A finished wicker basket. Source: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Willow (wierzba)
Willow is the primary material for wicker basketry in Poland. Several species are used, but Salix viminalis — osier willow — is the most widely cultivated specifically for basket-making. It grows quickly in wet soil, and shoots harvested after two or three years of growth provide rods of useful length and flexibility.
Willow is harvested in late autumn or early spring. Rods cut when the plant is dormant tend to split less during drying. After harvest, rods are either dried as cut (retaining their bark) or peeled before or after brief soaking to produce the white-barked rods common in finer work.
Brown willow
Brown willow refers to dried, unpeeled rods. The bark adds strength and produces a darker surface. Brown willow is used in utility baskets where durability matters more than appearance — agricultural hampers, fish traps, and storage containers historically made in Polish rural areas.
White willow rods
To produce white rods, green willow shoots are soaked in water until the sap rises, then peeled by hand or through a split stake. The resulting rods are pale and smooth. White willow is associated with finer decorative work and with the production of household baskets intended to be visible in domestic settings.
Buff willow
Buff-coloured rods are produced by boiling unpeeled willow until the bark releases its tannins into the wood, which are then wiped off along with the bark. The result is a warm tan colour. Buff willow is durable and accepts natural dyes more evenly than white rods.
Willow cultivation for basketry is documented in several villages in the Mazowieckie and Łódzkie voivodeships. The Muzeum Etnograficzne w Łodzi holds collections of tools and finished pieces relating to this regional tradition.
Rye straw (słoma żytnia)
Rye straw is the primary material for coiled basketry in Poland, particularly in the southern and eastern regions. The long, hollow stems of rye provide a lightweight, compressible fibre that can be bundled into coils and stitched into shape.
Straw is harvested by hand cutting at ground level to preserve stem length. It is then dried thoroughly to prevent mould. Before use in basket-making, straw is dampened slightly to restore pliability. Binding elements — typically split willow rod or bramble strips — stitch the coils together as they are built up in a spiral from the base.
Straw baskets are lighter than willow but less durable under wet conditions. They are commonly associated with bread storage, seed baskets, and decorative forms used in Polish folk tradition, including the decorated straw forms (pajaki) sometimes made alongside functional baskets.
Rush (sitowie / trzcina)
Common bulrush (Typha latifolia) and similar rush species grow in the margins of rivers and lakes across Poland. Rush has been used for plaited matting, simple baskets, and woven panels historically associated with floor covering and insulation as well as storage containers.
Rush is harvested in summer when stems are fully grown but before the brown seed heads form. Stems are dried flat and then either used whole or split lengthways. Plaited rush work involves weaving flat strips over and under each other in a grid or diagonal pattern — a different technique from the stake-and-strand method used with willow.
Birch bark (kora brzozowa)
Birch bark was used historically in central and northern Poland for small containers, baskets, and decorative objects. The bark is harvested from felled trees in late spring when it peels most easily. Strips of bark are cut and worked while still flexible, then woven in a simple plaited pattern similar to that used with rush.
Birch bark work is now rare as a functional craft but remains present in museum collections and occasional revival craft contexts. The material is distinct from willow and straw in that it dries rigid rather than flexible, giving birch bark containers a characteristic stiffness.
Preparing materials for use
Regardless of the base material, preparation for weaving typically involves a controlled soaking or dampening process before work begins. Willow rods are soaked in water — anything from a few hours for fine rods to several days for thicker stakes — until they become pliable enough to bend without splitting. Straw and rush are misted or briefly soaked. Dry or unprepared material cracks during bending and cannot be used for tight weave structures.
Temperature affects working time. In cold conditions, materials stiffen more quickly after being removed from water. Polish craftspeople traditionally worked indoors in winter, timing soaking to coincide with planned weaving sessions.
Related: Weaving Patterns in Polish Tradition — Traditional Basket-Making Tools
