Catching The Moon: Weaving My Life

Art & Art Deadlines Artist of the Year!

2012-01-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

Remember this?
Last October, i was the Featured Artist on the Art & Art Deadlines blog. What an honor!

Lots of you read the article and left a comment for me. How good you are to me :-)

Because of all your comments, i am now the featured Artist of the Year, with a permanent link on this blog!

Thanks again...and thank you to R.L. Gibson, the blogger who featured me.

This blog is an amazing resource, and if you are an artist and have not subscribed to it yet, you need to get on & do it!

And submit your own work to the $2 art contest!

Bug A Bug A Bug

2012-01-26T11:21:00.008-05:00

When my youngest son was small, he loved bugs...and i used to say to him "bug a bug a bug" all the time...i don't know why. But this grew into a nickname, and bugs have never been the same around our house.

It is nice to know others like them too.

Here is testimonial to that. Another gorgeous basket by Geraldine Kiser.

She says, "This one went to another daughter, Ellen. Ellen has loved bugs of ALL kinds since before she could talk. I have NO idea why, it's just Ellen. When she was little I told her the house was sprayed for bugs so if she brought them in they would die. She happily transported bugs OUT of the house all the time! At age 27 she still LOVES bugs!"

The basket is so pretty, Geraldine, and how wonderful that you chose something she loves so much to combine with your talent for coiling.

Of course the base was purchased in my MakeABasket etsy shop. You might find a few bugs there still, if you are interested (or frogs, or lizards, etc.) To find a particular motif, to to the search box at the top of the page in my etsy shop and type in a search word. Make sure "this shop" is selected from the drop down menu before you search! I accept requests, as well!

Geraldine has started a new blog, you may find baskets there too! Check it out: http://gdinespicoftheday.blogspot.com/

Monster Stars

2011-12-27T08:13:00.005-05:00

Thanks to Danica Duensing, who sent photos of how she used my aluminum beverage can star pattern, which she purchased on Etsy.

Danica wanted to make MONSTER stars for her niece for Christmas. Well, I don't know anyone who drinks that highly charged stuff, and I am NOT going to buy the drink and pour out the liquid to get the cans. After all, this IS about recycling, and that would be just wasteful....So the only way she was going to get them was to make them herself. But she rose to the challenge!

Don't they look amazing????? Danica added her own touch with twisted cool wire hangers , instead of the little gold strings I use on mine.

Danica says: "Here's a picture of the 3 Monster stars I made using your pattern. The
smallest is your medium star, the middle size one is your large star
and we enlarged your pattern to make the biggest one, which we gave to
our niece for Christmas and she loved it!

Thanks again for writing out this tutorial, I really appreciate it!"'

Wow, I really appreciate your sharing your success with me, Danica! The stars look GREAT!

If you want to make your own brand of stars, you can! My pattern is available for purchase here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/86641790/pdf-pattern-aluminum-can-stars-upcycled

If you have made your own stars using my pattern, you can share them here, or on YouCanMakeThis.com , if you purchased your pattern there!

P.S. Thanks very much to Carol Miller, who sent me some Monster cans (already flattened!) So now Monster drink stars are available in my shop. What a friend!

Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-25T11:59:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I had to share a new addition to my Christmas tree, coiled pine needle teneriffe creation by Helen Cahill, Touch of Pine of Guffey, CO. Exquisite! Thanks, Mom!

Up On The Housetop

2011-12-14T14:01:00.008-05:00

...Reindeer pause.

Well, they are pausing in my living room....

on my piano.... (handmade books by Wee Bindery)

all over the tree...

These little cuties are woven of vintage super fine high-quality cane, donated by a friend who decided NOT to weave a chair seat of it, since it had been sitting in his attic for 20 years....thanks, Alan! This vintage cane has a fabulous aged patina, and has not been treated with anything, just naturally beautiful golden honey...

I am loving them! Find them in my etsy shop!

Starry, Starry Christmas

2011-12-04T05:54:00.009-05:00

No baskets for me this Christmas! I am busy making stars!

Make your own stars from Coke cans, here is a link to my pattern and easy to follow directions.

Some people are passionate about their chosen beverage, have you noticed? Diet Coke. Coke. Mountain Dew. Budweiser. Heineken. ( and then there are those who just love BeEr! ) For that fanatic, here they are...
Starry, starry ornaments! NOT just for Christmas, tho they do look great on a tree! They also hang from rearview mirrors and anywhere else just for fun...

I do love repurposing projects (commonly called recycling, more recently termed upcycling.) So how can i resist making shiny stars out of aluminum beverage cans?

The technique is easy, and when i could not find a template i liked, i made my own. The resultant project is simple and takes only a few minutes to render - generally two stars per can, depending on how you want the logos placed, etc. No special tools are required. The average person can find everything they need in their kitchen drawer (basketmakers will reach for their tool kit, of course!)

The stars are dimensional and reflect the light; they are lightweight and oh so eye-catching! Especially when that dedicated Mountain Dew drinker realizes what s/he is seeing------OH! They are a great tie-on package decoration...or basket tie on (just can't get away from those baskets!)

After making a buncha ornaments, i started making smaller stars into garlands! What fun.

Love the Earth. Love at Christmas. Deck the Halls! Hey, Coke loved them, my Diet Coke Garland was featured by Diet Coke Instagram on Christmas Eve http://instagr.am/p/bNEiz/

Have a fabulous holiday!

Adding to a Collection

2011-11-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

Do you have a collection? Most people do. Here is a basket for an owl collector!People's collections give us great ideas for appreciated gifts. am having alot of fun looking at these great new baskets by Geraldine Kiser. This is the third day I have featured one of her new creations. Geraldine has made alot of gifts for her family and friends this year, using basket bases from my MakeABasket.etsy.com shop.

Geraldine's daughter, Karyn, collects owls, but holds out for the more unusual representations. She evidently spent a semester studying in Greece, and the owl represents the Greek goddess Athena. Geraldine thought this was the perfect representation she needed to make a great gift for her daughter! I must say, it turned out fabulous!

Today is "cyber monday," the day they say people are shopping online (like a virtual black friday.) If you are still in the mood to shop, now is your chance to get free shipping on anything in any of my etsy shops. Free shipping is a very good savings, many times, it represents a better savings than a 20% off coupon. So check it out! to get your free shipping, THIS COUPON CODE MUST BE ENTERED AT CHECKOUT: FBSHIP This is the last day! My etsy shops are all linked through the side bar of this blog ----------------------->

A Handmade Basket Makes a Treasured Gift

2011-11-27T14:37:00.007-05:00

Handmade baskets are great gifts. People use them. But they also love that you made them with your own hands. And they particularly love them when they know something like pine needles, something picked up off the ground, has been transformed into a functional and graceful memento.

Geraldine Kiser has been busy making such transformations. Here is another one of her fabulous basket creations:

She says: "Steve is a friend who was recently promoted to Captain in the Medical Service Corps of the US Navy, which is a pretty big deal. Steve is a Medical Planner called a POMI in Navy acronyms. We were fortunate to be in DC for the promotion to personally give him this basket."

I love how she turned one side of this basket back, and couched a coil around the side, almost like an anchor chain...

Geraldine is careful to sign and date her baskets, which is great! It is easy to sign on the back of a ceramic base with a Sharpie marker.

The base is an anchor she purchased from my MakeABasket.etsy.com shop. *(where cyber monday sale is still on: use coupon code FBSHIP for free shipping! In fact, that coupon works in ALL my etsy shops, see side bar for links to them ---------------> )

Baskets for the Holidays

2011-11-26T08:03:00.007-05:00

"Are you ready for the holidays?" People ask all the time. Part of being "ready" is having the gifts you want to give all lined up. For the basketmaker, that often means weaving some gift baskets.

Geraldine Kiser has woven some wonderful gift baskets this year, using her own vision and bases from my MakeABasket.etsy.com shop.

This graceful Chickadee on a pine tree basket will go to her son-in-law's dad in Sweden. I love the eye-like opening, the beautiful way the collapsed oval frames the little woodland scene.

If you have not yet stocked up on supplies to make your gift baskets, now is your chance for a great deal! I am offering free shipping in all my etsy shops through the weekend. Just use coupon code FBSHIP at checkout for free shipping!

You can find all my etsy shops in the side bar of the blog ------------>

Hapy Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T04:06:00.006-05:00

Here's hoping everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Black Friday and Cyber Monday specials in all my etsy shops! Use coupon code FBSHIP at checkout for free shipping! I have great gifts for the basketmakers in your life!

You can find all my etsy shops in the side bar of the blog ------------>

thanks for reading my blog!

Christmas Baskets

2011-11-18T10:09:00.005-05:00

It's holiday time! If you are a basketmaker, that almost certainly means weaving a basket...as a gift...as a decoration...just because it is a lovely thing to do!

Here is one using a holly base from my MakeABasket shop by LaWho Design. Love this, Vicki! The bands of color in the floating coils really make it striking. This would be a great gift for any hostess, and look fabulous hanging on the wall!

Emily Harrell: Still Weaving at 102

2011-11-06T16:38:00.011-05:00

Last year I met Emily Harrell at Albemarle Craftsmans Fair. She makes knotted Armenian needle lace. I meant to make a blog post about her then, but...it just got away from me. This is us, last year (2010.)

Emily Harrell was, at the time, 101 years old. She and her daughter and grandchildren and great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren were at this craft fair. Just about everyone who was capable of holding a needle in her family had learned her craft. Needle lace is sort of like looping, but there is a "hard knot" involved.

Emily took the time to show anyone and everyone who wanted to learn how-to...right there. I knelt by her chair for an hour, i'll bet. I did not put my hands on the lace, but she must have thought i was getting it, because she kept showing me variations on the stitches.

Her finished pieces were doilies and collar trims, for the most part. Also hankie trims, napkins, etc. She was still using a fine cotton thread, though one older piece of weaving that she brought out was as fine and soft as a spider's web, it was woven in such thin thread! She said she could no longer do it with the very fine thread. At 101, i was impressed she could still do it at all, it requires good vision and dexterous fingers.

While I knelt by her seat, a woman who she had taught last year brought a little piece of lace she had been practicing on, on the edge of a piece of linen, for feedback. Emily was encouraging and delighted to see the practice work her disciple had dutifully brought for her.

In the car, on the way home, i started trying it. (someone else was driving...thanks, Ellie!) By the time i had gotten home, i knew what i wanted to do with my new skill...and thus my little angels were born.

These are twined waxed linen over little hardwood bobs. After the twining, i add wings and skirts of needle lace. Not quite what Emily was doing, but okay.

So this year, i just had to go back. Emily was still there, of course now she is 102. (or "Almost 103," as she says...sort of like when you were a kid and always had to get in your 1/2 year. Of course she does, what an remarkable thing it is, to have lived that long!)

Of course i brought her a little angel, and she was happy to wear it. A guardian angel, i hope. Her great granddaughters, twins, took turns taking pictures of us. (They call her GG.) Cute!

I hear tell that Emily has work in the Smithsonian. I am glad she has made her mark. I am so glad to have met her!

More Great Bakets from the Family Fusion Blog

2011-11-06T16:26:00.005-05:00

If you read my blog, you probably have been to the Phillips Family Fusion blog, too. As I write this, i notice there are no fewer than 82 posts tagged "basket." So much more, too!

But I admit, it is the baskets that keep bringing me back!

Some of them are made with pottery bases from my MakeABasket.etsy.com shop...like these butterflies, and red autumn leaves.

So fun! I love the beads treatment on the butterfly one.

Great job, Vicki!

Art & Art Deadlines.com Blog Feature

2011-10-21T11:55:00.003-04:00

Have you found this yet? A MUST for artists online: the Art & Art Deadlines.com blog!

R.L. Gibson has a finger on the pulse of the juried art show, and keeps us apprised of new developments in very regular fashion...and with taste! You might wonder about the eggs. Believe it or not, this is a food blog! Wow. Fun reading, even when it is not about me. - Yes- me. I am celebrating this week, to have been chosen to be a "Featured Artist" by Gibson!

In addition to finding great show opportunities, it is an honor to be "exposed" here.
You could be featured, too! Visit the blog and leave a comment, then check out the $2 Art Contest.

Vine Time

2011-10-14T14:16:00.004-04:00

It's Vine Time! Are you collecting?

Autumn is the time when vines are "ripe." They are finished with their summer burst of growth. Harvesting vines in the summer means they are full of moisture. It pays to let them dry a few days before weaving, because otherwise there is so much shrinkage. But this time of year, it is cut and weave, the vines are beginning to shut down for winter.

Hurricane Irene brought down a number of trees in the woods near my home, and almost all of them have a variety of vines clinging to them. Here i am carrying one of three bundles of vines i collected off a single downed tree. There was grapevine, wisteria, Carolina jasmine, porcelain vine, and Virginia creeper, all in one big tangle.

...and then i made baskets! Cornucopias are first and foremost now, since Thanksgiving is coming up! Check out my etsy shop Bazketmakr for what else i have been weaving!

Another Lovely Basket by Ruth Anne Danger

2011-10-05T16:18:00.005-04:00

From a very prolific coiler, here is a selection of new baskets...

Remember you can click on the image and see it closer! They are all so beautiful!

For your closer examination, here is another beautiful basket by Ruth Anne Danger! This one features a flamingo ceramic base, and vibrantly colored pine needles! Ruth Anne, this is another blue ribbon winner, your coiling is so beautiful!

