Gallery

John Cowan's most popular selling baskets which he has been weaving for years and are based on traditional UK willow basket patterns, including hand & arm baskets, log baskets and many other functional domestic styles. These styles are available to order in the shop.
All my baskets can be sent by post. Prices shown do not include postage costs

 

Gardening Basket

A garden basket made to be used - good for carrying tools and picking vegetables.

L 20" x W 13" x H 6.5" - £45

L 22" x W 15" x H 7.5" - £55

 

 
 

Market Shopper

Once made by Travellers in Scotland who coppiced willows on land they returned to year after year. This sturdy shopping basket is my take on this - crafted from natural willow for visiting farmers markets and made to last.

L 16.5" x W 12" x H 7"


£40  


 

Forager's Basket

This basket can be used for collecting eggs, foraging in the woods or as a shapely twist on the traditional shopping basket.

W12" x H 10"

£50

 

 

Berrying / Peg Basket

The traditional fruit gathering basket is handy for berry picking in the hedges and for keeping pegs tidy. 

W 11" x H 7.5" - £28

 

 

Vegetable Picker

A flowing oval picker basket for gathering produce from the garden - woven in natural browns and green-coloured willows

L 18.5" x W 13" x H 6.5"

£36

  
 

Openwork Fruit Picker

This is the UK agricultural fitched strawberry picker style used to pick the berries for jam making. It may be a bit big for picking strawberries in your garden but it is a good produce gathering basket which can also be used as an attractive work/hobby basket
Made in golden brown & light brown willows
 
W 11" x H 9.5" - £55

 

Shopping Basket

A more lightweight traditional looking shopping basket, made with bare white & natural brown willows. A version in colourful unpeeled willows is also available in the shop. If you are going to be 'the basket lady' (or man) about your town then make sure you've got a smart looking little number! 

L 16.5" x W 12" x H 8" - £38

L 18" x W 13.5" x H 9" £45

 


 

Flower Gatherer

This versatile basket is just as happy working at serving up bread or fruit as it is outside carrying tools & flowers.

L 17" x W 12" x H 4"  - £45

L 20" x W 14" x H 5" - £60


Log Basket (Slewed Weave)

Strong working log baskets of traditional size & shape as above. This Bushel Skep style is woven with the chunky slewed weave texture with peeled buff and natural light brown willows on the sides. The slewed weave style is slightly lighter in weight than the randed weave style.

H 12.5" x W 16.5" - '1/2 Bushel' £45
H 15.5" x W 20" -'1 Bushel' £60
H 18.5" x W 21.5" '1 1/2 Bushels' £75

Curved Log Basket

Another UK agricultural design originally used for gathering peas before mechanisation. This shapely and distinctive style is made strong for logs & kindling. This style is also available in the shop woven in peeled buff & light brown natural willows. The light brown & green is rustic and the version with peeled buff is smarter.

H 12.5" x W 16" £45
H 14.5" x W 19" £60 
H 16.5" x W 21" £75

 

Rectangular Log/Storage Basket (Randed Weave)

Strong log stores of popular shape which can also be used as robust general storage baskets - 2 sizes are available in the shop woven in two natural brown willows. The randed weave style makes a slightly heavier basket than the slewed weave style.
L 23" x W 16" x H 14.5" - £110
L 26" x W 19" x H 16.5" - £140 

 


 

Oval Log Basket

A practical shape for logs & kindling when you want the attractive round shape but long & narrower.  Made using two-tone natural brown willow colours.

L21" x W16" x H 13.5" - £55

L24" x W18" x H 16.5" -  £75

 


 

Stick/ Umbrella Basket

This tall basket helps to tidy the space around the front door. The handle has a certain amount of charm and makes picking it up with the brollies to hoover underneath a bit easier.

W 13" x H 22"

£55


 

Wastepaper Basket

A simple but sturdy willow bin made in a choice of dark or light brown natural willows. Please contact me first if you want the darker brown, the light brown is listed in the shop.

W 12" x H 11"

£28

 


 

 

Round Fruit Basket

A shallow round fruit basket woven carefully selected withies to showcase a variety of splendid natural willow colours.

W 13.5" x H 2.5"

£40

 


 

Large Wastepaper Basket

Originally used for mussels in the fishing industry, this basket style makes a substantial and attractive wastepaper bin. This style works well as either a basket for kindlers or a basket to store your wool. Made in peeled buff willows.

W 14.5" x H 14" - £60

 


 

Wet Linen Washing Basket

Hanging out the washing is a lot more enjoyable when it's done using a white willow laundry basket - made in all stripped blonde coloured 'white' willows.

L 26" x W 20" x H 10.5" £60


 

Barrel Linen Basket

A curved laundry basket with drop-in lid to gather together, or hide away, a heap of washing.- let the washing pile up in this shapely clothes basket

H 23"x W 20"

£105

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Upright Linen Basket

A classic laundry basket with drop-in lid. This is a traditional pattern to tidy your clothes and is woven in smooth peeled English buff and willow 

H 24"x W 19"

£100

 

SPECIAL TRADITIONAL BASKETS

John makes accurate copies of a few traditional agricultural & industrial baskets of the British Isles. The specialised basketweaving materials used in their construction is scarce and the specific knowledge of how to make many of the industrial styles is widely being lost. In particular, John makes some of the traditional baskets used in UK coastal & fishing regions in bygone times. These attractive baskets are very sturdy and were designed for heavy usage carrying fish in occasional wet conditions.

Nowadays, most of the people who order these baskets do so simply because they like the look of them, others buy them because they have some memory of these baskets being used in their community.

 

Quarter Cran Herring Basket

An attractive UK basket design used to measure the quantity of the catch of herring at the same time as unloading the boats. a very traditional, almost iconic basketwork design of the British Isles that took many years of very hard work for me to learn how to make. Made in a variety of stripped and unpeeled willows along with some split hazel and oak on the sides.

H 15.5" x W 21.5"

£120

 


Eighth Cran Herring Basket

Made like the Quarter Cran above, this smaller style was used by fishermen to show a sample of their catch to merchants.

W 15" x H 11" - £85

 


 

Fruit Merchant's Sieve 'Covent Garden Sieve'

This basket with stout white willows is traditional to UK apple growing regions such as here in the River Clyde valley. This strong basket with a thick rim was used by fruit merchants for apples and was given the name 'Covent Garden Sieve' after the famous fruit market - A unique storage basket option for shelving in your kitchen.

1/4 Bushel 'Strike' W 14.5" x H 7.5" - £50

1/2 Bushel W 17.5" x H 8.5" - £60

1 Bushel W 20 x H 11.5" - £75

 


 

Potato Basket

The oval willow basket style used for planting and harvesting potatoes in agriculture. Still a great choice for using today on the veggie patch or allotment.

L18" x W 13.5" x H 7" - £35

 

 Herring Washing Maund 

A traditional design of the kippering industry,  featuring the glorious fitched base. It's from a bygone time when baskets were used in the fishing industry. 

W 21" x H 8.5" - £90

W 24" x 10.5" - £120

 

 

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UK postage for a small basket is £4.95. Postage for larger baskets (or one small basket ordered together and combined in one parcel with one larger basket) is £7.95. If several baskets are ordered together, the appropriate postage rate is calculated automatically during the checkout process.