I'm headed out of the country for a couple months, and while I'm away my Etsy shop will be temporarily closed. I'll be re-opening on August 10, so please check back if you're interested in buying or commissioning a basket! In the meantime, take a peek at my Gallery to see the baskets that I've made recently, some of which are still available to purchase. Feel free to send me a message (turquoiseandtwill at gmail dot com) if you'd like to reserve a basket in advance of the shop's re-opening.
Have a wonderful summer, all!
- Rachel
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Wedding Baskets
This spring, I've made two baskets as wedding gifts - one for some friends of mine whose wedding was last week, and another that was commissioned by my friend Ann (who's also one of my most loyal customers!) for a wedding she has coming up this summer. While the basket I made for Ann is a traditional Williamsburg style, the basket in coral and navy, which were my friends' wedding colors, is a totally original design I came up with just for them. Enjoy the pictures, and send me a note if you've got a wedding basket in mind that you'd like to commission!
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| Coral and Navy Wedding Basket with Tulip Handle and Braided Rim |
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| Williamsburg Wedding Basket in a Dark Walnut Stain |
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
Traditional Choctaw Basketry
One of the most interesting traditional basket designs I have ever encountered is the pointed-bottom wall pouch that is historically associated with the Choctaw tribes of the southeastern United States. Today there are three nations of Choctaw Native Americans, living in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Mississippi. These tribes have a rich history of basket-weaving, and several distinct styles of Choctaw baskets exist.
Traditional Choctaw baskets were (and still are) woven from
river cane, which is harvested and then processed into strands of cane fibers.
These fibers were sometimes dyed in shades of black/brown, red, and yellow,
originally using plant-based dyes and pastes from species native to the Southeast, such as black walnut, red oak, and black gum trees. Today most Choctaw
baskets are made using commercial dyes, which I also use to dye the reed for
my baskets (to find out more about my dying process, check out the tutorial I posted recently).
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| Large Wall Pouch (front) |
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| Large Wall Pouch (back) |
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| "Pointed" basket (from ChoctawNationCulture) |
Other styles of Choctaw baskets include pack baskets, “elbow” baskets (named for their shape), and lidded baskets. One of the ways to distinguish Choctaw baskets from other river cane baskets is by their distinctive wrapped rim and handles, which you can see on some of the baskets shown here. Another distinctive feature of Choctaw basket design is that many baskets are double-walled, with different designs visible on the inner and outer walls, and all of the Choctaw baskets that I've seen are plaited (plaiting is a weaving method where the horizontal and vertical elements are spaced evenly).
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Elbow basket (from AccessGenealogy) |
For more information on Choctaw history and culture,
especially the tribes’ rich basket-weaving traditions, see Culture and Customs of the Choctaw Indians, by Donna Akers (2013),
as well as the websites listed below.
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Repairing an Antique Basket
A friend gave me a basket a while back that needed repairs to its base and handle, where the reed had become brittle with age and broken in a few places. It was an antique Norwegian basket that had originally belonged to her grandmother, and she asked if I would be able to repair it.
Since the basket was woven with a fairly standard size of reed (#2 round according to my measurements), I was able to stain some reed and weave small pieces alongside the old, broken stakes to secure the brittle areas. The patching was successful in strengthening the basket and is a bit more inconspicuous than the previous method of repair (an old shoelace woven in alongside the broken stakes). Take a look at the before-and-after photos to see the difference the repairs made! Hopefully they will help the basket survive so that many more generations will be able to appreciate its simple beauty.
Since the basket was woven with a fairly standard size of reed (#2 round according to my measurements), I was able to stain some reed and weave small pieces alongside the old, broken stakes to secure the brittle areas. The patching was successful in strengthening the basket and is a bit more inconspicuous than the previous method of repair (an old shoelace woven in alongside the broken stakes). Take a look at the before-and-after photos to see the difference the repairs made! Hopefully they will help the basket survive so that many more generations will be able to appreciate its simple beauty.
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| Bottom (before) |
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| Bottom (after) |
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| Handle, left (before) |
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| Handle, right (before) |
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| Handle (after) |
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
New Etsy Listings!
I've finished a few more projects and posted some new listings on Etsy. These include the two Choctaw pouches I mentioned in an earlier post as well as a custom order and some patterns. The Color Scrap Basket pattern (which I posted free of charge for blog readers!) is now available to purchase, along with the basket that is shown in the pattern. Tomorrow I'll be posting a miniature version of the Appalachian basket I've made in the past, together with the pattern for that basket as well!