All of the graceful baskets in the first photo are also by Ruth Anne. Thanks for sharing them with us.

To coil a flamingo basket of your own, check out the flamingo bases in my MakeABasket.etsy.com shop, they come in several different colors, and you can put your own spin on a decidedly tropical weaving!

Running Free by Ruth Anne Danger

2011-09-30T09:59:00.010-04:00

More new baskets from Ruth Anne Danger!
She wins so many awards with her beautiful baskets. These are fabulous, Ruth! She calls these her "Running Free" baskets.

Horse bases are available in my MakeABasket.etsy.com shop, you can put your own spin on them, for your own award-winning baskets!

Horsehair Wave Basket by Carol Miller

2011-09-25T12:32:00.005-04:00

Here is the first horsehair wave basket sent in by a reader of this blog!

It was coiled by Carol Miller as a birthday gift for her friend, Valerie.

Valerie reportedly said, "What can I say, the horsehair wave basket is just to die for!"

What can I say, but: I agree!

Way to go, Carol!

You, too, can make a wave basket!
Wave bases are available in my etsy shop at MakeABasket.etsy.com
If you need guidance in working with horsehair and/or making a wave basket, you might want to try one of my patterns or kits specifically for horsehair.

National Basketry Organization Exhibition: All Things Considered

2011-08-02T08:41:00.005-04:00

All Things Considered VI: National Basketry Organization Juried Exhibition
Opened July 30, 2011 runs through December 12, 2011

I am honored to be included in the NBO's biennial exhibition at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, MA.

Fuller Craft Museum
455 Oak Street
Brockton, MA 02301
t 508-588-6000

Fuller Craft Museum and Shop Hours
Tues—Sun 10am-5pm
Wednesdays 10am-9pm
Closed Mondays

For more information, see my facebook event page.

Etsy Feature

2011-07-10T09:29:00.003-04:00

Today my "Lifepath" basket is featured in the BEST etsy shops blog! What a fabulous complement. I love the idea of having a $1000 virtual budget and shopping it away each week. Anyone care to take a turn?
pamela

Return from BlogBreak: Great Baskets to Get You Back Into It!

2011-07-09T10:17:00.015-04:00

Well, I have taken a little break from this blog, it has been almost 2 whole months since I posted! Sorry to keep you hanging.

Fortunately, others have been hard at work, to fill the gap. If you are looking for an active, interesting blog with some basket content to follow, I highly recommend Vicki Phillips blog, Phillips Family Fusion. Fed daily by Vicki and her daughter, it is a wonderful amalgam of their lives, including not only Vicki's wonderful pine needle creations, but nature, gardening, animals, touring, home...there is something for everyone!

Here are images of just a few of the wonderful basketry creations Vicki has blogged about.

Some of Vicki's baskets feature pottery bases from my MakeABasket shop on etsy. I am flattered.

She really does a great job, complementing the glazes, and bringing the colors together in her weaving. But what i really love are all the stories she tells about her baskets. These are the kinds of things i think about when weaving my own baskets. In addition, Vicki has a great hand with the photography aspect of blogging, taking a great styled shot of each basket in a different setting. I love it!

Clicking on the photos of each single basket in my blog will take you to Vicki's blogpost about it.

the depth of field on this next image is wonderful, Vicki!

This last one is my favorite, i love the colors and the way it just all works! Very lovely.

Vicki sent me the shots of all her baskets together, in preparation for a show she has coming up. Also, some of the baskets are for sale at the Gig Harbor History
Museum during their Woven Stories: Native American Basketry of the
Pacific Northwest and Alaska exhibit July 9 - October 16.

Best of luck to Vicki on her basket sales!
I would love to see what the rest of you are weaving!
pamela

Beautiful Basket by Geraldine Kiser

2011-05-15T09:05:00.006-04:00

Here is another lovely pine needle basket! This one coiled by Geraldine Kiser!

Geraldine started with a mockingbird base from my MakeABasket shop. Did you know the mockingbird is the state bird for more states than any other? That includes Texas, where Geraldine lives.

Geraldine gave it a wonderful asymmetrical treatment, even folding back one side as she coiled. She also gave it a floating coil, above the mocking bird, on the high side of the basket, mimicking tree branches. I think it is just exquisite! So wonderful, Geraldine.

Since she travels alot, Geraldine carries pine needles with her and works as she goes. If all her baskets are as beautiful as this one, I am sure people ask her about buying them all the time! I am glad to see she signs and dates the bottoms.

way to go!
pamela

5 Life Lessons

2011-05-01T09:12:00.005-04:00

I have always thought of basketmaking as meditative. Others have told me they do, as well. Somewhere I read that such repetitive, rhythmic activities as weaving were essential stress relievers and what today's fast paced living is missing. People just don't sit around and whittle or spin anymore...at least, most people. Those of us who are actively involved in traditional handicrafts know the benefits of handwork...don't we? I think there are many lessons to be learned from most handcrafts...don't they all have something in common? YES! Check out this blogpost from Tammy Strobel, listing the life lessons she has learned from knitting.

Thanks, Tammy, for articulating these for all of us!

Positivity

2011-04-13T14:56:00.004-04:00

I love the Positivity Blog, by by Henrik Edberg. Maybe you have seen a link to it in the right column of this blog.

This post, with quotes from Abraham Lincoln, particularly spoke to me when i read it today.

Take #7:
Sharpen your ax,

which includes:

Do. Fail. Learn. Do.

There is more, of course. I admit, it is pretty obscure without the rest...
You should read it.
I bet you'll enjoy it, too.

pamela

Juror's Choice at Figuratively Fiber

2011-04-05T16:03:00.005-04:00

It is a thrill to have been chosen for the "Juror's Choice" award at the exhibition "Figuratively Fiber" at the Joan Mondale Gallery, Textile Center, Minneapolis, MN.

Jurors Jodi and Richard Creager, of Creager Studio, selected the winning pieces from this exhibition, which focuses on art dolls. In addition to the great pleasure of being chosen to show in this prestigious forum, I am truly honored by the Jurors' comments on my piece, "Naturally Endowed:"

"We felt that this piece showed a great control of a wide variety of media. It's uniqueness of style and playful use of the human form spoke to us."

Thank you so much for your lovely complements! It is such a wonderful feeling to have my work appreciated by such incredible artists!

Fantastic Fibers 2011, The Yeiser Art Center, Paducah, KY

2011-03-31T09:00:00.009-04:00

Don't miss Fantastic Fibers 2011, at the The Yeiser Art Center in Paducah, KY!
April 2-April 30, 2011
Opening Reception: Saturday, April 2, 2011 5:00-7:00pm

The lineup looks fabulous, and it is exciting to have been selected to participate again. I believe this is my third time in this wonderful show! Check their website for the list of accepted works and artists.

Three of my works have been accepted for this show, from my "Catching the Moon" series,
"Catching the Pale, Pale, Moon,"
"Catching the Moon: Celebration!"
and "Catching the Purple Moon."

For more information on this exhibition, please see my Facebook Fan Page.

Winners have been posted for this exhibition! Congratulations!

National Fiber Directions Exhibition 2011

2011-03-23T09:00:00.006-04:00

It is an honor to have been selected to participate in the
National Fiber Directions Exhibition 2011
Wichita Center for the Arts
Wichita, KS
March 25 - May 8, 2011
Opening Reception March 25, 2011, 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m

The piece chosen for exhibition is titled "Hairy Clayfoot Girl," from my clayfoot girl series.

Her feet and face are hand-sculpted stoneware clay, and her body is free-form twining, paper wire and waxed linen with fashion fiber accents.

Please see my Facebook Fan Page for address and other information if you plan to attend!

Winners have been posted for this exhibition! Congratulations!

Figuratively Fiber: Textile Center, Minneapolis, MN

2011-03-09T06:00:00.005-05:00

Figuratively Fiber: Textile Center, Minneapolis, MN

March 11 - April 16

This is, as the name implies, an exhibition of Art Dolls.

Joan Mondale Gallery
Textile Center
3000 University Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414

Telephone 612-436-0464
Gallery & Shop Hours are
Mon-Thu 10-7,
Fri & Sat 10-5

I love their promotional postcard, don't you?!!?!?

My piece in this show is "Naturally Endowed," the largest of my clayfoot girls. Her face and feet are hand-sculpted of stoneware clay and have a unique "separating glaze" on them that has a sharply "crackled" texture. Her body is completely woven, and is comprised of over 500 stakes. She required over 100 hours to weave; that is, after hand forming the face, feet and armature. Woven of wire, waxed linen, and fashion (acrylic) yarns. I particularly love her scaly skin, and her cellulite.

Please see my facebook fan page or the Textile Center's Facebook Page for more information about the exhibition!

NCBA Convention Nears

2011-03-06T18:00:00.001-05:00

The NCBA Convention is almost here!
It runs March 17-20, at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham, NC

My random weave garden basket class is on Sunday (sorry the class is full, but i have already received requests for the pattern and kit, so they will both be available.)

This year, I will also be vending, together with my good friend, Lynn Hoyt. Lynn and I have attended convention together, taking classes and teaching them, for 10 years now! But we have never vended before, and are looking forward to this new adventure.

Join us, in the "Sleeping Rooms" Vending area, accessible off the main lobby of the hotel, in room 112. We will be the last vendors on the left side of the hallway.

Look in your goodie bag for a coupon for a free giveaway Lynn and I will be having! We will have a drawing for one "Fantasy Coilers' Kit!" The kit will have a little metal "fantasy" toolbox filled with tools and supplies any coiler would love...FREE! Just drop in your entry (one per attendee, please) and we will have a drawing, not necessary to be present to win. Winner will be announced Saturday evening, and can be collected either Saturday evening or Sunday morning.

New Baskets by RUTH ANNE DANGER!

2011-03-02T06:00:00.006-05:00

Here are some great new baskets by Ruth Anne Danger. I love it when you all share your baskets with me. Please remember if you have a basket that you have coiled using a pottery base from my MakeABasket.etsy.com shop, i will publish it in this blog, you don't have to be an Award-winning coiler and teacher, like Ruth Anne is!

Here's what Ruth Anne said about her fabulous creations: (remember, you can click on any of these images to get a closer peek!)

"I love using your basses because what I put in the bottom of the basket often is the inspiration for the basket itself. I set on my couch every morning and have my oatmeal then pick up my basket to coil. I then go thru my supplies for inspiration by sorting thru my stash of your basses.

When one picks me I then back it with contact cork both to protect the pottery and what it is placed on. I then sew thru both the cork and the pottery. I have found the customer really like this.

I just love the flowers with the dyed purple pine needles and the sweet grass really sets it off. This is a Easter basket that can be used all year long. The other basket is all pine needles and sliced walnuts. The stitch in the bottom of the flower basket was done to reinforce the bottom. 2 stenches on the inside and 2 on the bottom around. With the single stitch it needed reinforcement.

Thanks for making the basses available to us.

Ruth Anne Danger

Zephyrhills Fl

i just love them both! Your stitching and wrapped rows are gorgeous, Ruth! Thanks for continuing to share your talents & creations with us!

Regional Art Leagues, Selected Works, Invitational Exhibition, The Bascom Center, Highlands, NC

2011-02-27T09:52:00.012-05:00

Regional Art Leagues, Selected Works
Invitational Exhibition
The Bascom Center, Highlands, NC
February 19 - April 9, 2011
Opening reception, February 19, 1-3 pm

This exhibition features work by selected National Basketry Organization's members.

My work shown is "Heart of the Tangle," and featured coiled pine needle, random weave wisteria, polymer clay and resin.

Please check my Facebook Fan Page for additional information.

More Incredible Baskets by Janet Bonnell

2011-02-13T16:12:00.009-05:00

I love seeing what people make using the ceramic bases from my MakeABasket etsy shop, you know it! Hold onto your hat, ‘cause here come some new ones from Janet Bonnell….

The first is called “Dance To The Rythem” and is embellished with knotless netting!

I am particularly partial to petroglyphs, and am just taken with what Janet has done with this base. I see dancing notes in this little wooden beads! Way to go, Janet!

Here are more glyph ceramics dolled up with Janet’s special twist:

“God Speed” features spaced wrapping and is wonderfully graphic!

“The Sign” (embellished with yarn)

I love the radiating stitch pattern on this one, like ripples radiating from the palmprint!

The last is called “Dark Side of the Moon,” and I am told is a tribute to me!

Janet, I am just speechless. Of course this is in reference to my “Catching the Moon” series (which can be seen on my website.) Thank you, Janet, I am so flattered!

If you have baskets that you made using ceramic bases from my MakeABasket etsy shop, send them in, and I would love to publish them!

New Baskets from Vicki Loiseau / LaWhoDesign

2011-01-27T11:19:00.006-05:00

Here is a new basket by Vicki Loiseau of LaWhoDesign.etsy.com made using a pottery base from my MakeABasket shop.

Love the wrapped rows of color, Vicki!

For leaf bases like this, search "leaf" in my MakeABasket shop.

Here are some more closeups of her lovely work:

To see more of Vicki's baskets, you can visit LaWhoDesigns.etsy.com, where she also show additional bases from MakeABasket.etsy.com, as well as other designs, in her pine needle coiling!

Natural Selections 2.0 "contemporary art meets nature" Group Show

2010-12-28T10:46:00.001-05:00

Margaret Withers, stealing entropy,
2010, resin, pigment, oil, string, painted vellum, 24x24
© Margaret Withers

I am honored to have art work selected for the Natural Selections 2.0 "contemporary art meets nature" Group Show at Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota.

