four of the smaller strips, securing each side with glue. Repeat this procedure for the top, bottom, and right side. Let dry. Now you should have four smaller sections coming out from the larger woven sections.

Take the four remaining smaller strips. Fold them in half lengthwise, creasing them firmly. Insert the fold of the first strip over the top edge of one of the four smaller sections protruding from the middle. Add glue to the inside of the folded strip. The point of this is to seal it with a folded strip, so it creates a cap over the woven edges so they do not unravel. Repeat this procedure with the other four sides. Let dry.

Pick up all four sides of the basket, and bring them together in your hands. You will probably have to crease the bottom folds of each of the basket's sides. Do this carefully.

Use the glue to secure all of the loose ends together from the four sides. This will create the walls of the basket. This will take some time and precision.

Create a handle, if desired, by gluing together the rest of the palm frond strips on top of each other to create a thick handle. Then, glue each side of the handle on the inside of the palm tree basket.