Gathering Basket

 A Gathering Basket was often used to hold cut garden flowers collected for arrangements.  The long length and shallow depth of the basket allowed for flowers to be placed with out disturbing the blooms.

This basket is 15 inches long by 9 inches wide.
The basket is only 4 inches depth.  It is woven with natural flat reed and has dyed purple highlights. 

Sweetgrass and Pineneedle baskets

I have continued to experiment with sewing sweetgrass coiled baskets.










For this basket I combined sweetgrass coils with
pineneedles.  Brown pineneedle coils formed the base. 
Using palmetto strips I continued the base and sides
with sweetgrass coils.

The top of the basket has a coil of black pine needles
held with black waxed linen.   A sliced walnut was
added to two sides and held in place with a final coil
of black pineneedles.







I coiled red dyed pine needles around a wood burned oval base using waxed linen.

After several rows of red pineneedles, I switched to black pine needles.

I ended the coiled basket with two rows of sweetgrass. 

Sweet Grass Basketry

Mary Graham-Grant is dedicated to preserving the tradition of sweet grass basketry that was brought to South Carolina by slaves who came from West Africa.   Born and reared along the coast in Georgetown, South Carolina,  Mary Graham-Grant makes baskets similar to the baskets that are made in Sierra Leone, Africa.   She spent a week at Common Ground on the Hill sharing her knowledge and expertise.

I took Mary Graham-Grant's class to learn this technique of "sewing" coiled baskets. The center of the basket begins with a longleaf pine needle knot. Sweet grass, which grows in marshy coastal areas of South Carolina, are bundled and  coiled around the center.  Using strips of palmetto leaves to bind the coils of sweet grass the base is woven to the desired diameter.  The sides are then raised to the desired height.  I added a twisted loop handle on one side of my basket.  

You can learn more about Mary Graham-Grant and her baskets by visiting her website:  theweaversnookmgg@webs.com

Common Ground on the Hill 2015

Common Ground on the Hill Traditions Week 2015 begins  Sunday, June 28th.  

The next two weeks are full of  daily coursework, evening performances and non-stop activities at McDaniel College.   I am  returning for my eighth summer at Common Ground on the Hill. This year I will be taking art classes week one.  I look forward to posting photos of my artwork at the end of the first week.  

The second week I will be teaching a class on egg baskets.  Class participants will weave a 10" Egg Basket focusing on shaping the ribs to create a pleasing form. 

I am showcasing six of my egg baskets of various sizes and color combinations in the Common Ground Art Instructors Exhibit. The opening reception is this Sunday, June 28th from 4:30 to 5:30 in the Rice Gallery of McDaniel College.

To learn more check out the Common Ground website at: 

www.commongroundonthehill.org    

Cedar Weaving with Pam Talsky

 
I spent the weekend with the ladies of the Central Pennsylvania Basket Weavers Guild at their annual spring retreat. It was a fun time of weaving, talking and enjoying each others company.


The weaving workshops were lead by Pam Talsky.  She brought hand harvested Alaskan yellow and western red cedar bark from Thorne Bay Alaska for weaving a choice of baskets.  www/pambasletry.com




Friday evening I made 2 bracelets from Alaskan yellow cedar.
Four pieces of cedar were braided around a flat oval reed circle form to create a design both inside and out .








Saturday's basket began with a twill base of western red cedar.  The sides combined a pattern of purple tortoise shell cane and a cross stitch weaving pattern of purple waxed linen.  The top of the basket was finished with a Haida seed twining pattern with yellow cedar.  A small accent of beads was added to the front of the basket.

Twill Weave

The weaving is over a glass cylinder 10 1/2" high and 3" in diameter.  Using a purple dyed cane weaver and black dyed cane spokes inserted into a black walnut base I followed a 1/2/3 twill pattern.    I wove over 1, under 2, over 3, under 1, over 2, and under 3 from the beginning of the base to the top of the cylinder.  The weaving is topped with a black walnut turned rim.


I followed a pattern designed by basketweaver Annette Kraayeveld (www.prairiewoodbasketry.com)

A Weekend of Basket Weaving

I spent a weekend of Basket Weaving in Annandale, Virginia with the High Country Basketry Guild. 

Saturday I taught a 10" Appalachian Egg Basket class.

Participants used oak hoops, round ribs and flat reed weavers to construct their basket.   A God's eye was taught to join the hoops.They were able to select a decorative handle pattern to weave and various colored reed to individualize their egg baskets.

  

  Sunday I taught a Medium Key Basket class.

     Participants used a D handle and round hoop  to form the frame.  A God's eye was taught to join the hoops.They were able to select a decorative   handle pattern to weave and various colored reed to individualize their key baskets.

Photos of the baskets made by the guild members during the weekend are shown below.   To learn more about the High Country Basketry Guild visit their website:  https://highcountrybasketguild.shutterfly.com/