I sold the larger of the Shaker cheese baskets and have requests for more, so that's getting added to the list of baskets to make soon. Stay tuned for the colorful tray and the two chevron twill baskets I've promised - they're coming soon.
I sold the larger of the Shaker cheese baskets and have requests for more, so that's getting added to the list of baskets to make soon. Stay tuned for the colorful tray and the two chevron twill baskets I've promised - they're coming soon.
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|
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| Small Choctaw Pouch (front) |
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| (back) |
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| Mini Appalachian Basket |
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| Custom Bathroom Basket for Nickie |
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| Color Scrap Basket |
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Free Pattern - Color Scrap Basket
As a preview of the kinds of basket patterns I've been working on, I'm offering readers a FREE basket pattern here! It will retail for $4.00 at my Etsy shop, but to thank you for checking out my new blog, I'm giving it away here.
This basket pattern isn't just a pattern, it's also a photo tutorial that walks you through all the steps involved in making a basket, from cutting the reed to lashing the rim. Everything is explained so that even complete beginners can follow the detailed instructions.
Have you ever wondered what to do with the leftover pieces of reed you dyed for various projects? Try making this quick, simple, and cute little basket using leftover colored reed! Here's a preview of the pattern:
Click here to download the Color Scrap Basket pattern PDF.
This basket pattern isn't just a pattern, it's also a photo tutorial that walks you through all the steps involved in making a basket, from cutting the reed to lashing the rim. Everything is explained so that even complete beginners can follow the detailed instructions.
Have you ever wondered what to do with the leftover pieces of reed you dyed for various projects? Try making this quick, simple, and cute little basket using leftover colored reed! Here's a preview of the pattern:
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Tutorial - How to Dye Reed on the Stove
To achieve the bright, vibrant colors I use for my baskets, I dye reed in small batches in an old stock pot on the stove. There are several different ways to dye reed, but this method is incredibly easy and works for any living situation (even small apartments with tiny kitchens like mine). If you're dyeing indoors, remember to be careful when removing reed from the dye bath, as it's easy to make a mess.
I've found that RIT fabric dye produces vivid colors that set very well, and you can blend colors to create any shade you want! Check out the RIT studio website for color-mixing charts and ideas. RIT is also fairly easy to clean up with water in the case of inevitable drips.
Step 1: Prepare your reed. You can either dye whole coils of reed and cut them later, or if you know what basket(s) you'll be making, you can cut the reed in advance and dye the pieces. I prefer the second option, as it results in less leftover colored reed, although I always dye a few extra pieces of whatever size I need, just in case. I also throw in scraps from previous projects to use in my "color scrap" baskets.
Today, I wanted to dye reed for several of my current projects, so I had four color batches: yellow, aquamarine, red, and teal. I prepared the reed and separated them into labeled bags, as shown above.
Step 2: Set up the dyeing station. Any large pot will work as long as it has a wide bottom that can fit a coil of reed. The wider, the better, since you want to use as little water as possible so that the dye will be potent enough to produce bright colors without soaking the reed too long.
I use an old stock pot and rubber gloves, since the dye will definitely stain your hands. I wouldn't recommend using any pot that you still use for cooking, since it's difficult to be sure that you've scrubbed out every particle of dye, even after washing the pot thoroughly.
Step 3: Create the dye bath. Add about 1 inch of water to the bottom of the pot, then turn on the heat to medium-high until the water is simmering and steaming (but not quite boiling). Turn off the heat, and pour in the liquid or powder dye a little bit at a time.
Use a scrap of reed to stir the water to ensure that the dye is well mixed, and test the strength of the dye with other scrap pieces after adding a small amount. Only dip reed for 30 seconds or less; you do not want to let reed soak in the hot dye bath for longer than a minute. Keep adding dye until the test pieces of reed are the color you want after being dipped in the dye bath for a short amount of time. Again, if it takes longer than 30 seconds to achieve the color you want, add more dye to make a stronger bath; soaking reed in very hot water for long periods of time can weaken the reed and make it difficult to work with.
