Customer Reviews

The Ultimate Basket Book: A Cornucopia of Popular Designs to Make (Diy Network)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before reading some of the poor reviews, I always thought of basket-weaving aficionados as being patient and maticulous individuals. That may still be the case, but it is obvious that some are VERY poor at reading comprehension. Amazon's description of this book clearly states that it is a combination of her PREVIOUS two books PLUS ten extra patterns.

So, for anyone that has not read or does not own the two previous releases, then this is a fantastic and extremely instructional book. You cannot go wrong with purchasing this -- Whether you are a beginner or an experienced basket weaver.

This book came highly recommended by my basket instructor. The directions are clear and accurate, the baskets vary from easy to advanced, and the techniques are illustrated with clear and accurate photos and drawings. This is the basket book to have!

Being a gift basket expert and recommender of finished baskets, I decided to explore the basket making side of the industry.

For me, the book provided good understanding of completed basket styles to treasure or give as presents, whether empty or filled with a collection of gifts.

It's always helpful when a book starts by introducing you to the tools and supplies required to create these wonderful vessels, which is what you'll find at the beginning.

The photographs encourage you to try each technique. Some baskets are made in one color while others are crafted in a variety of hues.

I was drawn to the Traditional Egg Basket with its tight, center weave that creates an elevated midsection and the Market Basket in multiple colors, topped with a short handle.

I'm glad to learn through other reviews that previous books by this author are worth a look. Meanwhile, I'll continue to be inspired by the 43 projects in this book.

Shirley Frazier
The Gift Basket Design Book, 2nd: Everything You Need to Know to Create Beautiful, Professional-Looking Gift Baskets for All Occasions

If you have ANY books on basket weaving by Lyn Siler, stop and consider this before buying.

Informative books on basket weaving are hard to find. Actually, how-to books on basket weaving are hard to find, period. Unfortunately, I was distracted by the "look" of this book and neglected to check to see who the author was. Most of the books available on this subject seem to be written by Lyn Siler, which would tend to make you think she must be the leading expert in the field. Dig a little deeper and you'll find that although she has produced a lot of books, what she is doing is recycling the same information, the same patterns, over and over with a different cover. I have several of her books that span over quite a few years and she provides patterns for the same handful of baskets in each one. Oh, she might throw in one or two new ones, but the majority of the information is the same as you'll find in all her other books. With basket making the possibilities are endless, so for Ms. Siler to not provide all new patterns for each book is puzzling. Lack of imagination? Lazy? Greedy? All three?

The only redeeming thing about this book, other than the beautiful pictures and overall coffee table look of the book itself, is that she has added a little more detail in her instructions on how to make these same baskets she's presented over and over. I found that her instructions in the prior books were a little lacking and therefore at times I'd be confused on how to proceed. So be warned, that and how pretty the book is might make buying this book worth it to you, but if you already have any books by Ms. Siler you'll find very little here that you don't already know.

This is an excellent book for making a variety of baskets, from beginner level to advanced. The directions are clear and concise, and the baskets are artistic even at the beginning level.

I bought this to move on to the next step in my basket making skills and patterns. The patterns have some lovely baskets. Some of the made baskets were obviously thrown together for the photo. Some of the reed not even dyed according to pattern. The photos are often misleading, especially in size as many of the baskets are too small to use for anything. The patterns are not organized well, and the length of reed is often too short. That's all fine and dandy...for an advanced basket maker. If you want to supplement your patterns, this has a wide range of patterns and materials used. However, if you want to learn anything about making baskets-do NOT buy this book! Use Basketry by B. J. Crawford to learn how, and THEN you can get this.

The book is realy detailed and easy to follow. It's more fun than Knitting.
I highly recamend this book to any one how want's to learn.

I had two beginner books by the author. When I couldn't find them after two moves I bought this book. this all levels beginner to advanced. It quickly got me back up to speed. Glad I was able to get this for a great price through Amazon. Thanks

This is a very well-designed book. It is comprised of many basket designs with a variety of skill levels, and large, full-color images of each basket. The pages are heavy, and it has a thick glossy cover, both of which mean it is durable, even if you splash water on it. I enjoy the variety of the designs as well as the descriptions of where they came from and suggestions for customization. The book also gives instructions on all the basket weaving techniques used in the book.

The biggest drawback of the book is how unfinished the instructions seem. Although each design provides a list of the materials that will be needed to make the basket, they are often woefully incomplete as far as the types of reed needed, and do not give any indication of how much reed will be needed to complete the basket. The end result is that the reader is forced to refer to the image and do some significant math to ensure that she has all the required materials and enough of them to complete the project.

I think this book makes better coffee table decor than it does a practical guide to basket making. I would recommend this book only for an advanced basket maker.

My Sister-in-law wanted this book for Christmas...and I was thrilled to find it for her. It's a great book for any basketmaker. It arrived so quickly too!