The show will open Feb 1st, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM and run through April 1, 2011.

There will be 21 artists represented from the US and 1 artist from Belgium.

Alan Montgomery and Destry Sparks have curated the show.

Karl E. Mundt Gallery at Dakota State University
820 N. Washingston St.
Madison, South Dakota 57042

The artists:
Cathryn Peters, Angora, MN
Greg Patch, Surf City, NC
Milbert Whitley, Pantego, NC
Joshua Coombs, Philadelphia, PA
Jane Horner, New Bern, NC
Pamela Zimmerman, Washington, NC
Emily Soldin Howard, Raleigh, NC
Joey Howard, Raleigh, NC
Maxine Masterfield, South Sarasota, FL
Meredith Loughlin, Washington, NC
Neil Loughlin, Washington, NC
Betsy Stewart, Washington, DC
Andrew Fullwood, Chapel Hill, NC
Platon Alexis Hadjimichalis, Brussels, Belgium
Jenny Hodges, Wilmington, NC
Kiernan McGonnell, Chicago, IL
Margaret Withers, Brooklyn, NY
Peggy Guichu, Phoenix, AZ
Destry Sparks, Greenville, NC

The piece of mine included in this show is "Uprooted." It is woven of dandelion stems, hardwood tree roots, yucca fiber, waxed linen, wire, palm inflorescence, and copper. Photo of "Uprooted" by Ronald L. Sowers Photography.

Merry Christmas, Basket!

2010-12-23T13:50:00.007-05:00

Another great basket from Ruth Anne Danger!

This one features a holly pottery basket base she purchased from my MakeABasket.etsy.com shop, as well as a whole string of light bulb beads!

Ruth Anne has a lovely way with coached floating coils, dyed pine needles, and beautifully (deceptively simple-appearing) swirling stitches

I love all the details she puts into these baskets, she constructs them with great love and care...and it is no wonder! This one will take front and center attention at her State Fair!

Ruth Anne writes about her baskets: Our State fair is in Jan. so it is coming soon even tho it is 2011. They ask everyone to enter one Christmas item along with our reg. entries. Then they set up a living room with all the entries from ornaments,quilts, wall hangings,etc.. They are always pleased to have the baskets.

Register NOW for My Classes March 18 & 20, 2011 at NCBA Convention!

2010-12-04T15:27:00.017-05:00

The NCBA 2011 convention brochure is finally online! Click on that link to download your own copy!

Registration is online NOW, and I would love to have you in my classes!

I am teaching Friday, March 18 and Sunday, March 20.

Here is a little more about my classes:

Horsehair Kisses
FR 1443m, page 30 in brochure (top right)
Friday, 1:30pm - 5:30pm
4 hours
Intermediate
$25
Make a tiny basket on a lanyard to decorate your phone, zipper, or key ring. Learn how to start a horsehair basket from scratch.

These adorable charms can be open bowls or the vase-like "olla" shape. Joined to the lanyard with a split ring, you can easily convert your horse kiss to a necklace, if you so desire. There will be color choices!

REQUIRED: Good finger dexterity and previous coiling experience. Bring light, small sharp scissors, tiny clips and a magnifier. This is tiny work! Very few basket makers work in this medium, this is your chance to learn how!

Random Weave Garden Basket
SU442, brochure page 43, top left
Sunday, 8am - noon
4 hours
All levels
$18

Random weave is so much fun! Make a great handled basket, as shown, or use your imagination to make your own shape.

We'll be using a lovely segmented vine that looks like bamboo, it is a lovely light honey color and is lightweight and smooth on the hands. This class is a great way to wrap up your convention!

These baskets are fabulous accents in the garden or on a porch, and function beautifully as planters. We will discuss use of the basket in the garden.

If you have questions about the classes, please feel free to contact me!

pamela

Basketweaving Essentials with Nadine Spier

2010-11-27T06:00:00.014-05:00

Nadine Spier is internationally known for her work in pine needle coiling, and also as an artist who teaches. Living in California, which is something of a pine needle coiling “capital,” Nadine runs an active studio, teaching weaving techniques and selling supplies. Her latest venture is a DVD teaching her techniques for pine needlers, “Basketweaving Essentials with Nadine Spier.”

This is a professionally produced video, and it is a polished product. Two cameras are used, and that means we can see both Nadine’s lovely face and close-ups of her skilled hands. Wonderful!

She begins by describing the materials; not only pine needles, but other materials that can be grown or found and used to make baskets. The list is enough to stimulate, but I note that the pine needles covered were those I consider “rare,” and not available to me in the Eastern US. No matter. With today’s internet, it is easy enough to find alternatives. Nadine highlights the materials she has best access to; who can blame her? Some of the pine needles she mentions are available for purchase on her website under “supplies.”

Nadine is an accomplished and confident teacher. Her delivery is smooth, and filled with examples and explanations that make the technique easy to remember. Having coiled, myself, for over ten years, I was pleased to learn new tips and see how a master teaches, and admit there are tips and tricks here I want to experiment with.

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may know that I am all for finding your own way to coil. One of the things that all basketweavers struggle with is repetitive motion injuries. To make coiling ergonomic, and to make it faster and easier, I advocate putting the needle into the work from the front. But Nadine, in her own unique way, manages to make BOTH sides of the basket “the front!”

She also advocates using specific hand positions and carefully teaches these in a precise way that appears quite successful. If you have ever seen work by one of Nadine’s students, it is obvious that her techniques work very well.

This DVD covers: selecting and preparing materials for coiling, items that can be used for the center of the basket, setting a cabochon for coiling, starting on the cabochon, several stitches (including a wrapped coil,) transitioning between stitches, setting beads between rows, finishing the basket, and starting on alternative centers.

Nadine’s style typically features set-in semi-precious stones, wrapped rows and floating coils. Of these three elements, only the floating coil is left for another DVD. (Which I understand is coming…)

The DVD is broken into “chapters,” which means not only is the information organized in a clear and understandable way, but since you can select scenes from the menu, it is possible to stop/start without going through areas that you have already covered. Don’t you just love DVDs? Nadine’s fabulous sculptural weavings are shown throughout between “chapters.” There is also a “gallery” section with even more of her unique pieces. Definitely inspiring!

As this is a DVD, it requires a DVD player/TV combo, or may be played on your computer if you have a DVD player. It will not work in a CD player in a computer. I found it much easier to see the close-up work on my computer than on the TV. (If you are SURE you have a DVD player in your computer and it STILL won't play this DVD, you probably need a MPEG2 player. I did. Try the free download of Media Player Classic at filehippo.com . At less than 2 MB, it downloaded fast, and is "no frills," but it worked beautifully for me!)

I am confident that you will enjoy adding this DVD to your library, even if you are an experienced coiler or teacher. It is available on amazon.com, or through her website, http://www.nadinespier.com/ , and costs $39.99. There is a free clip of Nadine’s DVD on her website, check it out!

If you have a new basketmaking instructional media, like a book or DVD, I am happy to review it for you. Please contact me by email for address to send a non-returnable copy for review!

pamela

Special for Black Friday/Cyber Monday

2010-11-25T08:36:00.001-05:00

Some stores are open for Black Friday shopping now even on Thanksgiving! Amazing! Not out shopping? Maybe you already have been, but are back home? No need to feel left out!

All this weekend, now until Tuesday, November 30th, I will be having a special sale in my Etsy shops:
bazketmakr.etsy.com

MakeABasket.etsy.com

PurpleToedGypsy.etsy.com

10% off to blog readers, all items included. This includes items already on sale. To receive this sale, you MUST enter a coupon code when you purchase your item(s.) When checking out, enter the code: ireadyourblog

Your 10% will be automatically deducted before you pay!

Happy Black Friday! Hope everyone had a marvelous Thanksgiving!
pamela

Ready for Thanksgiving?

2010-11-19T20:01:00.008-05:00

It's coming right up! Have you woven a cornucopia yet? They are fast and fun, and oh so sculptural! You still have time! You can do it, i know you can!

Why not try Susi Nuss' free online tutorial? Susi has coded us a great FREE pattern! Susi has lots of great features on her website, basketmakers.org and while you are there, make sure you click on the ads on the edges, that's how she supports her basketmakers.org site...your clicks are pennies of appreciation! (It's THE go-to site for basketmakers, you know.)

For weaving the cornucopia, you can use reed, or try gathering vines from your yard. (Make sure you know what is poison ivy, though!) You won't need to soak green fresh vines, and they will shrink a little, but oh what fun! This cornucopia was woven with wisteria, some of which was split and appears white; and Carolina Jasmine. I left the leaves on the jasmine, and they will wilt and then dry, and form lovely textural interest. Both vines have tiny roots tendrils that give lovely textural accent as well.

Then fill with gourds, vegetables and fruits, nuts, cranberries (here is a how-to for filling) and have a great holiday!

After Thanksgiving, don't put it away (if it is green, it will still be drying!) Try filling with candy or maybe little wrapped presents, holly leaves or silk poinsettia leaves...the possibilities are endless!

If you don't want to weave one yourself, i still have a few in my etsy shop, ready to ship!

Happy Thanksgiving!
pamela

Navigating an Etsy Shop

2010-10-23T17:59:00.017-04:00

Tried shopping on Etsy yet? (It's pronounced like "Betsy," without the "B!") Etsy is THE PLACE to buy handcrafted online! You can also find supplies for your artwork, as well as vintage articles there. Check it out! Etsy has something for everyone. Navigating, well, they have been working on making it easy. Maybe it is not so intuitive, and you could use a few tips on finding what you want! Let's take a look at some of my shops and I will point out some things on getting around.

This is what a shop looks like. You can click on any of these photos to make them larger.

Scrolling down to the bottom of the page, you might notice there is alot of stuff for sale in this shop....28 pages as of this writing, to be exact, which converts to over 600 items!
Oh my goodness, how do you look at it all? There are a few ways to zero in on what you are looking for. Try checking the shop's sections first. Sections are on the upper left side of the shop. Most people want to know what is on sale first. You can click on the "sale section" link, and it will bring up the sale items.

You can also choose from two different views to look at the list...either the thumbnail view, which gives you relatively large pictures and just a little text, like this:

Or the List view, which gives you smaller photos, but all the title.

To switch between views, use these little symbols on the right side of the page, near the top

Still have too many things to sift through? Try sorting by price. On any page, you can show the lowest priced items first, by clicking on this little sorter.

There are more ways to sort through a shop. Say you have some great aqua thread, and want to make a basket with it, but need a base. You can search my shop for "aqua." Go to the top of the page, and type "aqua" in the search box. You MUST be on the front page of the shop or "shop home."
Type "aqua" in the search box, and make sure the dropdown menu on the left has "this shop" selected. Then hit "go" or just your enter key. The resultant search gives you everything labeled "aqua" in the shop! (You can then sort for lowest price, as I showed you before, also!)
If you want to find bases with cat motifs, or dragonflies, you can sort for them the same way!

To buy on etsy, you will need to register (but it is really easy.) Once you have registered and started buying things, you will want to learn to leave feedback. Feedback is your way of telling how your experience has been with each seller. It is very important to sellers to have positive feedback. To leave feedback, choose "your etsy" from the top of any page.

The left side of "your etsy" is where you find record of your Purchases, feedback, favorite, where you can enter a profile about yourself and upload an avatar, stuff like that.If you choose "Feedback," you will be able to enter feedback about others with whom you have transacted, and see the feedback they have left about you.

I hope this makes it a little easier to find what you want on etsy. Let me know!

I have four shops on etsy.
My bazketmakr shops carries finished baskets and my art cards.
PurpleToedGypsy has woven wearables - like horsehair charms on necklaces.
MakeABasket is a basket supply shop, featuring ceramic bases for coiling and kits.
LizardSkins is a destash shop, it has mostly blank white clothing for dye/paint and vintage items. Visit soon!

Happy Autumn!

2010-10-07T13:37:00.015-04:00

The Fall Season has been here for a few weeks now. Are you weaving Autumn baskets?

Wild Mushroom baskets
Wild Mushroom Basket bases and beads (for coiled baskets)

Fall vine baskets for decorating and weddings.

Fall foliage basket bases for coiled baskets

Forest Floor Basketry Bases for Coiled Baskets

Make your own great cornucopia basket from vines, or let me do it for you!

Happy Autumn!

Last Exchange Basket Finally Received: for Janet Bonnell...

2010-09-28T17:20:00.010-04:00

Janet Bonnell was supposed to receive a basket from Jessica Parker. Jessica made a lovely basket, titled "Blue Sky, Blue Water." How what a beautiful look, with variegated thread giving a soft suggestion of sky and water.
We have waited and waited for it to reach Janet, but it after 3 weeks, i suppose we will have to call it "lost." So sorry, for both Jessica and Janet. Here are photos of it anyway.

Well, our Summertime Exchange is finally wrapped up! But to make sure Janet actually got a basket, i made an extra one.

Janet received a basket from me, finally! She wrote:
"What a surprise the mailman had for me today. As you all probably know my exchange basket disappeared in our mail system. Pamela was gracious enough to make me a replacement basket. It is a breath taking horsehair freeform titled "Damsel Fly Wave" Pam coiled it around one of her pottery bases with lovely teal seed beads disguising the holes in the base. All of it is stitched together with artfical sinew."
Damselfly Wave has little damselflies (similar to dragonflies, but smaller) on the base at the center.