I used about half a bottle of liquid for the yellow, which was weaker than the red; it only took about a quarter of a bottle to achieve the same strength of color for the scarlet dye. The aquamarine was not properly mixed and ended up being very weak; remember to shake your bottles of liquid dye to ensure clumps of dye haven't settled at the bottom. The powder dye tends to be a bit more concentrated, so if you can find it in the color you want, go for that rather than the liquid.
Step 4: Dye the reed in batches. For each color you're working with, coil your reed or bunch your pieces and dip them in the dye. Since there should only be about 1 inch of water in the pot, you can set them down so you don't scald your hands trying to hold them in the water. Let them sit for a few seconds, then flip the coil if it is too large to immerse completely, like the coil of reed I'm dyeing in the first picture below. Depending on the amount of reed you want to dye, you might need to divide the reed into several coils and dye them one after another.
If you're working with multiple colors, remember to wash the pot thoroughly between batches to avoid cross-contamination of color! If you can't seem to get all the color out of the bottom of the pot, try boiling some water in it; this will help release any last bits of dye stuck to the bottom.
Step 6: Dry the reed. Wet reed will get mildewy fairly easily, so it's important to dry the reed you've just dyed very thoroughly. I use a craft table covered with paper grocery bags, set up near a window. Dry the reed overnight if possible; if you cannot leave the reed out overnight, place it loosely inside paper bags and store them in as warm and dry a place as possible to help them dry out completely.
As you can see, this method results in very bold colors while using a minimal amount of dye, so it's cost-effective and doesn't require a fancy outdoor setup!
Sometime soon, I'll post a tutorial specifically on how to space-dye reed to produce gradients of color, like the reed used in my space-dyed twill market basket. Until then, stay tuned for a free basket pattern that uses color scraps and leftover dyed reed, coming later this week!
I've found that RIT fabric dye produces vivid colors that set very well, and you can blend colors to create any shade you want! Check out the RIT studio website for color-mixing charts and ideas. RIT is also fairly easy to clean up with water in the case of inevitable drips.
Step 1: Prepare your reed. You can either dye whole coils of reed and cut them later, or if you know what basket(s) you'll be making, you can cut the reed in advance and dye the pieces. I prefer the second option, as it results in less leftover colored reed, although I always dye a few extra pieces of whatever size I need, just in case. I also throw in scraps from previous projects to use in my "color scrap" baskets.
Today, I wanted to dye reed for several of my current projects, so I had four color batches: yellow, aquamarine, red, and teal. I prepared the reed and separated them into labeled bags, as shown above.
Step 2: Set up the dyeing station. Any large pot will work as long as it has a wide bottom that can fit a coil of reed. The wider, the better, since you want to use as little water as possible so that the dye will be potent enough to produce bright colors without soaking the reed too long.
I use an old stock pot and rubber gloves, since the dye will definitely stain your hands. I wouldn't recommend using any pot that you still use for cooking, since it's difficult to be sure that you've scrubbed out every particle of dye, even after washing the pot thoroughly.
Step 3: Create the dye bath. Add about 1 inch of water to the bottom of the pot, then turn on the heat to medium-high until the water is simmering and steaming (but not quite boiling). Turn off the heat, and pour in the liquid or powder dye a little bit at a time.
Use a scrap of reed to stir the water to ensure that the dye is well mixed, and test the strength of the dye with other scrap pieces after adding a small amount. Only dip reed for 30 seconds or less; you do not want to let reed soak in the hot dye bath for longer than a minute. Keep adding dye until the test pieces of reed are the color you want after being dipped in the dye bath for a short amount of time. Again, if it takes longer than 30 seconds to achieve the color you want, add more dye to make a stronger bath; soaking reed in very hot water for long periods of time can weaken the reed and make it difficult to work with.
I used about half a bottle of liquid for the yellow, which was weaker than the red; it only took about a quarter of a bottle to achieve the same strength of color for the scarlet dye. The aquamarine was not properly mixed and ended up being very weak; remember to shake your bottles of liquid dye to ensure clumps of dye haven't settled at the bottom. The powder dye tends to be a bit more concentrated, so if you can find it in the color you want, go for that rather than the liquid.
Step 4: Dye the reed in batches. For each color you're working with, coil your reed or bunch your pieces and dip them in the dye. Since there should only be about 1 inch of water in the pot, you can set them down so you don't scald your hands trying to hold them in the water. Let them sit for a few seconds, then flip the coil if it is too large to immerse completely, like the coil of reed I'm dyeing in the first picture below. Depending on the amount of reed you want to dye, you might need to divide the reed into several coils and dye them one after another.
