Twig Basket on display at the Oregon Trail Museum

 When I travel, I always look for basket from the area.  Often the baskets are made using native materials specific to the geographic location. 

This random weave twig basket was displayed in the Oregon Trail Museum in Oregon City, Oregon.  Travelers made containers using the materials they found.

This basket used thick vines and twigs.  It looked very study.  It certainly stood the test of time. 

Guilders Weave 2026

 Tidewater Basket Guild hosted its annual Guilders Weave over MLK weekend.  All events were held in the Mariott Hotel in Newport News, VA.

Weavers and instructors arrived for 4 days of basket workshops and lots of fun and fellowship.  Participants came from all over the East Coast and Midwest. 

This year I spent the weekend immersed in pine needle weaving. 

I had two classes with Lori McCoy.  Both projects coiled pine needles around a center disk.  One project added beads and was a made into a night light.  

The second project was around a disk of dried flower incased in resin. It was designed to be used as a suncatcher. 

                                                                                             

 Pam Philpott prepared a Fire Tree seed pod to be coiled around.   It was a random weave of pine        needles of our own design. I added wooden beads within the coils.  I added  natural pods and a feather as the finishing accent. 

  

  The Cracker Basket was coiled around a wooden oval   It was a more traditional stacked coil vessel  using the "V" stitch.    

                                                                             

A New Year...... More Baskets to Come

2025 seemed to fly by and now it is 2026.

I took a hiatus from blogging - but not from making baskets.

Here are a few of my favorite baskets that I wove this year.

I hope to do better with my posts this year.  

I know I will keep on weaving....how about youu? 

 

Guilders Weave 2025

 The Tidewater Basket Guild hosted the 26th Annual Guilders Weave on January 16 -19, 2025.  The Marriot hotel at Newport News was filled with basket weavers ready to learn new techniques, meet old friends and make new acquiesces through the weekend. 

Thursday evening I made a random weave vessel attached to a shell.  The class was lead by TBG member Rose Glen.  It was a relaxing way to begin the weekend. 

Both Friday and Saturday I wove twill patterns baskets.   Friday, I worked with Judy Wobbleton and on Saturday I wove with Peggy Adleman. I definitely had to concentrate more on these than the random weave shell!

I concluded the weekend coiling around a gourd under the direction of Debbie Wilson.  The inside of the gourd was decoupaged with stamped tea bag paper.  

Odyssey 2024

 The Odyssey Weaving Convention in September is the highlight of the Central Pennsylvania Basket Weavers Guild year.  This year did not disappoint.  

Thursday evening, I made a small woven bowl with ripcord.  Lead by Linda Shutz, it was a fun way to begin the weekend.

Friday Jane Tolar demonstrated attaching seed beads around a larger stone.  It can be later used as a center of a pine needle bowl.  It was a slow, time-consuming process, but the results were lovely for every participant.  

Saturday I taught a class for one day participants.  This gave them the opportunity to make a basket and see all the other classes and opportunities the convention has to offer. 

On Sunday I concluded the weekend taking a class from Susan Baxler.  Using a plastic jig we wove with round reed to form a trivet.  I really enjoyed the process and made more trivets once I got home. 

Gribs Gallery

Gribs Gallery in New Windsor, MD is hosting the "40th Anniversary - Carroll County Studio Tour " group this summer.    The gallery is open every Friday from 4 - 6pm and Saturday from 12-4 during the exhibit. 

 

I am exhibiting a group of baskets with a beachy theme - a doorknob basket, a sand pail and an elbow basket. 

Scott Gallery Exhibit

The Carroll County Artists' Studio Tour 40th Anniversary Exhibition is on view at the Scott Gallery, located at Carroll Community College.

The Opening Reception was Thursday evening, May 9th.  The show will be open for viewing through June 8 during normal college hours. 

Seven of my woven vessels and baskets are included in the exhibit. 

 Be sure to visit the display to see the work of twelve Carroll County artists who will be participating in this year's Studio Tour this December.