Wonderful job, everyone! thanks so much for participating!

I am going to take a break from hosting exchanges for awhile. But if anyone else wants to host one, please contact our exchanges coordinator, Lynn Hoyt.
pamela

How to Read an Online Newsletter/PDF File

2010-09-27T14:18:00.010-04:00

More and more organizations are going to online newsletter formats. There are lots of advantages to this, the most obvious being saving money, paper, ink, and other resources. Getting a newsletter electronically also means it is delivered faster, and is more easily recalled when needed. There is less trash to dispose of, it never gets lost, and does not have to be filed! But there are more advantages. Electronic newsletters allow instantaneous connection to the web - links and emails become clickable, photos can be examined more closely, all without killing trees! Ready to start receiving your newsletters electronically? Let's see what you need to know...

Some newsletters are delivered by email, but many are in PDF format. PDF stands for "Portable Document Format," and was made to be a universal document exchange medium. This means, no matter what software created the document, once it is converted to PDF, any computer should be able to view, save and print the document - as it is shown. Ever had someone send you something, only to find it would not print, or printed off the page? PDF files are supposed to eliminate that. So let's go through what you have to do!

First, you have to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader program. (I hear groaning...) But the program is FREE and you can download and install it yourself. Just go to http://get.adobe.com/reader/ and click on the yellow button to "download." If you are operating in a different system from Windows XP, you will need to click on the link that says "Different language or operating system?" and you will be assisted in finding the operating system you need. The program should prompt you to install once it is downloaded. Done (do a little dance!)

Once you have installed Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can open and read your newsletter. You CANNOT edit documents or change them in any way with this program. You also cannot create PDF's with this program. To do that, you need to purchase the entire Adobe Acrobat program, and you probably don't need to do that for casual use.

Here is the latest Natural Fibers Group Newsletter, in PDF format. (You can click on any of these photos in my blog to make them bigger!)

To make more room on the screen, more "reading" room, you can get rid of the "stuff" at the top of the screen. Try pushing "F11" at the top of your keyboard. This toggles off and on your "fullscreen" option. here's what it looks like with the "stuff" at the top removed:

Can you see the difference between the two pictures? (It gets rid of some stuff from the bottom, too!) Anyway, you don't have to do that, but sometimes it helps cut down on all the "stuff," and lets you see what you need and what you don't.

To page through the newsletter (or find a page you are looking for,) use the page feature at the top

To find something you know is in the newsletter (a word,) use the "find" feature at the top of the page, i bet you can find it!

Wow, what great photos! Want to see the detail on that thatched roof?

No problem. Just use the ZOOM feature at the top of the page to change the size by percentage...(Or you can hold down control on your keyboard and scroll your mouse button up and down to zoom in and out.) What a difference! (Very cool article, by the way!)

The Natural Fibers Group Newsletter is full of links, and that is one of the best parts! How to take advantage of that????? Just click on the link.

A dialog box pops up, asking if you want to go to the link. Choose "allow" from the box, and the link will open in a separate page - just like that! Same for email addresses!

Say you want to save it to your computer. You can do that! Use the "Save" icon at the top of the page.

If you want to print the pdf,choose the "print" icon from the top of the page....

When your print dialog box pops up, it will look something like this...if it is a little different, that is okay.

What you want to look for is the dropdown box that has the option "fit to printable area," which allows your pdf to fit on the page (just like it says.) Watch your print preview pane to see how your documents looks, and print away!
That's about it! Now you know all you need to get started reading your electronic newsletter in PDF format! Let me know how it goes.

Incidentally, the Natural Fibers Group newsletter is published four times a year, and focuses on natural basketry. It costs $10. Check it out!

pamela

By Special Request: More Dinosaur Sculpture

2010-09-23T10:39:00.010-04:00

I received a facebook message requesting i post more of the dinosaur sculpture photos from my trip to the Pickens Museum, and i am happy to do so!I just heard from the Museum Director, Allen Coleman. This piece is called "Velociraptor," the sculptor is William G. (Bill) Jackson from Aiken/North Augusta SC. He is currently represented by iF Art Gallery in Columbia, SC.

And here are more photos...enjoy! Remember you can click on these photos to make them bigger!

Basketry: Traditional To Contemporary Woven Art at the Pickens Museum

2010-09-21T14:27:00.034-04:00

Two days ago, I began relating to you about my visit to the Pickens Museum in Pickens, SC, for the exhibition, "Basketry: Traditional To Contemporary Woven Art." Sorry, it took me an extra day to get this little blogpost finished and ready to publish! But here goes, finally!

The exhibit was curated by Pati English, known for her weaving and teaching in throughout the southeast US. I have enjoyed knowing Pati at the North Carolina Basketmakers Association Convention each March, where she usually teaches. Here is Pati, walking through the gallery of baskets, surrounded by reception attendees:

Evidently, the Director of the Pickens Museum, Allen Coleman invited Pati to curate a basketry exhibit at the museum. What a wonderful idea, and such a fabulous opportunity for the weaving community! Pati decided to highlight basketmakers from SC and the neighboring states, showing a range of basketry from the traditional, functional use baskets, all the way to the strictly modern-style, non-functional baskets featured in art galleries.

The opening reception was well-attended, bringing interested parties (and alot of basketmakers!) from several states. It was a great opportunity to meet with the artists whose work was included in the exhibition. Above, Tika Tucker explains some of her work to an attendee. More photos of the exhibition, including of all the artists, are on the Picken's Museum Facebook page. But here are some excepts. Most of the works are for sale.

By Barbara McCormick, "Sweetgrass Fanner Basket."

All of Barbara's sweetgrass baskets are woven using the coil method, and include sweetgrass, long leaf pine needles, bulrush, and palmetto leaves, as generations of her family have done. This is an example of a traditional basket that was particularly important to SC. Historically, this style (and material) basket was made by African slaves for use on rice plantations. This particular type of basket was used for fanning, or winnowing, rice hulls. Barbara's version is probably a little fancier than most, with it's braided rim.

By Gail McKinley, "Fish Basket (Trap) of Split Oak," and "Miniature Fish Basket."

Gail uses hand-pounded white oak to make traditional use baskets. These fish baskets were made the way her father and grandfather made them. Gail says she has met people from around the world who recognize this style of woven trap! She also displayed a selection of other traditional use baskets, seen in the background, most of them were typically used for eggs.

By Pati English, "Twill in Black."
Pati's choices of baskets for this exhibit demonstrate her versatility and love of color and form. Pati's baskets use traditional techniques, but she stretches the traditional use basket into the modern era. Her baskets, while still recognizable as baskets, have additional elements of color and shape that obviously transcend traditional use. She also did a fabulous job curating!

By Dolores Von Rosen, "Mountain Range."
Dolores was first intrigued by basketry in the first grade (!!) and now focuses on form and color, dying and weaving reed and seagrass. The lovely undulating shape and rich colors of this basket was obviously inspired by the mountains. Dolores is another basketmaker who uses traditional techniques to sometimes make baskets that are useable as containers, yet are made with an extra aesthetic as well.

By Laura Lee Zanger, "Diamonds and Arrows Mat," and "Chitimatcha Diamonds."
Laura Lee focuses on eye-dazzling plaited designs. This particular color and pattern combination is wonderfully appealing. Though Laura Lee also teaches, (as do most of the artists in this exhibit) she is immersed in mathematics and technique. She spends weeks before weaving figuring out the basket - graphing the weave, taking traditional Native American designs to the next level by combining them in new ways. Her work is as much graphics and surface design as it weaving.

By Tika Tucker, "Migraine," "Bark Basket," Navajo Jewel."

Tika has a real talent for form and color, and this arrangement pleased me most of all those in the show. I love the juxtaposition between the very even repetitive structure of the baskets flanking the random beauty of the natural bark basket, as well as the very lovely subtle color play. Tika experiments with color and pattern and seems to love the challenge of making the squared element round. Her work is always an amazing dance.

By Michael Davis, detail of "Pointalistic Dance."
Michael is very obviously a gallery artist, and uses basket weaving techniques to create very sculptural, colorful, non-functional pieces. Also, he sometimes uses familiar, non-traditional objects in his weaving to provoke and give unique texture. This piece uses quilting pins and watercolor brushes for texture and interest. Another used giant pine cone scales. These are pieces that take center stage, and in this exhibit, the lighting does a dance with the baskets as well.

Me (Pamela Zimmerman) with my baskets:
My little corner of the exhibit contained five pieces of my work, "Trade Cargo: Passages," (on the wall,) "Heart of the Tangle," (on the stand in front of me,) "Catching the Moon on a Star," (black, to my right,) and the sister pieces "Blooming Twisted Sister" and "Budding Twisted Sister." Three of these pieces are from my "face basket" series, and two from my mobius strip experiment.

It is a genuine pleasure and honor to have had my work included in this show!

Of course it is worth a special trip to see this exhibition! It runs through November 11! Don't forget to visit the nice little gift shop and museum.

There will also be a basketweaving workshop on October 30, taught by Pati English, as part of this exhbition. Registration deadline for the workshop is Oct. 16. Don't miss it!

pamela

Pickens and Greenville, SC: Fun Places to Visit!

2010-09-20T11:43:00.024-04:00

The “Basketry: Traditional and Contemporary Woven Art” Basketry Exhibition at the Pickens Museum Of Art & History, in Pickens, SC which I attended last week was wonderful! What a little haven of culture that place is! I would never have expected it. I will tell you all about the exhibit, but I suppose I should tell you about the our overall experience first. My friend, Lynn Hoyt, and I traveled there Sept 11, specifically to see the basketry exhibition.

We stayed in Greenville, SC, at the Drury Hotel. Have you ever stayed at a Drury? Well, I had never heard of them. I have to tell you, I did not envision coming home and raving about the hotel in my blog. But it was that nice. Very reasonably priced, and included a free hot dinner (with wine, etc, included) as well as a full hot breakfast. The room was one of the nicest I have ever stayed in, and boy did the hot tub feel good! I highly recommend them. You can tell them I sent you, but of course they have no idea who I am. Next time I visit I hope I will be able to take advantage of their free hot dinner, we were on our way to the exhibit's opening reception and had to skip that part. But there will be a next time!

For lunch, we found a fabulous Indian restaurant, The Saffron, and indulged in an exotic lunch buffet! Heavenly.

Greenville is a lovely city, with freeways and a zoo and meeting centers, public murals and a river running through it. We could have spent weeks exploring, but we had only a couple of hours. We did have a few minutes to visit their downtown. The little streets were very charming. They had streetcars, (above, left) which would have been fun to ride in. and lots of pedestrian plazas to sit on and admire public artwork from.

But we only had time to visit the Beaded Frog, (right) and Ten Thousand Villages, and buy up some goodies. We both were wishing we had at least another day to explore and try all the great places to eat and shop!

Pickens is a small town, only about a 30-40 minute drive from the big city of Greenville SC. It has the feel of a real country town, a little sleepy perhaps. But the museum - wow. Definitely worth the visit.

But FIRST we spent some time in the history part of the museum. We saw artifacts all the way from the Archaic period through WWII.

It is a converted jail, and retained some of the lockup features, which makes it doubly interesting. One of my favorite parts was the little cell they kept intact. I am sure they cleaned this up quite a bit for us. Also notice they still have the barred windows. Lynn did agree to stand outside it, so I could take a picture.

Upstairs was the Cherokee Carver's Exhibit, very nice. You can see they kept a lockup door in this exhibit area, also. It is in the wall at right, next to the carved masks.

The Carver's Exhibit was wonderful!

One of the things I really liked was the actual maul and wedges or "gluts" made of oak by Stan Tooni, Sr. These are used to split the logs he carves. These are traditional, handmade tools, which of course are made by the carver. These were made in 2009...Though made of oak and very hard, I'll bet he wears a few of those out!

Some of my favorite carvings were "Corn Maiden," 2008, by John Grant (of stone, wood, and corn, at left,) and "Standing Guard," by James "Bud" Smith (of cherry wood, right.) But it was really hard to pick, everything was so beautiful!

In the middle of the Cherokee Carver's Exhibit, there was an extraordinary bench made of twisted wood. I confess, I was so busy trying it out and taking photos of it, I neglected to get the wood and maker information...but here it is! Lynn was kind enough to sit on it for me, so you can get the scale. I would LOVE to have a whole house full of furniture like this. It was comfortable, too! (Don't forget, you can click on any of these photos to see them closer!)

Another great part of the downstairs exhibits was this fabulous dinosaur skeleton constructed of metal pieces...I thought it was a real raptor skeleton at first! It is constructed largely of rebar and large scale machine chains - like bicycle chains, but huge!

Visit again tomorrow and I hope to have my basketry exhibit photos up...the BEST PART!
pamela

Baskets by Vicki Phillips

2010-09-13T21:14:00.002-04:00

Take a look at this great basket made by Vicki Phillips, with a dragonfly base from my MakeABasket etsy shop! More photos can be seen in her blog. The Phillips mother/daughter team share all sorts of wonderful things in their blog. To find more basket entries, look at the labels on the right column of their blog, and click on "baskets."

“Basketry: Traditional and Contemporary Woven Art” Exhibition

2010-09-04T06:03:00.003-04:00

“Basketry: Traditional and Contemporary Woven Art”
Basketry Exhibition

September 11 – November 11, 2010
Pickens Museum Of Art & History
307 Johnson St.
Pickens, SC 29671
At the Pickens County Museum of Art & History, eight artists from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia are featured in a basketry exhibition of more than forty baskets and woven art.