When the reed has achieved the color you want, which might require flipping the bundle once or twice to ensure that all the pieces have gotten fully dipped, carefully remove the reed from the pot and take it to the sink.
Step 5: Rinse the reed in cold water. If you rinse it in warm water, more of the color will leach from it as it rinses. Rinsing in cold water helps set the color. If you're concerned about the strength of your color or about the color setting properly, you can add a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar to the dye bath, along with a teaspoon of salt. I usually don't bother with this, but other weavers swear by vinegar and salt for helping their dye set. The temperature of the water involved in the bath and the rinse process seems to be much more important in setting the color, in my experience. Almost simmering water for the bath and very cold water for the rinse is the perfect combination!
If you're working with multiple colors, remember to wash the pot thoroughly between batches to avoid cross-contamination of color! If you can't seem to get all the color out of the bottom of the pot, try boiling some water in it; this will help release any last bits of dye stuck to the bottom.
Step 6: Dry the reed. Wet reed will get mildewy fairly easily, so it's important to dry the reed you've just dyed very thoroughly. I use a craft table covered with paper grocery bags, set up near a window. Dry the reed overnight if possible; if you cannot leave the reed out overnight, place it loosely inside paper bags and store them in as warm and dry a place as possible to help them dry out completely.
As you can see, this method results in very bold colors while using a minimal amount of dye, so it's cost-effective and doesn't require a fancy outdoor setup!
Sometime soon, I'll post a tutorial specifically on how to space-dye reed to produce gradients of color, like the reed used in my space-dyed twill market basket. Until then, stay tuned for a free basket pattern that uses color scraps and leftover dyed reed, coming later this week!
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Preview of Some Current Projects
After the big push to get the Etsy shop opened, I need to take a breath and get back on track in the other parts of my life. I've got tons of ideas for tutorials and basket patterns, just not a lot of time to get them written right now. But I do have several projects in the works, the primary one being a basket I'm designing for a friend, which will hold a box of tissues and spare rolls of TP in one of their bathrooms.
Another friend gave me a basket to repair a little while back, that belonged to her grandmother. It's a beautiful, traditional Norwegian basket of a type that I'm told used to be made by the blind, although they no longer make them in Norway, where my friend is from. I'm waiting on spring so I can stain the reed to make the repairs on the basket's handle and base.
I've also been drafting some designs for twill baskets: one in a chevron pattern that can be scaled for use as a desk or kitchen organizer, and another in an undulating twill that will make a gorgeous tray that can be displayed on a table or hung on the wall.
I'm thinking of making the chevron basket in bright lemon yellow on a natural reed background, and debating between red and royal blue for the undulating twill tray. The bathroom basket I'm designing will have teal accents, and I've also been waiting for an opportunity to finish dying the reed for a colorful Southwestern-inspired tray (yet another project in the pipeline!).
Finally, I've already got the reed prepped for a pair of wall baskets in the Choctaw tradition, which will be two different sizes and colors (a larger one in dark green and a smaller one in burgundy). Once I get these woven, I'll stain them in a light golden oak, the color of my cracker basket.
Hopefully I'll have some time in the next week or so to finish the Choctaw baskets and dye the reed for my other projects. Stay tuned to see how they all turn out!
Another friend gave me a basket to repair a little while back, that belonged to her grandmother. It's a beautiful, traditional Norwegian basket of a type that I'm told used to be made by the blind, although they no longer make them in Norway, where my friend is from. I'm waiting on spring so I can stain the reed to make the repairs on the basket's handle and base.
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| Damage to the handle of the Norwegian basket |
I've also been drafting some designs for twill baskets: one in a chevron pattern that can be scaled for use as a desk or kitchen organizer, and another in an undulating twill that will make a gorgeous tray that can be displayed on a table or hung on the wall.
I'm thinking of making the chevron basket in bright lemon yellow on a natural reed background, and debating between red and royal blue for the undulating twill tray. The bathroom basket I'm designing will have teal accents, and I've also been waiting for an opportunity to finish dying the reed for a colorful Southwestern-inspired tray (yet another project in the pipeline!).
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| Dye I've been dying to use for a while now... |
Finally, I've already got the reed prepped for a pair of wall baskets in the Choctaw tradition, which will be two different sizes and colors (a larger one in dark green and a smaller one in burgundy). Once I get these woven, I'll stain them in a light golden oak, the color of my cracker basket.
