 |
Categories |
 |
|
|
|
 |
Quick Find |
|
|
|
Information |
|
|
|
| FAQ |
 |
|
|
- How did you get started with Pine Needle Basketry?
- How did you learn to make Pine needle Baskets?
- How long does it take to make a Basket?
- Where do you get your designs?
- When and where do you get the Pine Needles?
What colors, in particular, are you looking for?
- How do you get and keep the different Pine Needle colors?
- What other uses do your baskets have besides decorative "dust collectors"?
- One-of-a-Kind?
- Could you make a basket, if I asked for certain colors?
- How do you dye Raffia with Kool-aid & Food Coloring?
- What care is needed for these products?
- How are Green and Yellow Pine Needles dried?
- What tools do you use for making Baskets?
- How do you clean Pine Needles?
- What makes your Craft portable?
- What do you mean, when you say the Leather & Wood centers are sealed in the Baskets?
- Do you use anything on the finshed Basket?
- Can you teach me how to make Pine Needle Baskets?
- What other *materials* can be used to coil Baskets?
- Do you have any Special projects in mind for the future?
- How did you get started with Pine Needle Basketry?
I started out wanting to make Split Reed Baskets, (Easter basket styles). It takes 6 foot lengths of weaver reeds, soaked in a large container of water, like a tub, in order to become pliable for weaving. We did alot of camping with the American Hiking Society, usually in the winter months; there are NO TUBS IN TENTS! I had found a small paragraph on Pine Needle Basketry listed as another type of basket making, in another book. It sounded interesting and PORTABLE.
[Back To Top]
- How did you learn to make Pine needle Baskets?
Judy Mallow's book, " Pine Needle Basketry: From the Forrest Floor to the Finished Project" was the only book I could find at the time. Her book taught me the simple basic steps and my ideas took me down a different path than her style. I like making "workable" baskets - pleasing to the eyes and yet functional.
[Back To Top]
- How long does it take to make a Basket?
Depending on the size or the intricacy of the stitching design, anywhere from 2 days to 3 months. That being said, you must realize I can not work on Baskets 8 hours every day. Most times I "LISTEN" to CSI reruns and the History Channel at night. I average about 3-4 hours per day, if I'm lucky.
I don't count the number of hours or days I put into making a Basket or a Wall Art, that is not important. What IS important to me is the RESULTS!
[Back To Top]
- Where do you get your designs?
After learning the basic stitching methods from Ms. Mallow's book, I began trying different combinations and also found out "mistakes" make INTERESTING NEW DESIGNS, which leads to NEW IDEAS. Recently I have been looking into other types of Basketry, related to Native American designs for more inspiration. People I meet at the Craft Fairs & Pow Wows have told me most of my basket designs had either a Mexican or Native American "feel" to them, even when I first started making them.
[Back To Top]
- When and where do you get the Pine Needles?
What colors, in particular, are you looking for?
I collect all the pine needles around my yard and neighborhood. I get a nice mixture of sizes with all the different pine trees, from 8-10" being the shortest, to the Long Leaf Pines which are 15-21" long. I collect pine needles ALL YEAR ROUND, although some books suggest collecting them only in the Fall, in the more northern states. After a good thunderstorm is a great time to collect newly fallen "Green" needles knocked down with the wind and rain.
One of the nicer things about collecting Pine Needles in the winter months is that ALL THE SNAKES ARE SLEEPING (HIBERNATION) and the Mosquitos are gone!! I still must remember to watch out for Spiders and Webs. I get so caught up in LOOKING DOWN for Green and Yellow pine needles, I don't LOOK UP enough and will run Face First into a web. UGH! I hate that and the possible 8 legged hitch-hiker that might come with the web! I don't like to wear hats, but it is a GOOD IDEA to wear one and a Bug Net over the hat, that covers the head and shoulders.