Opening Reception is Saturday, September 11, 2010 from 6:00-8:00p.m.

Come and meet the artists and enjoy this collection of works from Michael Davis, Barbara McCormick, Gale McKinley, Tika Tucker, Dolores von Rosen, Laura Lee Zanger, Pamela Zimmerman, and Guest Curator Pati English.

From Guest Curator, Pati English: "As Guest Curator, it was my privilege to invite eight artisans to participate in this basketry exhibition. It is my vision that visitors will be amazed and engaged by the scope of artistry and history in hand woven fiber art...The unique display of three-dimensional art is a celebration of beauty and function. Journey through our American heritage, preserving our past, intersecting our present natural world of fiber, and connecting to the contemporary sculptures…”

Call the museum at 864-898-5963 for more information.

I am honored to have six pieces exhibited in this show. I would love to see you at the opening reception, I hope to be there!

Exchange Basket Received: Marianne Barnes to Jessica Pitts

2010-09-03T21:06:00.000-04:00

Here's another great basket in our Summertime Exchange, this one from Marianne Barnes to Jessica Pitts.

Jessica wrote:

"Yesterday I received a lovely gourd which had a coiled top/neck which had been woodburned with pictures of seashells and which was adorned with seahorses and shells. I shall add this lovely item to my exchange collection. Thank you Maryanne!!!!!"

Way to go, Marianne! What a cute little gourd...and woodburning is particularly exquisite, it is easy to see that she is a very experienced gourd artist! A wonderful contribution.

Exchange Basket Received: Pamela Zimmerman to Sue Cowell

2010-09-03T06:00:00.003-04:00

Here is another exchange basket, this one from Pamela Zimmerman to Sue Cowell.

Sue wrote:

"Yesterday's mail brought me a treasure! And I'm not exaggerating. I received a wonderful piece of coiled sculpture from Pamela Zimmerman, entitled BLUE PEARLY WAVE.

"Unless my eyes decieve me, it's made of brown & blond horsehair, coiled on one of her beautiful pottery bases. The binding material looks to be artifical sinew in blue & white. There is a teeny-tiny horsehair basket on the rim, and tiny pearls sewn where the base meets the coils. I do so hope the pictures do this justice.

"My daughter & I could not agree if it reminds us of the undulations of an octopus or jellyfish swimming, but it definatly looks like motion caught in time. Thank you, thank you, Pamela. I will treasure this."

Well, i'll take that, Sue. Actually, the underwater creature that inspired me was the sea slug. but of course that does not sound as neat as an octopus or jellyfish. But check them out, they are very cool. They come in many colors and shapes and are amazing! Glad you like it.

I hope everyone has enjoyed this exchange, it is almost over!

Exchnage Basket Received: Gerri Swanson to Deborah Groom

2010-09-02T16:57:00.006-04:00

There are only a few exchange baskets left to post. Here is a very unusual one, with kelp! From Gerri Swanson to Deborah Groom.

Deborah says: "I received the most exquisite basket today... what a wonderful surprise to find Geri's basket waiting for me when I got home. It really jumped started the summer for me again.

"It is so beautiful and has so many beach gathered elements. She used Torrey Pine pine needles and coiled them in hand dyed raffia. The blue-grey of the raffia was almost identical in colouring to one of the shells in the rim of the basket. The rim also included three other shells and a fourth that was coiled into an unright position using the end of a piece of bullwhip kelp.

"You have to see this piece to admire the craftmanship, the textures, colours and ingenuity. The kelp coils around the basket and has this fabulous bulb head that I first thought was the end of a gourd.

"The center is a sand dollar that is accompanied by two other gift sand dollars, one of them drilled and one not. Talk about feeling spoilt! ...There was even two pieces of sea glass added in the basket.

I just want to say such a big thank you to you Geri for such a beautiful gift. It will be treasured and admired for a very long time. I know it must have been hard to let go of such of special piece. Thank you so much."

What a wonderfully creative basket, i really love the look of the kelp and the kelp bulb. Maybe Gerri will tell us something about the kelp? You lucky, Deborah!

Exchange Basket Received: Janet Bonnell to Gerri Swanson

2010-08-27T05:14:00.004-04:00

Here is another Summertime Exchange basket, from Janet Bonnell to Gerri Swanson!

What great color in this one! I love it! Gerri loves it too, she wrote:

"The basket is a beautifully woven brown pine needle basket. It has sliced
shells for the bottom center and for the handles. All pulled together with
perfectly done stitching in 2 different shades of pink waxed linen.

"Absolutely gorgeous work Janet, I thank you! The little silver feather is a
fabulous signature."
wow, i'm loving this! We only have a few more baskets to go, but this seaside theme is really persisting!

Exchange Received: Deborah Groom to Donna in WA

2010-08-26T17:12:00.000-04:00

Here is our latest exchange basket, it is by Deborah Groom, and was received by Donna, in WA.
Deborah had a definite idea for her basket, and executed it exactly as she had envisioned! The center and beads are made of polymer clay.

Deborah said: "I based it on tidal pools... I also tried to imitate the kelp and water action by adding many, many coils. I love the play of colours in the water and they way it slips in and out around the pools. The basket is intentionally asymetrical so I hope Donna likes things that are a little different. It is hard not to correct to a proper circle but I like the randomness of asymetry and find it more in keeping with these pools."

Wow, i think you did exactly what you set out to!
pamela

Exchange Basket Received: Pamela Caskey to Karyl Jo Hartsog

2010-08-22T17:00:00.000-04:00

Sea Shells continue to predominate in our Summertime Exchange! We have had a few baskets in a row with the seashell theme...this one continues that, but is also like a blooming flower with pinks and greens. It is from Pamela Caskey to Karyl Jo Hartsog.
KJ writes: "I have received my exchange basket from Pamela Caskey. I can not say enough great things about it. I know everybody will get to see the pictures but that is only part of the experience of this basket. I wish I could share the smell and feel of it as well as the looks.

"Pamela started it off with a center of a pin made of sea shells with dainty shell roses. She used waxed linen in two pinks, minty green, turquoise, white and sea green colors. Around the base are long pine needles from Florida. Then she added a marsh grass with the smell of new mown hay.

"On top of that for the rim Pamela uses sweetgrass with it's lovely vanilla scent. It has little Rose quartz hearts on the handles and a mother of pearl butterfly on the front. I just can't keep my nose out of it or my eyes off of it.

"It is truly a work of love. I know it was hard for Pamela to part with it and I feel so lucky to have it.

Thanks so much for hosting Pamela Z. It just gets better and better as we all learn from each other."

Exchange Basket Received: Karen Thaler to Pamela Zimmerman

2010-08-22T06:00:00.003-04:00

Wow, my exchange basket from Karen Thaler arrived today! What a lovely job she did!Karen started on a prepared shell arrangement, held together with line. Then she added black pine needles. There are many, many tiny little coils, some are black needles and some are natural. The stitching is black, white, and vibrant blue (I love that color of blue sinew, and cannot find it anymore!) The colors are so vibrant and the stitching is even an tight.
My favorite part are the beautiful intertwined blue-wrapped rows on the rim and the cascade of shells embellishing the rim. They were collected by Karen herself! Karen has included other shells to arrange in the basket, loose, and I 'm sure my kids will especially get a kick out of rearranging them.

Thank you, Karen, for this absolutely lovely basket. I will cherish it!
pamela

Exchange Basket Received: Donna in WA to Karen Thaler.

2010-08-21T06:33:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest, Donna in WA to Karen Thaler!

"Received my basket today. Wow, Wow and Wow. The base of the main part is made from the biggest oyster shell I have ever seen. The base is turned upside down and fits onto a piece of driftwood. A little basket filled with miniature shells, sits in sand within the oyster shell, with a "Shells 4 Sale" sign. To top it off Donna has included a note on a card that is a copy of a painting she did. The painting is titled "Cold drinks on a hot beach". This treasure is sitting in the center of my dinning table. Thank you Donna."

Donna told me more about the basket: "When I was little, teachers got us to practice tongue twisters. One of my favorites went something like this: She sells sea shells by the sea shore. So, that's what I used for my Summertime theme. I coiled around a shell. Some pine needles were wrapped with light brown binder and some were wrapped with a darker brown binder. The light brown represents the dry sand and the darker brown represents the sand closer to the water. I used 3 different blues for the water and died the pine needles accordingly. The white binder represents the breakers and other foamy water that can be encountered by the sea.

The little basket is filled with sea shells. I filled the big shell with sand that is more likely to be found on the beaches of the Pacific Northwest. I put the little basket of shells in the sand. The sign is made with a small piece of watercolor paper attached to a small piece of driftwood. I hand painted the sign. I used "4" instead of "for" because I am thinking that the girl who is selling the shells is a techie who rarely travels far without her iPhone. She sends text messages more often than not. Therefor "for" naturally would be "4" in her world. "

Lovely job! I love the story that goes with it, and all the layers representing the sea.

Exchange Basket Received: Ruth Anne Danger to Brenda Magers

2010-08-20T10:22:00.008-04:00

Another fabulous exchange basket has arrived! This one is from Ruth Anne Danger to Brenda Magers. It looks amazing, and Brenda was obviously tickled with it!

"I received my summertime exchange basket from Ms. Ruth. Taking it out of the box simply took my breath away. It is a beautiful combination of sweetgrass and pine needles with a beach theme. As a new coiler it is a real inspiration to keep working at it. Thank you Ms. Ruth for your gift and your time!"

MY favorite part of this basket is the little section of diamond stitches just under the rim! See them? It is about 3 rows, maybe, and in a contrasting shade of pine needles. This defines the rim as well as making a lovely accent. That, in addition to the perfectly wrapped handle, makes this an artful basket. Well done, Ruth Anne!

Exchange Basket Received: Brenda Magers to Marianne Barnes

2010-08-19T23:15:00.000-04:00

This marvelous Summertime Exchange basket was made by Brenda Magers and sent to Marianne Barnes.

Brenda says: "For a summer theme I used a piece of coral for the start, attached shells and tried to pick bright colors. My dyed needles come out pretty dark so I picked an orange and green because they were the lightest and are fairly summery colors. My current basketry obsession is to coil the needles so the basket is a different color on the inside then it is on the outside. I think it makes a nice look. This was also the first time I tried a footer. I had to because the start was not flat. It was much easier than I thought it would be! I’ve only been doing baskets since March so I hope my recipient likes it.

Marianne was obviously taken with it, and wrote: "I was so excited to receive my exchange basket today. brenda sent it to me and she said she was a beginner but her work looks beautiful! The basket was started on a small piece of corral. Amazing!! Yhe pineneedles are green inside the baslet and natural on the outside. She attached shells from the outside that she collected at the beach. She lives on the SC coast and guess what?! I live in SC too but near the mountains. Thank you so much Brenda for a wonderful awesome basket!!"

Such a nice job, Brenda. It doesn't look like a beginner basket to me, either. Facing with contrasting colored needles is a technique that not many coilers use, and you did a great job with it!

Exchange Basket Received: Sue Cowell to Pamela Caskey

2010-08-15T20:36:00.001-04:00

The latest exchange basket beauty in the Summertime Exchange is titled, "The DAY AT THE BEACH" and was made for Pamela Caskey by Sue Cowell!

Pamela wrote about Sue's basket:

"I would like to thank Sue Cowell for the lovely basket she sent me. It
is truly awesome and will bring me much pleasure as I travel around the
country in our Gulfstream Sunvoyager. Having Grown up on the ocean in
NH and spending much time walking the beaches and gathering treasures
that the Ocean deposited on it's shores, I truly love how Sue put the
basket together with treasures from the sea [:x] .

"The base is an oyster shell that was raised by her son who is a
Sellfish farmer. From there she starts her coil in natural and some
dyed green Florida Longleaf pine needles. She left the caps attached
to give it some texture and the binder was artificial sinew in a natural
color. On one side of the basket she has attached a light green ball
float with several shells or fragments of shells to it. Beside that are
several more seashells. On the other side is a star fish that she
attached to the basket.

"I only have one complaint to Sue. She did not sign her work.
But have no fear we will be heading to the North West next spring when
it gets to hot in Southern Arizona so hopefully we can connect someplace
and she will kindly add her signiture to the basket.

"Thanks again Susan and many thanks to
Pamela for organizing the exchange.

"I also thank all those in the group that are
always so willing to offer a helping hand or suggestions to us all whe
we have a question. You are all so great and very helpful and willing
to share your craft to us."

Exchange Basket Received: Karyl Jo Hartsog to Ruth Anne Danger

2010-08-13T07:50:00.000-04:00

The latest exchange basket received is not a basket...but i'll let Karyl Jo Hartsog explain. She sent her coiled Summertime Exchange entry to Ruth Anne Danger.

KJ writes:

"I couldn't decide on one theme so I made three picture frames. Three to symbolize the three months of summer. The frames are a size that will hold postcard size pictures.

"I look forward to fishing and hiking in the high country in the summer months.

"We have bird feeders and bird baths all over our yard so we do a lot of bird watching in the summer.

"We have a large garden and spend a lot of time there in a straw hat and thongs.

"I hope Ruth will like the frames and use them to show her summer adventures. She can also use them to display postcards from friends. I had lots of fun making them."

