Preserving pine needles for basketry

Basket making supplies

I love the outdoors and all it has to offer. I love going on leisurely walks, collecting seeds, pinecones, and leaves; so, when I want to unwind and also be productive, I collect pine needles for selling. I could sell them as is, off the ground or off a fallen tree, but I like to clean and preserve them. This way, the pine needles are ready for whatever project awaits them!

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The first thing I do once I've collected a good amount of pine needles, is to wash them. I like to get as much dirt and pine sap off as possible. I wash them in warm to hot water with a simple dish detergent. I usually use Dawn Dish Detergent.

This is approximately 1 pound of needles.

I completely immerse the pine needles in the soapy water. 

I like to get the pine needles nice and clean, so I actually wash them with a wash cloth. I pick a few up at a time by the sheath end, and gently wipe them to the tips. 

The water gets fairly dirty, so I usually start with clean water for each batch of pine needles.

After I wash them, I rinse the pine needles well, making sure to get all the soap off. Most times it takes two rinses before putting them out to dry. You can see even after they've been washed and rinsed well, there is still a small amount of dirt and particles in the rinse water. 

I spread the pine needles out on a towel to dry. I don't put them back out in the sun, because that tends to make them brittle, and they begin to twist.

During our rainy season, we get these naturally mottled pine needles. I think these are beautiful; so I was going out after each little afternoon storm, or windy period to get as many of them as I could.

I know that mottled foliage usually means there's a plant/tree illness or disease; but once these they are washed and dried, we get these stunning preserved needles!