How long does a small coconut leaf basket take to make?

About ninety minutes for a beginner, including cutting the strips. Your second basket usually takes an hour once the weave is familiar.

How many leaf strips do I need for one small basket?

Twelve strips about 1.5 cm wide and 40 cm long, plus two more for the handle. Cut a couple of spares because some strips will split at the corners.

Why is my basket leaning to one side?

Uneven tension. You are probably pulling harder with your dominant hand. Turn the basket as you weave and aim for each strip to sit flat against the last row, not tighter.

Can I put food directly in a coconut leaf basket?

For dry items like sweets or soap, yes. For anything moist, line the basket with baking paper first, because the fresh leaf will mark damp food.

Small Coconut Leaf Basket for Gifts and Favours

In short

Weave a small coconut leaf basket for gifts and favours in about ninety minutes. A tidy beginner basket with a folded rim and a simple handle.

This is the basket I make when I need a gift box in a hurry. It holds a handful of sweets, a small jar, or three soap bars, and it looks like a proper present rather than a wrapper.

It is a genuine first basket: a square base, straight sides, and a folded rim. Allow about ninety minutes, and expect the first one to take a little longer while your hands learn the tension.

The size and what it holds

The finished basket is roughly 12 cm square and 8 cm deep, which is the size of a standard gift box. Scale the base up or down and everything else follows: a 16 cm base makes a fruit basket, an 8 cm base makes a favour basket that holds a single truffle. Keep the sides about two-thirds the height of the base for the proportions to look right.

What You'll Need

12 coconut leaf strips, each about 1.5 cm wide and 40 cm long
Sharp scissors
A small clip or peg to hold the base while you weave
A ruler for the first basket

Cut the strips along the leaf, not across it, so the fibres run the length of each strip and give it strength. Strips cut across the leaf snap when you pull them tight. Aim for 1.5 cm wide; wider strips make a coarse basket, narrower ones are fiddly for a beginner and tear at the corners.

Weaving the basket

1

Lay the base

Lay six strips side by side and weave six more across them in a simple over-under pattern to make a flat square about 12 cm across.
2

Tighten the base

Push all the strips snug against one another so no gaps show, then clip the base to the table edge to hold it steady.
3

Turn up the sides

Fold every strip upward at the edge of the base and begin weaving them around in a circle, over one strip and under the next.
4

Build the walls

Weave for about 8 cm of height, adding a new strip whenever one runs short by tucking the new end under the last two rows.
5

Fold the rim

Fold the final row over the previous one and tuck each end down into the weave to lock it, working all the way around.
6

Add the handle

Weave two 20 cm strips into opposite sides of the rim, cross them in the middle, and tuck the ends back into the weave.

A small square coconut leaf basket with a woven handle — Clip the base to the table for the first two rows; it saves a lot of frustration.

Getting the tension even

Uneven tension is the single most common problem, and it shows up as a basket that leans. Pull each strip until it sits flat against the previous row, but no tighter; over-tightening crushes the strip and makes it split at the corners. If you notice one side bowing outward, it is usually because you are pulling harder on your dominant hand. Turn the basket around as you weave so both hands get a turn.