Fabulous! I am most enamoured with the little fishing creel on this one. What lucky draw you got this time, Ruth Anne! Here are close up shots of each little Summertime theme!

pamela

Darling Daisy Basket by Jeanie Weber

2010-08-11T13:05:00.005-04:00

I do love seeing what people make with my ceramic basket bases! This one is by Jeanie Weber, of www.BasketCaseCreations.com who asked me to make some daisy bases for herself and her sister, wanting to make some hostess gifts. They had seen the beautiful basket made for me in the Asymmetrical Exchange by Diane Heister, and wanted to have similar bases for their baskets.

Jeanie tells me she used chrysanthemum stone beads, saying, "I ended up using more beads than usual—was afraid too many, in fact--but everybody who’s seen this one seems to like it a lot, so there you go! "
She also glued a piece of leather to the bottom of the ceramic base to give it a little more protection. That's a great tip, Jeanie! I have also used cushy fabric, like polyester blanket material or felt. A spray-on adhesive works really well.

You can click on any of the photos in this blog to see them larger, and i recommend doing so for Jeanie's darling daisy basket, which she has named "Bloom Where You Grow." Love it!

Daiy basket bases like this one can be found in my MakeABasket shop.

Stay tuned for exchange baskets, in our Summertime Exchange. They are starting to be shipped!

pamela

Summertime Creative Ideas

2010-07-24T04:00:00.001-04:00

Yay! Our next exchange is underway!

If you have always wanted to participate, but just can't figure out how to address the theme, here are some ideas!

The most challenging way to make a summer basket is to make a figure. Also called an effigy, it involved making a three dimensional sculpture, using coiling. This requires thought and planning.

The easiest figural piece has a coiled body and added in appendages, like the little pine needle turle I made, above left. (Some people will make them rattles, by enclosing little pebbles in the space between the shells. Don't use dried beans or other food items, as that attracts mice who will ruin your coiling to get the food inside!) But here are some more elaborate figures!

At right is a cute little mobile made by Carol Miller. Carol made a little flower and a bird, complete with wings, legs, and beak! What a fabulous idea...and even people who have no room for a "sitting" basket have room to hang something from the ceiling! Great job, Carol!

The turtle effigy at left was made by Nella Johnson. She made a lidded box and added legs and head that were also coiled. This is one of my very treasured possessions from a previous exchange. Not only because Nella did such a great job on it, but because Nella is gone now.

Karyl Jo Hartsog took the "prize" in our last exchange. (This exchange does not have a voted "prize," because many people said last time they did not need one to have fun in the exchange.) It is easy to see why! Karyl Jo expanded upon the "added appendage" technique and made a little beachy vacationer, complete with sunhat and glasses! Marvelous! The thing that impresses me most is that she got him to STAND, it is very difficult to balance these things. Tip: make sure to put wire in the protruding parts, and thoroughly incorporate the coil of the appendage into the core of the basket. (You can click on any of these photos to get a better look at them.)

The MASTER of the effigy is TV McArthur. TV made this most fabulous fish in one of our earliest exchanges. What an amazing piece! I don't know what else to say about it. He inspired us all and showed us how to do it. TV is famous for saying he coiled whatever way was required for the piece to work...none of this "I only coil to the left from the back" business.

Well, now that you have been amazed and perhaps intimidated, we will move on to the less elaborate forms that invoke our theme of "Summertime!" The most popular method of incorporating a theme is usually using a motif, like a picture, or an embellishment/ tie-on.

This project was made by two members of the Pine Needle Group, Dolores Gatz and Lynn Van Couvering. It was a Progressive Exchange, and Dolores painted this tray and started the coiling on it. Lynn finished the coiling, adding the elaborate braided edge. Flowers in the garden are a great summer motif, don't you think????

Say you decided to use a turtle for your basket. I have already shared two other versions of turtles, but there are simpler ways to incorporate your chosen design. The turtle is always a favorite of basketmakers. Turtles are featured in many Native American cultures in their traditions and myths, and this wall plaque made by Jeanie Pfantz is a a great example of that. They are a big part of my summer, I am constantly rescuing them from the road! Another way to use a motif like the turtle is to woodburn the design onto a gourd, the way Rhoda Forbes did in this piece. Remember the coiling has to consist of half the project! that is why Rhoda coiled this piece so high. There are also pottery starts with animal designs on them, like this one used by Pamela Caskey. It has a dimensional turtle on it. Pam did a beautiful job of expanding the design into the stitching of the basket, did you notice? She has coiled a turtle on whose back the little ceramic turtle rests! So very cool. Great job, Pam!

Shells are very easy to use in a basket, they often come with ready-made holes in them, and can be picked up or purchased. If you need to drill one, please drill it under a little water! Here are two lovely examples of shell baskets, which of course invoke images of the beach and vacations. The first, asymmetrical one, was part of that Progressive Exchange, and it was begun by Toni Best and finished by Kendra Davis. The second example is a lidded basket just chok-full of seashells by Susan Butts. What a beautiful place to keep a treasure!

So you have the idea about motifs and embellishments. The last way I can think of to feature our theme of "Summertime" is to make a basket that is traditionally used during the summer or for a summer activity. The first thing I thought of was picnics and gardens.

Here is a lovely garden style gathering basket, by Carol Miller. The gathering basket is typified by a high, arching handle with two upturned sides. The other sides, where the handle is not attached, are low. This allows for cut flowers to be laid in the basket as they are being gathered. Carol made an exquisite example of this form for our very first exchange in 2000.

A napkin basket is always welcome, for picnics and on the patio. Here is a lovely example that also bears a flower motif, coiled by Janet Bonnell. Napkins are generally SQUARE. See my series on shaped baskets for a discussion of this. They are NOT easy to make. Nice job, Janet!

Covered dishes are great for picnics or for having food outside, alfresco on the patio. A great place to store rolls, tortillas, cupcakes, cookies, etc, for the crowd. (please line with a napkin) This one was woven by Jessica Pitts. I really like the large ring on the top of the lid, this makes it easy to pick up the lid and easy to put it back on. What a useful traditional basket for summer!

Bonnie Martin made her pincushion exchange basket summery with a butterfly motif. But it is a traditionally functional basket. This would count as a summer interpretation of a traditional form.

Another great idea for a traditional form comes from KJ Hartsog. This is a picture frame made of pine needles and raffia...don't we take alot of pictures in the summertime? I think it would qualify even without the great little mini bird nest she added to it. The little eggs are white beans. So clever!

I don't know if this little bee skep qualifies as an effigy, traditional or a motif basket...bee skeps were traditionally coiled of rye straw and oak splint and put out for bees to nest in the summertime, of course. This tiny one I made is only decorative, but undeniably makes me think of the warm season...with the tiny bee embellishment, that is.

Here is another basket that undoubtedly fits, though i am not sure what category it falls into...more than one? Vicky Nickelson made this one for the broken object exchange. It has pieces of a broken plate and an eagle nest motif. Very cool idea. I suppose it could be a chip/dip as well, with adequate lining

Got your creative juices flowing? So many ideas!

In case you are wondering, most of the baskets shown as examples here are from previous exchanges, made by people in the Pine Needle Group, and previous permission was given to use these photos. I hope you have enjoyed them, I certainly have!

Let's see what great "Summertime" baskets you can come up with!!! Have you signed up yet???

Pamela

ANNOUNCING OUR NEXT EXCHANGE "Summertime Exchange"

2010-07-23T10:07:00.007-04:00

ANNOUNCING OUR NEXT EXCHANGE
"Summertime Exchange"
Exchange Host: Pamela Zimmerman

Guidelines and Schedule

This is an opportunity for each of us coil a basket that embodies the theme "Summertime." Your basket may be one that is intended for use during the summer (i.e. traditional use) or have a motif about summer (flowers, frogs, fireworks, bare feet, grass, beach, pool, etc,) or a sculptural basket that has something to do with summer.

1. All members of the Pine Needle Group who have fulfilled their past commitments to our exchanges, and members who have never participated are eligible to participate.

2. Baskets should address the theme "Summertime," in either a pictoral, figural, or traditional use manner.

3. All entries must be at least 50% coiled. At least half the surface area of the basket HAS TO BE coiling. Any material (Including, but not limited to pine needles) for the coiling. Other techniques are also permitted in addition to coiling.

4.Coiling is defined as a weaving technique using an inner core that is wrapped with a binder. Glued or ceramic coils are not permitted.

5. Baskets may be started on a "start," of NOT LARGER than a 6 inches in any one direction. (Your base, if you use one, MUST BE SMALLER than 6 inches.) For ideas of what to use as a start, see Pamela's blog on this topic.

6. You must be a member of the Pine Needle Yahoo Group in good standing to participate in this exchange.

7. To participate, send your name, email address (please type it out, don't assume it is gotten from the email,) address, and PHONE NUMBER (mandatory) to Pamela Zimmerman, exchange Host. All entries will be acknowledged. The phone number is essential. Your phone number will not be distributed or shared, even to your exchange partner.

8. Sign up period is from Friday, July 23, through Friday July 30. You will receive the name of your partner July 31.

9. Partner assignments will be double blind - that is, you will not know who is sending you a basket, and the person you are sending to will not necessarily be the one who is sending to you.

10. You have from whenever you sign up, until August 31 to coil and ship your basket.

11. Please coil a basket that you would be proud to receive. Please remember that we have all levels of coiling experience on this list, and that coilers of equal experience may not be paired.

12. Once you have completed your basket, please take several CLEAR pictures of it, and email the pictures to Pamela. If you do not have a digital camera, please have the image digitized at your local store, it does not cost much.

13. Send the completed basket to your partner.

14. Photos of all exchange baskets will be posted to this blog, as well as the Pine Needle Group list, along with the maker's name and who received it (and any other information about the basket they want to share.)

15. When you receive your basket, you MUST post to the group list an acknowledgement and thank you.

16. The Standing Rules apply. Please make sure that you READ the standing rules. They are at the bottom of the Exchanges page.

SCHEDULE:

SIGN-UP: today through Monday, July 30
COILING BEGINS: Immediately after signing up
NAMES DRAWN AND DISTRIBUTED: Saturdy July 31
DEADLINE FOR COMPLETION/SHIP: Tuesday, August 31
QUESTIONS??? - E-MAIL ME: Pamela Zimmerman

If you are interested in coordinating a future exchange, your rules, email

Lynn Hoyt, Exchanges Coordinator

Tomorrow I will post some examples of baskets that I think exemplify the theme, Summertime!

pamela

Announcing Our Favorite Basket in the Asymmetrical Exchange!

2010-07-05T09:10:00.009-04:00

Announcing our favorite basket in the Asymmetrical Exchange.....Karyl Jo Hartsog's lovely teneriffe filled creation! For more views of Karyl Jo's great basket, please revisit the blog entry where it was first posted.

Congratulations, KJ! I will be sending out KJ's prize, from my MakeABasket.etsy.com shop, shown here. KJ will be receiving an asymmetrical (of course) basket base with fern design on it, a bolt of hunter green artificial sinew, a Needle Grabber duo, as well as a set of art postcards of my woven artwork.

What a wonderful array of beautiful baskets we had in this exchange! Everyone's basket was definitely a "keeper." To see all the baskets in one place, sign into the Pine Needle Group Yahoo Group and go to the Asymmetrical Exchange Photo Folder. To all participants in this exchange, thank you for participating, for fulfilling your obligation and making a lovely asymmetrical basket. I am sorry I could not afford to provide everyone with a prize like KJ's. But as a consolation prize, if you participated in the exchange, and make a purchase from any of my shops at etsy.com, please note in "message to seller" that you were in the Asymmetrical Exchange, and I will give you 20% ONE PURCHASE (all items in a single purchase) as a thank you for participating. My shops are MakeABasket , PurpleToedGypsy, and Bazketmakr. You can find quick links (and photos of items listed in these shops) in the right margin of this blog ---------------------------->

Can't wait til we have another great exchange ... anyone up for it again?????

Meerkat World Tour Giveaway

2010-06-28T20:39:00.004-04:00

Remember this little cutie?

Alchemy the meerkat came to visit me earlier this year and we made a horsehair basket together, for her to take on her world tour. What a long way she has come!

Now, Alchemy has returned home to the UK and is ready for the big finale...she will be going on one last trip to live with ~some lucky person~ to live for the rest of her natural knitted life! She comes with a whole treasure chest of goodies, like a wedding trousseau...

Alchemy is knitted by Heather of NiftyKnits.etsy.com and will soon be awarded in a free giveaway! Go to niftyknits blog for the latest news on how to get Alchemy to come live at your house!

Time to Vote!

2010-06-26T22:40:00.002-04:00

Time to vote for our favorite basket in the asymmetrical exchange!
If you are a member of the Pine Needle Group Yahoo email list, you will be able to vote.
Please sign into yahoo and access the Pine Needle Group polling site
all members will receive one vote, whether or not they participated in the exchange.
If you are not already a member of the Pine Needle Group Yahoo email list, you may join and vote as well!
The winner will receive a gift from my shop at MakeABasket.etsy.com
pamela

Final Exchange Basket Received: Nancy Gildersleeve to Debra Steinman

2010-06-25T17:38:00.004-04:00

The final basket in our exchange has been received! And for the reveal, we will hear from Debra Steinman:

I received my basket from Nancy Gildersleeve five days ago. It's using a darker colored pine needle, and waxed linen. The basket it self, is completely coiled with pine needles ... (no caps). The basket is coiled in such a way that the coiled layers are not all connecting which achieves a beautiful asymetrical affect.