Hopefully I'll have some time in the next week or so to finish the Choctaw baskets and dye the reed for my other projects. Stay tuned to see how they all turn out!
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Behind the Scenes - Making the Basket behind the Banner
When I first thought of the name "Turquoise and Twill" for my Etsy shop, I immediately knew what kind of banner I wanted to make for the storefront. The background would be a detail of a twill-pattern basket stained dark brown, overlaid with the shop name in a bold, cursive script in turquoise. There was just one problem... I hadn't recently made a brown twill basket. So making one to photograph for the banner got put at the top of my to-do list!
Back-story aside, the main purpose of this post is to give you a glimpse into the basket creation process, and the basket I'm using to show the basic stages of that process is the basket behind the shop banner. There are basically 6 stages that every basket goes through, from the moment I sit down to sketch it out to when I stain and finish it.
Stage 1: Design & Material Prep
I knew I wanted to make a market basket in the traditional style, and I knew it had to be twill. I also remembered that I had an ash handle with an 8" spread lying around (decisions about basket design are often made based on the materials I have on-hand!). After I dug up the handle I got started calculating the dimensions for an 8" wide market basket.
The finished rim measurements of a basket are always a bit larger than the dimensions of the base, so I calculated how many 1/4" stakes I would need to make a 6x10" rectangular base (about 18x28). The final step in this stage was to get out my materials and cut the reed I would need to weave the base. If I was making a basket with colored reed, dying the reed would be an additional part of the material prep.
Stage 2: Weaving the Base & Locking Row
The base was woven in a 2x2 twill pattern, which gives the basket a very solid, filled bottom. When the base was finished, I twined a quick locking row to ensure that the base stayed rectangular. Especially with twill bases, the corners like to slip, and this row prevents that. You can see the locking row in the second picture below.
Stage 3: Weaving the Walls
The walls were woven in the same 2x2 twill pattern. It took about 16 rows to get to the height I was aiming for; it's more important for the proportions to feel right than to have any exact ratio, unless you're working with a repeating pattern.
I always stop after the first few rows and let them dry before continuing, because the first few rows are always a bit uneven and I like to pack them down before weaving the rest of the walls. Reed shrinks a bit when it dries, so it's a good idea to let the basket dry before packing the rows to remove any gaps or unevenness.
Stage 4: Cut & Tuck
This stage is pretty self-explanatory: stakes that end up on the inside of the basket get cut while stakes on the outside get tucked over to secure the top row in place.
Stage 5: Lashing the Rim
Rimming the basket can be very time-consuming, depending on the size of the basket. This one took about an hour to rim. The first step is to cut the rim pieces; for this one, I used 3/8" flat oval reed. The pieces are cut with about 1" of overlap; then those end pieces get shaved down so that the overlapping section is the same thickness as the rest of the rim.
Stage 6: Staining
To create a traditional finish for the basket, I stained it a dark walnut brown with standard wood stain. This color imitates the look of early American baskets made from brown ash splint, which darkens with age.
That's it! From start to finish, it took about 6.5 hours to make this basket, and since my goal is to create both beautiful and functional baskets, I pay close attention to detail at every stage so that all my baskets are made to the highest standards!
Back-story aside, the main purpose of this post is to give you a glimpse into the basket creation process, and the basket I'm using to show the basic stages of that process is the basket behind the shop banner. There are basically 6 stages that every basket goes through, from the moment I sit down to sketch it out to when I stain and finish it.
Stage 1: Design & Material Prep
I knew I wanted to make a market basket in the traditional style, and I knew it had to be twill. I also remembered that I had an ash handle with an 8" spread lying around (decisions about basket design are often made based on the materials I have on-hand!). After I dug up the handle I got started calculating the dimensions for an 8" wide market basket.
The finished rim measurements of a basket are always a bit larger than the dimensions of the base, so I calculated how many 1/4" stakes I would need to make a 6x10" rectangular base (about 18x28). The final step in this stage was to get out my materials and cut the reed I would need to weave the base. If I was making a basket with colored reed, dying the reed would be an additional part of the material prep.
Stage 2: Weaving the Base & Locking Row
The base was woven in a 2x2 twill pattern, which gives the basket a very solid, filled bottom. When the base was finished, I twined a quick locking row to ensure that the base stayed rectangular. Especially with twill bases, the corners like to slip, and this row prevents that. You can see the locking row in the second picture below.
