Weaving an esparto grass braid

Today, I continued to make the esparto grass braid to cover an old vase

Adding extra esparto grass is always done from the left had side. 

I am only adding one blade of grass at a time as this particular braid was very thin to accomodate the shape of the vase I was covering

The braid is continued adding extra grass as needed

extra braid was made until there was enough to cover the vase 

All the ends that were sticking out were trimmed level with the braid (this forms the 'wrong' side)

Using a special needle and thread the braid is stitched together through the 'loops'

As you can see I am wearing gloves to protect my hands from blistering

The braid is stitched to mould around the form of the vase in a spiral

I made a handle by looping the braid and sewing it firmly into place

Ta Dah..... the finished article. Just need to get some flowers to fill it and probably hang it on a wall for decoration.