Nancy thanks for the basket it's beautiful!

Wow, aren't they all great!???!! I am very pleased at how this exchange turned out.

We will vote on our favorite basket for this exchange, stay tuned! The favorite basket maker will receive a prize from my MakeaBasket.etsy.com shop!

Exchange Basket Received: Roy Burkhart to Lori Tourish

2010-06-23T22:16:00.006-04:00

We are getting to the last exchanges. Here is the latest, Roy Burkhart sent his lovely original to Lori Tourish, and here's what she told us:

After stalking my various shipping carriers for the last few weeks, I finally walked to the mailbox hoping to see a missing key for the package slot....crossing my fingers I opened my box hoping to find the key....and there it was! Woo hoo! My neighbors must think I lost my mind, because I was so excited to get home and open the box!

What I found was a beautifully crafted piece of art that I will be displaying proudly!

The base looks to be a undulating piece of driftwood, the pineneedle coils wrap this way and that, it also includes 3 walnut slices that add to the beauty. Not sure of the wrapping material but looks to be a linen or cotton or sinew, naturally colored. My son said "Wow, that's cool!" He's right!

Thanks Roy, it's beautiful and I will enjoy it for many years to come!

Roy told me more about his piece, which he calls "The Flight of the Butterfly:"

The base is a small piece from the weird tree in my backyard. One of the dogs brought it in. I shaped it a little, saned it smooth, mostly, and use some Natural Danish Oil which darkened it. I drilled holes where necessary but not everywhere. I've been doing this for a while on gourds and other pieces of odd wood, calling it "unholey coiling" because "less holey coiling isn't as funny...

I am loving how this exchange is turning out, aren't you?

Exchange Received: Gerri Swanson to Marianne Barnes

2010-06-19T20:07:00.001-04:00

Another great basket has arrived! This one is from Gerri to Marianne, but Marianne was having some difficulties posting, so it will be introduced by it's maker, Gerri:

Hello everyone,

I have been asked by Marianne Barnes to let everyone know she has received her basket! They are having some terrible storms in her part of South Carolina, so her internet is down. She received it today and was so excited she called me. I am her exchange person who sent her basket. I was of course thrilled that she is delighted with it!! She will have to wait (possibly until Monday or later) for internet service to return. Then she will describe it to all of you.

In the meantime; it has been great fun to be a part of this, my first exchange. I am eagerly awaiting the next one!
So thanks to all who have participated! The inspiration is incredible!

Thank goodness, Marianne's internet connection is back, and she wrote:
I received the most incredible basket from Gerri. I have asked her to send more photos of her baskets to go in the book I am writing right now on New and different materials for weaving and coiling. I have heard of bullwhip algae but had never seen any. It is soooo cool! The basket was coiled with palm stems and had this bullwhip algae around the top. The start was an agate slice. she also included a lavendar wand. I am so thrilled. The basket is beautiful. thank you so much Gerri! One day soon my husband and I will take the trip out west.
Thanks Pam for organizing this wonderful exchange. what fun!

Exchange Basket Received: Lynn Hoyt to Karyl Jo Hartsog

2010-06-19T07:19:00.001-04:00

Here's another beautiful exchange basket, from Lynn Hoyt to Karyl Jo Hartsog! KJ wrote:

I have received a beautifully crafted basket from Lynn Hoyt. This is extra fun because Lynn was my exchange partner too. The basket is coiled with all delicious smelling Carolina sweetgrass. I mean it. It smells good enough to eat! The binder is black and I would guess it is waxed linen?
I use mostly raffia so let me know if I am wrong here. There are bright sparkly blue beads among the floating and intertwined coils. The smell and sea green color of the sweet grass , the turquoise colored beads and the spiral created from the stitching remind me of last 4th of July. I spent July 4th 2009 on Mertle Beach South Carolina! Fireworks Lynn. A treasure of a basket. Thank You so much.
We all learn and get enspired from these exchanges even if one didn't participate this time. I am glad the whole group will vote for their favorite.
Thank you Pamela for hosting a fun exchange. I love my new sweetgrass basket.

Exchange Basket Received: Jessica Pitts to Donna in WA

2010-06-18T04:00:00.000-04:00

Exchange Basket Received: Jessica Pitts to Donna in WA

This one is a sculpural animal! Donna writes:

Jessica writes that this is her first asymmetrical basket. She calls it Little Blue Cat. She used blue twine to coil the pine needles. Blue is actually one of my favorite colors. Jessica, I think you did a wonder job for your first asymmetrical basket. Thank you so much for this adorable gift. I sure hope my cat doesn't get upset about another cat in the house.

great idea! Next exchange perhaps will be animals? what do you all think?

Exchange Basket Received: Marianne Barnes to Ruth Anne Danger

2010-06-17T11:00:00.003-04:00

Here's another beautiful colorful one, from Marianne Barnes to Ruth Anne Danger. Ruth Anne wrote:

When I got home from my Wed. pine needle basket class today my package was waiting for me. It was from Marianne Barnes of SC, What a joy it turned out to be. It is so very unlike my baskets it just jumped out of the box right into my heart. It just sings to me. A song of vibrant colors and earthy tones all twined together turning the attached gourd into wonderful basket. I am taking the description from the note enclosed with it so you will have the proper description.

The gourds was dyed with Trans tint dyes. The coiling was done with Danish cording and mizihiki. The pod is a Jacaranda pod from Florida.
The exchange has ben such a learning experience as well as such a fun time. Thanks to everyone and Pam you get a extra hug with your thanks.

What a wonderful variety of coiling we are having in this exchange! I hope you all are enjoying it as much as i am. I love the floating coils and the jacaranda pod in this one!

Latest exchange basket: Andrea Parker to Pamela Caskey

2010-06-16T22:59:00.005-04:00

Latest exchange basket: Andrea Parker to Pamela Caskey. This one is most unusual, and is a first basket for the maker!

Here's what Pamela had to say:

My Exchange basket arrived from Andrea Parker, a beginner at making baskets and this is her first basket exchange. Andrea may be a beginner at basket making but she is able to think out of the box and has created a very interesting work of art. It is definitely Asymmetrical. The item she titles "Africa's Winter Net." It begins with a start that is a kind of a starburst effect made out of cut dark twigs of sticks that she has glued together with hot glue. In the center of that is what appears to be a small nest of sweet grass. Entwined around that is coiled white nylon rope that is binned together with some fine silver colored wire. It ends with several loops and knots that brings it all together into a very interesting peace of art that I will gladly hang on the wall of my RV to enjoy. Andrea thank you very much for this and I will cherish it always. I hope that someday in my travels we might meet and exchange a true friendship. Best wishes in your coiling I hope the art brings as much pleasure to you as it does me.

Thinking outside the box and pushing ourselves is part of what is fun about an exchange. Receiving a work that differs greatly from our own work stimulates and educates us. I am really excited to see how different all the baskets are in this exchange! We have only a few more to reveal...stay tuned!

2010-06-16T15:38:00.002-04:00

Basketry Exhibition at The Bascom
The Bascom : A Center for the Visual Arts
Highlands, NC

On View: Artists In Residence and National Basketry Organization
June 12–July 18, Atrium and Education Galleries
National Basketry Organization: Michael Davis, curator, selects works from members of this nonprofit organization celebrating its ten-year anniversary.
Here are the Selected Exhibitors from the National Basketry Organization:
JoAnn Kelly Catsos, Ashley Falls, MA
Katherine Lewis, Mt Vernon, WA
Jackie Abrams, Brattleboro, VT
JoAnn Russo, Saxtons River, VT
Donya Stockton, Austin, TX
Pamela Zimmerman, Washington, NC

This exhibition includes 4 of my pieces from the "Catching the Moon" series.
If you live in western NC, or near there, don't miss this exhibit and an opportunity to work with Patrick Doughterty on his installation there.

Hope you can attend!

Exchange Received: Leigh Adams to Roy Burkhart

2010-06-15T16:22:00.000-04:00

Yet another wonderful exchange basket received! From Leigh Adams to Roy Burkhart. Here's what Roy posted about it:
As I was going out the door, I saw a box in the doorway, addressed to me. I rarely get packages, so knew what it must be. Didn't stop to look where it was from. Saw bubble wrap, and something very very tiny. It was basket with handle, coiled from blue and purple round reed and green waxed linen. The handle barely fit over my pinkie. I'm
always impressed that someone can work that small, my miniatures would have to be at least 4-5 inches. :) I didn't think that was the actual item so I continued to dig. At the bottom, I found another bubble-wrapped basket, somewhat larger in size. The center was an undulating clay base, in green and turquoise, with some gold in the center. Something had been pressed into it (burlap/cloth/something) to suggest little boxes or squares, but not quitePine needles were neatly coiled around, with a dark green waxed linen, I think. The bottom was signed LA. Then I looked at the included note to verify it was indeed from Leigh Adams.

Two beautiful pieces.

Perhaps Roy will send us a photo of the second piece Leigh sent him...and i can post it, too!

Exchange Basket Received: Nancy DeVries to Toni Best

2010-06-14T20:26:00.003-04:00

Our latest exchange! This one was made by Nancy DeVries, and received by Toni Best. Here's what Toni had to say about it:

What a beautiful piece of art and a wonderful gift! Nancy Devries coiled pine needles around a wooden base and captured a fantastic piece of drift wood from Lake Michigan. She has used thin artificial sinew against the dark, glycerin treated needles to create this asymmetrical piece with three floating coils. I feel privileged indeed to be the recipient of this basket! Thank you so much, Nancy. It is awesome!

Exchange Basket Received: Toni Best to Janet Bonnell

2010-06-13T18:45:00.000-04:00

Here's a colorful exchange basket! They are flying in now! From coiler extraordinare Toni Best to Janet Bonnell. Here's what Janet had to say about it:

Well it is the most exquisite creation from Toni Best titled "The Lady's Slipper". It starts out with a gourd base that looks like a purple rainbow surrounded by coiled dyed sea grass that undulates and curves around and then takes a dive through a hole in the bottom of the gourd and reappears to coil around somemore. It is all held together with very fine artificial sinew. Just gorgous! And somehow Toni knew that purple was my color!!

Thanks so much to Toni for my lovely basket

Exchange Received: Pamela Zimmerman to Nancy Gildersleeve

2010-06-13T06:00:00.000-04:00

The basket I sent to Nancy Gildersleeve has arrived. It is called "Splash," and as Nancy has surmised, is coiled with 2 colors of horsehair. Nancy wrote:

It is a masterful piece of coiling built on one of her clay centers, stamped with a fish design. It is coiled with bright blue waxed nylon, split very thin with each stitch split as it goes around. I think she's used horsehair to coil over and the shape curves up and then folds in on itself, the best part are three really tiny baskets attached to the topmost coil! What an awesome endeavor!! Thanks so much Pamela, I'm honored.

You're welcome, Nancy! It is so much fun to be a part of these exchanges! I cannot wait to see the rest of the baskets!

Exchange Received: Janet Bonnell to Andrea Parker

2010-06-12T08:04:00.000-04:00

Exchange Received: Janet Bonnell to Andrea Parker!

Another gorgeous basket in our exchange! Janet named this basket "Which Way" and here is what Andrea wrote about it:"Which Way" is such a prominent detailed piece of art. The stitches are strong and the pattern's course that it takes and when it will end has such an amazing flow and so hard to give a concise idea of what I am speaking of. I was impressed with the stitch work, the color is real extra (a sage, to dry earth green), the bottom a delicate yet added strength made of a plastic and the beads were the cherry on top along with the silver leaf (my personal inspiration). Being a beginner myself it was hard to fathom getting mine completed, and meeting the expectations of this exchange, however Janet your artwork was the inspiration to me and my finished product.

wow, very cool. Can't wait to see the rest of them!

Basketry Exhibition at The Bascom

2010-06-11T15:25:00.001-04:00

The Bascom :: A Center for the Visual Arts
Highlands, NC

On View: Artists In Residence and National Basketry Organization
June 12–July 18, Atrium and Education Galleries
National Basketry Organization: Michael Davis, curator, selects works from members of this nonprofit organization celebrating its ten-year anniversary.

This exhibition includes 4 of my pieces from the "Catching the Moon" series.
If you live in western NC, or near there, don't miss this exhibit and an opportunity to work with Patrick Doughterty on his installation there.

Hope you can attend!

Exchange Basket from Lori Tourish to Jessica Pitts

2010-06-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

Another basket has arrived in our exchange, this one from Lori Tourish to Jessica Pitts!

Jessica wrote:

Lori Tourish sent me a very wondeful basket and I received it today. She included two lampwork beads that she made and they are gorgeous!!!! I love the basket stitched with natural sinew and had two walnut slices and a teneriffe ring.

Her stitching is so precise the basket hardly seems asymetrical. It is beautiful. Thank you so much She also sent a card which had been made by her grandmother and was a picture of a bird that her grandmother painted and then made a card from. What a talented woman.

Exchange Basket ! Diane Heister to Pamela Zimmerman

2010-06-10T08:00:00.002-04:00

I, too, have received my exchange basket! It is so exciting!

Diane Heister, reportedly a new coiler under the wing of Ruth Anne Danger, sent me a lovely summery daisy basket! The base is one of my own pottery pieces, with big white and yellow daisies on it...Diane used sinew in colors I have never seen before, a yellowy green and rich burnt orange, they set off the colors in the base so beautifully. This is a meticulous coiler, she used several different stitches used some graceful floating coils over a sliced sea shell to emphasize the already asymmetrical base and make it into a wonderful showcase basket. It will be beautiful on my wall! I am quite delighted with this breath of fresh air basket...I think that is what I will call it!