Stage 3: Weaving the Walls
The walls were woven in the same 2x2 twill pattern. It took about 16 rows to get to the height I was aiming for; it's more important for the proportions to feel right than to have any exact ratio, unless you're working with a repeating pattern.
I always stop after the first few rows and let them dry before continuing, because the first few rows are always a bit uneven and I like to pack them down before weaving the rest of the walls. Reed shrinks a bit when it dries, so it's a good idea to let the basket dry before packing the rows to remove any gaps or unevenness.
Stage 4: Cut & Tuck
This stage is pretty self-explanatory: stakes that end up on the inside of the basket get cut while stakes on the outside get tucked over to secure the top row in place.
Stage 5: Lashing the Rim
Rimming the basket can be very time-consuming, depending on the size of the basket. This one took about an hour to rim. The first step is to cut the rim pieces; for this one, I used 3/8" flat oval reed. The pieces are cut with about 1" of overlap; then those end pieces get shaved down so that the overlapping section is the same thickness as the rest of the rim.
Stage 6: Staining
To create a traditional finish for the basket, I stained it a dark walnut brown with standard wood stain. This color imitates the look of early American baskets made from brown ash splint, which darkens with age.
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| The finished basket! |
That's it! From start to finish, it took about 6.5 hours to make this basket, and since my goal is to create both beautiful and functional baskets, I pay close attention to detail at every stage so that all my baskets are made to the highest standards!
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Shaker Baskets - A Brief History
The Shakers were a splinter sect of Quakers that was formed in the
18th century in England. Several Shaker communities were founded in the
American colonies in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, most
famously at Mount Lebanon, NY. The Shakers were known for their simple
lifestyles and religious beliefs, being a pacifist society in which men
and women shared equal responsibility in the church hierarchy. They are
also known for their architecture, furniture, and crafts, among which
are the many styles of baskets that can be found today in museums and
private collections.
One of my favorite baskets to make is in the style
known as the Shaker cheese basket. Historically, this type of basket was
used in the cheese production process to drain the curds and separate
them from the whey. It is made using a traditional hexagonal weave,
which can be manipulated to create many variations in shape and size. I
prefer to make them in a form that begins with a hexagonal base and
rises with straight walls to a round rim, either with or without a
handle.
In the image above, you can see that a pair of runners has been lashed to the bottom of each basket; these were used to hold the baskets to a cheese ladder. Below are examples of two different sizes of Shaker cheese baskets that I've made.
http://shakerworkshops.com/resources/who-are-the-shakers/shaker-fancy-baskets/
http://shakerheritage.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/the-shaker-basket-making-tradition/
http://www.journalofantiques.com/Jan04/featurejan04.htm
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| Authentic Shaker Cheese Baskets (www.journalofantiques.com) |
In the image above, you can see that a pair of runners has been lashed to the bottom of each basket; these were used to hold the baskets to a cheese ladder. Below are examples of two different sizes of Shaker cheese baskets that I've made.
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| Shaker Cheese Basket |
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| Miniature Shaker Cheese Baskets |
Several other styles
of Shaker baskets exist, including types that were used for work in the
field (like wash baskets and fruit baskets) and more decorative types
used within the home (known as "fancy" baskets, often in a shape known
as a Shaker cat's head basket). For more information on Shaker baskets,
check out Shaker Baskets (1988) by Martha Wetherbee and Nathan Taylor, or Basketry: The Shaker Tradition
(1990) by John McGuire. I've also included a list of several websites
at the end of this post that provide more information and pictures.
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| Shaker Wash Baskets (www.journalofantiques.com) |
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| Shaker Herb Drying Basket (www.pinterest.com) |
Two distinctive
features of authentic Shaker baskets are their rims and handles, which
are often carved from the same piece of wood and lashed together with
the same brown ash or white oak splint in which the rest of the basket
is woven. These baskets display incredibly fine craftsmanship using
hand-split and hand-carved local materials and are beautiful examples of
early American basketry!
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| Typical Shaker Handle and Rim Design (www.journalofantiques.com) |
http://shakerheritage.wordpress.com/2012/03/28/the-shaker-basket-making-tradition/
http://www.journalofantiques.com/Jan04/featurejan04.htm
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