“Buffon” laundry basket, a heart instead of the bin
The referee “instead of the heart has a garbage can”! This colorful outburst of Gianluigi Buffon has had some success as a trend topic in April 2018. For this reason, although I didn’t deal with football, it came to my mind and I mentioned it in my article about Socrates. I told myself that it would take a picture with a heart or a garbage basket to illustrate it … or maybe a heart-shaped garbage basket !!! I looked for it, I didn’t find it and in the end I did it.
The heart was in my head because of my Heart Tray, made six years ago, as much appreciated as unsold. This tray haunts me because of its bulk (it’s almost half a meter wide) and because a customer pointed out to me that it looks like the Algida logo. I imagine these are two reasons why nobody bought it. So last year I unpacked it, waiting to reuse the expensive wooden base.
Could I do a slightly less experimental, but more sober, tray? The problem would remain that it is cumbersome to store or display. Could I make a basket? Um, a heart-shaped basket I’ve already made, but not bulky …. there should be a reason to do it so big …. For example, being pointy you could use it in a corner …. and at the same time it would not protrude too much from the wall like round baskets (see the space-saving cat holder).
Given the size, rather than a real garbage bin it would be good to make a laundry basket. I’ve already done a classic one round, but doing it heart-shaped would be a demonstration of sensitivity and affection towards one’s dirty laundry, of which Buffon would be proud. What is literally near to the heart? What could be more close than underclothes?
And so I did it. The result is not the best, as there are several technical problems to overcome, which I save (but which I could not save myself). Overall I am satisfied. Not being an object intended for sale, I was able to do several experiments. The walls are with uprights alternated in wicker and rattan (in some points reinforced with wooden skewers), filled with alternating types of weaving by 3, 2 or 1, interspersed with 4 cords and interlaced with ribbon rattan. The idea is to reconcile resistance (which is not a characteristic of rattan) and the flexibility needed to shape the sinuous shape, which is concave, convex and pointed at the same time… Not to mention making the final effect less boring.
One of the most complicated things was the lid, so I couldn’t use a wooden shape, but I had to make it by “hearting” a circle, with a technique similar to that with which I quadratized the circle years ago.
Tuttavia un coperchio di questa forma è scomodo da usare se non si sa dove metterlo. Ho quindi pensato di legarlo al bordo nei due punti più ampi. In questo modo sollevandolo si appende da solo al lato lungo, e con la stessa facilità lo si può rimettere in sede. In questo modo ho potuto anche togliermi lo sfizio di usare uno spago bianco, che richiama il bianco con cui ho dipinto la base in legno (per nascondere le tracce redisue della sua decorazione precedente). prima o poi gli farò anche una fodera bianca. Nel frattempo ho sperimentato la verniciatura con olio di lino, al posto delle vernici per legno, più naturale e meno puzzolente, ma che dovrebbe ugualmente dare una certa protezione dall’umidità e dalla polvere.
However, you need to know where to put it. So I thought I’d tie it to the edge in the two largest points. It hangs by itself on the long side, and with the same ease. In this way I could have taken off my whit to use white string, which recalls the white with which I painted the wooden base (to hide the traces of its previous decoration). Sooner or later I will also make a white lining. In the meantime I experimented with linseed oil painting, instead of wood paints, natural and less smelly, but which should also give some protection from humidity and dust.
Now, ball in the middle and the game begins.