I am looking for different colors, ones that stand out from the rest. IF most of the pine needles on the ground are a dark brown, then greens, yellows, golds, reds all STAND OUT. I still pick up a lot of the darkest colors, they ARE THE BASIC COLORS of the Baskets and this dark color will make the lighter colored needles POP OUT in the Basket. I don't always have to go into the woods to look for Pine Needles, they will FALL straight down, but they will FLY out onto roads and yards with strong winds. It is nice to be able to stand up and collect pine needles off of lower tree limbs & shrubs for a change. Be careful because needles hanging from limbs or on shrubs will dry out faster than those on the ground, look for the sheen/shiny new ones opposed to the dull/dead ones. There are NO PERFECT PINE NEEDLES, some are straight, curly, curved, in some clusters all the needles are OK, another cluster will have one needle dying, or the tips of all the needles are brittle, sometimes I only find one needle alone. All Pine Needles will straighten back out when washed, bundled and laid flat to dry. I pull off dead needles in a cluster, break off the dead/brittle ends of needles & keep the rest and I do collect single needles, usually only in Greens and Yellows. Greens are the hardest to find in a yard/lawn in the summer months when our grass is also green. I usually find them if I am sitting on my rolling garden cart tending the flower beds.
My FIRST YEAR I followed the book's instructions on only collecting Pine Needles on the top layer, ignoring those underneath. Now I have found out that those underneath may still be flexible, are darker, almost black in color, the Greens/Yellows have dried naturally, and in a lot of the clusters the needles are still straight. Picking only the longest needles leads to a WASTE when trying to end a coil and having to cut them back. I guess that is why I collect needles by COLOR rather than just LENGTH. I can TELL THE SIZE of the cluster by the CAP when pulling them from the towel & filling my gauge. By this method I can pull out only the smaller caps when I am tapering off the coil at the end.
[Back To Top]
- How do you get and keep the different Pine Needle colors?
Sunlight turns Green needles to yellow, then to brown once they are on the ground. By collecting needles in shady areas with limited sun light, I can almost always get the lighter colors still intact. Storing the Green and Yellow pine needles in a shoebox while out collecting will preserve their colors. When collecting the brown pine needles, I look for ones that still have a sheen or shiny surface and are still flexible, even dry, on the ground.
At home, I must still keep the green & yellow pine needles away from windows and sunlight if I want to keep the natural colors. In a shaded area of the house, or after dark, all the pine needles are washed, dried, wrapped, dated and stored for future use. **SEE- FAQ #12 FOR MORE DETAILS ON THIS**
[Back To Top]
- What other uses do your baskets have besides decorative "dust collectors"?
An unusual gift, for men's pocket change, women's watch & rings, potpourri, loose shells, pretty rock collections, mail basket, dried flower arrangement, thread spools, wax fruit center piece, a holder for packaged sweetners, odds & ends, etc. The Mini-Baskets, being small, can be used in a home office or at work: for paperclips, stamps, small post-it notes, file tags, etc. For the larger baskets and using a napkin liner, they could be for bread, biscuits, rolls, chips, taco shells, hard candy, any dry foods. Also the larger Baskets can be a center piece with Seasonal decorations.
ALL THE BASKETS CAN BE HUNG AS A WALL DECORATIONS.
As another TEST BASKET, I have a 6" *BAD IDEA* BASKET here at home. It has held, at one time or another, my extra Leather Thimbles, Sinew Travel spools, scissors, *Lost & Found* beads, small needle-nose pliers, extra rubber needle pullers(Dritz), paperclips, puppy treats, etc. It has been dropped a number of times, by accident, fully loaded with things, rolled/skidded across the rug by one or more puppys (who thought I dropped it FOR THEM), had catalogs piled on top of it, all normal stuff. Short of letting the pups really get their teeth into it. drop kicking it or bouncing it off a wall, I must say it has held up rather well for the past 5 years.
The Baskets are ALL unique and One-of-a-Kind!
[Back To Top]
- One-of-a-Kind?
Yes-------------------No duplicates are possible, sorry. I have tried it, it doesn't work. In the Gallery, go see "Raffia Blue Coil Center" and "Raffia Pink Coil Center" - I tried to make them TWINS, except for alternating the colors, it was a complete Failure!
[Back To Top]
- Could you make a basket, if I asked for certain colors?
Could I do it? Yes, but you have to let me have free-reign on the design, shape, size, etc. However, I am NOT able to do special orders at this time.
[Back To Top]
- How do you dye Raffia with Kool-aid & Food Coloring?
