Description
Designed by Diane Carton, this traditional handmade Cuiseog basket, also known as a skib basket is steeped in Irish heritage. It was traditionally used to strain and serve cooked potatoes, often propped on a stool or upturned basket and used as a small table from which everyone sat around and ate from. Willow baskets have a tactile beauty and a warming effect on a room so they work both functionally and decoratively. These days the Cuiseog is perfect as a table centrepiece, a bread basket or fruit bowl. You may wish to use it decoratively as a wall hanging or on a sideboard. Or use it as a throw pot for keys, post and ‘bits’.
Size, Shape and Colour: The Cuiseog or Skib Basket is a flat and wide multi-functional Irish heritage basket, the small version measures approx 30cm in diametre and the large is approx 43cm in diametre. They are hand crafted from willow grown in Cork, Ireland and come in a range of colour combinations. Select the colour combinations you would like or message us with a special request using the ‘Ask a Question’ button. As a natural material and being completely handmade, colours and pattern will vary slightly from these photographs and will not be exactly the same.
Lead Time: This basket is made-to-order and takes approx four weeks to produce. The willow used for your basket is hand grown in Ireland and is 100% carbon neutral.
Caring for your Willow Basket: As with all wood, willow is a natural material that is impacted by the environment it’s in, over time light will effect it’s colour and extreme changes in temperature and humidity will cause it to expand and contract. Use a duster, dry cloth or vacuum cleaner to remove dust, use warm soapy water to clean any stains and if mold or mildew forms clean the area with a mild lemon juice and water solution then rinse thoroughly to prevent dis-colouration and dab dry. If your environment is very dry and warm, leaving your basket out in a summer shower once a year will restore moisture content and prevent your basket from drying out and becoming brittle.
