Hobby Lobby Raffia Basket- the Right Shape

I had been looking for a bread basket for months. It had to meet specific personal requirements, and I was really pleased to eventually find what I was looking for at Hobby Lobby.

This basket isnt the highest quality, but its perfect for what I want. We need a basket to keep three or four different loaves of bread contained, so that they are:
1. Protected from being smashed
2. Taking up as little space on the counter as possible
3. Contained, so that they can all be moved at one time

Pretty much any basket would do #3- contain the breads, but for #1 &2- to minimize the space used and protect the loaves, the shape needed to be such that the loaves would sit upright.And it had to be tall enough to support loaves when they are new, so they couldnt slouch to the sides.

A walk through Hobby Lobby (which is 100 miles from my home, so I dont get there too often), revealed this basket, which is regularly $14.99. However, it was on sale for 50% off. You have to love Hobby Lobby!

What makes this basket so good for my purposes is that the frame is a welded metal wire box. The wire defines the top and bottom rims, and the edges of the handles. The basket is woven around the frame with twisted, natural raffia. The raffia is wound around the wire anywhere that it would be exposed where the weave is more open. This makes the basket look soft, but its actually quite rigid.

I also like the fact that there is a bit of a pattern in the weave; that its not just plain. The bottom is a fairly solid weave for security.

I dont need to do it for my purpose, but this would look nice with a fabric liner in a bright color.

The size of the base is 11.5 x 8 inches. It is slightly flared, so the size of the opening is 9 x 13 inches. The height is 9 inches. The flare makes it easy to get the bread in and out.

The drawback is that the whole basket is rather cheaply made. The raffia isnt overlapped far enough where the separate strips are joined together. I can easily keep the bad joints tucked in so they dont show, but Ive pulled one of them out for the picture, just to show what I mean.

However, I certainly think that for $7.50, this was a great deal, and its perfect for what I want.

The only information on the tag is that its for decoration only, and not a toy. This same design was offered in a couple of other sizes.

Made in China.