Exchange Basket from Debra Steinman to Diane Heister

2010-06-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

They are flying in regularly now! This one was made by Debra Steinman and received by Diane Heister. Diane writes:

I received a wonderful basket from Debra Steinman. She has left the caps on the bundles to create a very interesting design.It was stitched with rafia also. It reminds me of a cactus!This is a very unique piece that has inspired me to try more daring designs.Thank you Debra!

Debra's basket is very asymmetrical and has lots of texture. I am betting these are not longleaf pine needles, either! Care to tell us what they are, Debra? Diane lives in longleaf pine country, and i would wager this is her the first non longleaf pine needle basket she has seen in person!

Exchange Basket Received by Gerri Swanson!

2010-06-08T17:11:00.005-04:00

Another exchange basket received! This one is from Donna in WA to Gerri Swanson. Gerri writes:

My basket from Donna in WA arrived yesterday! What fun to see the mailman walking to my door. That means he has a package for me!! I knew what it had to be!!
My exchange basket!

It is the cutest little thing. It's a pitcher! It has a handle and a spout (just like the little teapot!!) (A favorite song of my children's and mine!)

Donna used 3 different types of pine needles, and a little sweetgrass from Avalon Farms. Some of the pine needles were dyed, others were left natural. She mixed them all together, giving the effect of multi-colored yarn used for knitting and crocheting. The crazy thing is, I am currrently crocheting a blanket with the very same colors! I love synchronicity!

It almost looks like it has sat in the sun too long and is melting. Like a candle folding down into itself. However, it is very strong and sturdy. The scent of it it light and heavenly!
Thank you, Donna. This is my first exchange, but I know it won't be my last! It has been such fun!

Sneak Peek of Dorothy McGuinness Show

2010-06-06T20:22:00.010-04:00

The Artist Reception for Dorothy McGuinness' show, Baskets: More than Function was today.

There was a nice crowd, including a whole group of basketmakers! Thanks for coming, everyone! That's Dorothy, with the white name tag on (holding the drink,) standing by the first case with her baskets in it.

Dorothy gave us a little talk, told us how she started weaving, and something about how she creates her baskets. We had a few questions, I am sure you can imagine.

There was also a very nice spread of food and cold drinks, and it was just a lovely reception.

The baskets are amazing. One of my favorites is called "Falling." It is very black...there are some other colors in it, but of course they are hard to photograph. Here it is with increased contrast (and a flash) which brings out the white edges where the paper is cut, and it shows off the great zig zags made by her twill weaving.

My favorite, i think, is this green and white one, "Rippled Green." Dorothy was kind enough to let me pose with her next to it (that's me on the right.)

This exhibition continues through September 12, so you still have time to go see it!

Rocky Mount Arts Center
Imperial Centre for Arts and Sciences
270 Gay Street
Rocky Mount, NC 27804

Regular hours of operation:
10am-5pm Tuesday – Saturday,
1pm-5pm Sunday
Admission: Free

Update on Dorothy McGuinness Exhibition

2010-06-05T08:27:00.005-04:00

Update on Dorothy McGuinness Exhibition, Baskets: More than Function

Dorothy will be giving a walk through of her exhibition at 3 pm, Sunday (tomorrow.) This is during the artist reception. Please plan to come, it should be wonderful!

See you there!
pamela

Rocky Mount Arts Center
Imperial Centre for Arts and Sciences
270 Gay Street
Rocky Mount, NC 27804

Community Reception
Sunday, June 6, 2010 2-4pm
Come and meet Dorothy!

Regular hours of operation:
10am-5pm Tuesday – Saturday,
1pm-5pm Sunday
Admission: Free

Exchange Basket Received: Pamela Caskey to Leigh Adams

2010-06-03T19:51:00.005-04:00

This great basket was made by Pam Caskey and received by Leigh Adams. Here's what Leigh had to say about it:

Pamela sent me a luscious smelling basket that is a veritable wonderland of dancing stitches, jubilant color and joyful design. Centered on a lovely agate are ripples of closed coil and natural pineneedles flowing upward into lace captured walnut slices and glowing with radiant color! The stitching is firm and well spaced, creating a firm and sturdy basket. The sides move upwards with different colors of waxed nylon in a feather stitch and with
additional closed coils of pine. The uppermost section of the basket is created with fragrant sweet grass and a very clever use of walnut slices as handles integrated into the basket. The overall piece is pleasing and colorful and will be a most lovely addition to my collection.

Thank you Pam Caskey!

Another great basket! What a wonderful exchange we are having!

Fiber Celebration 2010

2010-06-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

Fiber Celebration 2010
Sponsored by the Northern Colorado Weavers Guild (36th Annual Juried Exhibition)

When: June 4 through July 11, 2010
Where: Tointon Gallery for the Visual Arts, Union Colony Civic Center
651 10th Avenue
Greeley, CO 80631
Opening Reception: June 4, 2010, awards 5-7 pm

I am honored to have been included in this show. My piece is "Catching the Deep Purple Moon."

Exchange Basket Received: Sue Cowell to Earl Eyre!

2010-06-02T15:39:00.006-04:00

Well, we have been waiting for this one awhile. Earl is traveling cross country in his RV, and has a unique mail forwarding system...so he FINALLY received his basket. Poor Sue has been anxiously awaiting this moment! It was worth the wait!

Earl says:

"I just got the most beautiful basket from Sue Cowell. When you view the picture you will see how it is made asymmetrical by leaning more and more to one side as it goes up. The pine needles are dyed red and coiled with artificial sinew (I presume--that's what it looks like). She has used very thin pieces of sinew and then pierced and split it with every stitch. It would take a lot of patience to split that fine of pieces. She has also left the caps on the needles so they are exposed on the outside. It is beautiful and will sit proudly on the table in our RV. Space is at a premium so not many things get displayed and that will be one of the few."

Nice job, Sue! Lovely basket.

If you are interested in seeing ALL the exchange baskets, next to each other, remember to check the Pine Needle Group Photos for the Asymmetrical Exchange Folder. You do have to be a member of the Yahoo email Group to access this folder. At the end of the exchange, we will vote for our favorite basket, and the winner will get a prize!

Exchange Received: Karyl Jo Hartsog to Lynn Hoyt

2010-05-28T12:39:00.004-04:00

Well, this latest basket i happened to witness it's unveiling...but i will let Lynn Hoyt tell it...she received the basket from Karyl Jo (KJ) Hartsog...

the work that went into this piece is amazing! The piece
is beautiful and interesting at every angle, including the interior and bottom. I love it!

KJ used little coiled starts throughout the basket to enable theshaping- 19 in all! The pine needles are naturally light brown with very dark caps in areas around the buttons, adding lots of texture and contrast. There is KJ's trademark of contrasting crescent moon pine needles woven into the bottom interior. The shape is amazing, undulating here and jutting out there -- KJ said in her note it reminded her of a shoe. Pamela kept saying "she has really pushed the envelope!" To me it's a coiled sculpture that should be exhibited in a show. Lucky me!!
This will certainly be a treasured showpiece in my collection! Thank you, thank you, KJ!

Yes, another lovely lovely exchange basket...I have to tell you, i knew what this basket was going to look like because i had received the photos in advance, and i STILL was a little blown away...what a piece!

"TRADITION AND INNOVATION IN BASKETRY TODAY"

2010-05-28T09:23:00.003-04:00

"TRADITION AND INNOVATION IN BASKETRY TODAY"

A Special Exhibition from the Permanent Collection of the National Basketry Organization and Selected Basket Makers from North Carolina

June 5 – July 23, 2010

John C. Campbell Folk School
Dining Hall, Brasstown NC

8:15 AM – 7:00 PM

Opening Reception: Saturday, June 5th from 2PM – 5PM

Free and open to the Public

For more information call: 828-837-1280

This project received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources, and the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.”

Also Sponsored by The National Basketry Organization

Exchange Basket Receive: Ruth Anne Danger to Sue Cowell

2010-05-27T15:59:00.001-04:00

This lovely basket was sent to Sue Cowell from Ruth Anne Danger

Sue says:
I guess I'm the first to get my exchange basket, and boy, has the bar been set high. My basket was made by Ruth Anne Danger. It's an earthy delight of pine needles, sweet grass, beads, and a ceramic start made by our fearless leader, Pamela. The coils are natural light green and dyed soft brown, with intermittent large, dull orange, beads, coiled around a start that says "The Pine Needle Group". While the upper part of the basket is free-form coiling, it is still incredibly solid, even without any help from sprays or wax. The basket is sewn with dark brown sinew, which empathsizes Ruth Anne's beautiful stitching. Thank you so much, Ruth Anne.

Lovely basket, Ruth Anne! So glad you are happy, Sue! What a great way to kick off our exchange!

pamela

Exchange Basket Received: Earl Eyre to Nancy DeVries

2010-05-27T10:00:00.007-04:00

Another exchange basket received! This is actually the second basket received, but we are experiencing a few difficulties, so you will get to see this one first! From Earl Eyre to Nancy DeVries...

Nancy writes:

My basket is wonderful.

Yes, it is asymetrical, but it is so much more than that. It has a wonderful flow to it and it is made from several different materials gathered by our very own Traveling Man, Earl Eyes.

The base is a sea shell cut with a scroll saw and made out of myrtlewood. Earl's home state of Oregon is one of the few places where this grows. There are two additional scroll cut shells in the body of the basket which is coiled from sweetgrass (bought from a vendor in Charleston, SC) and pine needles (gathered in GA.)

It is a beautiful basket and I am so very happy with it. Thank you, Earl.

VMRC Seventh Annual Juried Art Exhibition

2010-05-27T08:00:00.002-04:00

What: 7th Annual Juried Art Exhibition
Where: park Gables Gallery,
1491 Virginia Avenue
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
Contact: 540-564-3400
www.vmrc.org

Dates: May 28 - June 30, 2010
Times: 10 am - 7 pm weekdays, 1-4 pm Saturday and Sunday
Awards Reception: Sunday, June 6, 2-4 pm

I am honored to once again participate in this great show. My piece is called "Nama Krigare Offer," one of my Nama series. The Nama is a linguistic term, which stands for the essence of a word. "Krigare Offer" means "Warrior's Sacrifice" in Norwegian. I would love to visit the exhibition this year, and though i know i will not be at the artist's reception, i do home to be able to see the exhibition sometime during it's run.
pamela

“3 Take On Texture:” Artwork by Yuko Takushige Jordan, Teri Odell and Lynda Smith Touart

2010-05-24T12:56:00.010-04:00

Basketmaker Teri Odell
is featured in an exhibition
at the
University of South Alabama Library.

Exhibit Title: “3 Take On Texture:” Artwork by Yuko Takushige Jordan, Teri Odell and Lynda Smith Touart

When: Through June 30
Where: 3rd floor gallery of the University of South Alabama Library on the USA campus in west Mobile
Admission: Free and open to the public during library hours.
Info: www.southalabama.edu/univlib/info/hours.html
Note: Ceramics, baskets, trays, bowls and gourds illustrating the art of pine-needle coiling; and ink, acrylic or colored pencil on paper.
Read more about it in the Mobil Press-Register

SNEAK PEEK of this exhibition here in the official Pine Needle Group Blog!

Thanks to Teri for sharing these images of some baskets in the exhibition!

The first photo is of "Blue Bayou," (at top) and Teri made the ceramic center as well as coiled the piece. She says, "With that one I experimented with changing direction as I was stitching. I thought the result was pretty interesting. The photo doesn't do it justice, but maybe you get the idea."

For "Chinese Bowl," (right) again, Teri made the ceramic piece on which she based the coiling. The third photo (below, left) is of "Tri Colored Tray."

Lovely pieces, thanks so much for the sneak peek, Teri! I wish i was close enough to attend!

Volunteer Opportunity for Basketmakers: Help Patrick Dougherty Weave An Installation

2010-05-22T09:13:00.009-04:00

You may remember Patrick Dougherty wove an installation at the NC Museum of Art several years ago, here are some photos of my visit there. It was fabulous!

Here is a chance to help him weave another.

Patrick's website is http://www.stickwork.net/news.php

Come and be a part of Bascom history in the making! World-renowned artist Patrick Dougherty is building a monumental outdoor site-specific sculpture at The Bascom beginning June 2, and he is graciously welcoming volunteers interested in assisting him with his installation using small tree saplings.

*Work days are June 2-18 (or until installation is completed).
*There will be two shifts per day: 9-12 and 1-4. Multiple time slots are
available.
*Volunteers will be working with the saplings, as well as assisting Patrick in the actual installation.
*All volunteers should wear heavy-duty gloves (standard garden gloves are not recommended) and wear heavy-duty shoes or boots
*The Bascom will provide bottled water for volunteers.

Volunteer time slots are limited, so sign up now to participate. But, all are welcome to visit the campus during the installation to watch the artist create
his environmental installation!

To be a Dougherty installation volunteer, email your schedule preference to Jim
Newton, exhibition coordinator, at jnewton@thebascom.org or call 828.787.2879.

If you are near enough to participate in this, i envy you!

The Bascom :: A Center for the Visual Arts
Highlands, NC

If you help, please let us know how it was, so exciting!

pamela