You need to work in a stainless steel sink or on a prepared surface. To prepare a surface to prevent staining, lay down sheets of wax paper/press 'n seal over the entire area: cover this with news papers, at least 4-6 pages depth. Next the supplies: RUBBER GLOVES (most important), 1 package of Raffia, quart glass jars (pickle jars works), Kool-Aid (store brands work) packs, any or all flavors/colors, 1 box of Food Coloring (basic colors), 1-2 plastic spoons(stirring), paper towels (spillage), lots of old news papers, 4-6 wire clothes hangers, a rod or rope and space to let the Raffia drip dry. The Method for one(1) color- PUT ON RUBBER GLOVES! Fill quart jar 1/2 full of cold tap water, dump in 1 entire pack of Kool-Aid, stir with plastic spoon, RAFFIA - pull out 5-10 strands, wind around your hand into a loose circle, put into jar. Use the spoon to poke all the strands into the jar, they will float until they get saturated with the liquid. Put the lid back on jar, TIGHT, now shake from end to end (bartender making a Martini), set jar down, take & leave off lid, stir or poke strands back under liquid. Come back in 30-45 minutes to check on color. The longer the Raffia stays in, the deeper the color on the First Batch. The 2nd & 3rd batches using this liquid (without adding more color) will get lighter each time. Ready? GLOVES ON, work strands to top of jar with spoon, grab, squeeze excess liquid back into the jar. NO RINSING! Drape strands loosely on a wire clothes hanger, hook hanger on rod or rope over old news papers, let drip dry. The liquid in the jar will go "COLORLESS" when all the dye has been absorbed. To keep the color at 1st Batch level longer, add 2 packs Kool-Aid in the beginning or keep it at a lighter colors, add drops of Food coloring. EXPERIMENT. Neon Food Coloring is interesting by itself or added to Kool-Aid. Make your own multi-colored Raffia and use for door wreaths, inside wall decor, Easter baskets, Mardi Gras decor, Valentine's Day or for any other Season!
[Back To Top]
- What care is needed for these products?
Care and Maintenance of Baskets and Wall Art is really very simple, NO WATER, PLEASE!! Baskets and Wall Art CAN NOT be sprayed, sprinkled, rinsed or submerged in water!
If dusty, use canned air to blow off dust. A Swiffer Duster or a static type duster can be used, WITHOUT oils or sprays. A gentle wipe down with a DRY cloth. is also good. In the case of Bread Baskets, a light SLAP on the outside bottom will dislodge any crumbs. * Laying a towel or napkin inside the Basket before serving bread, biscuits, etc. will help prolong the Basket's life.*
[Back To Top]
- How are Green and Yellow Pine Needles dried?
Green & Yellow Pine needles need to be dried in a box with a lid or in a shaded area of the house away from windows and natural light. It takes an approximate 12 weeks for Green & Yellow Pine Needles to dry out and to retain their natural green and/or yellow color. Yellow needles are in the 1st stage of turning brown and you can stop at this color by treating them the same as Greens.
Mixed bundles (browns, greens & yellows) are wrapped, dated and stored in a box, laying flat. I use the bundles from the bottom or earliest dates, piling the newer bundles on top, this system works for me. There are usually 3-6 months for the latest green & yellow Pine Needles to completely dry out before I use that bundle.
A bundle is how many needles I can grab with one hand before wrapping them, anything larger is harder to keep evenly damp and the needles will ROT if kept wet for extended periods of time. I have hand picked EACH of these Pine Needles, I don't want to waste them! ** Some books suggest keeping the pine needles in the freezer during long periods of not using them. Honest, I have never tried this method. I am afraid it would be *out of sight, out of mind* for me. I discuss my way of extending the life of useable needles in FAQ #15**
[Back To Top]
- What tools do you use for making Baskets?
PLASTIC STRAWS, ALLIGATOR CLIPS, FOLDABLE SCISSORS, SHARPS and LEATHER QUILTER'S THIMBLE..(1)-I collect PLASTIC DRINKING STRAWS from everywhere and no two seem to be the same size. I use the straws, cut into smaller sections, as my gauges for the size of the Pine needle coils. I start with the smallest straws for the beginning/center coils and graduate to larger sizes from there. (2)-Some books suggest using clothes pins for holding coils, I have found that the little MOTOR ALLIGATOR CLIPS work better for me, with no damage to the needles. (3) Two small pairs of 3" or 5" FOLD-UP SCISSORS, one pair for traveling in my plastic container and one pair for home. (4)-SHARPS, Needles with large thread holes and sharp points are the best. Dull point needles will damage the pine needles and leave holes in the tightly packed coils.
(5) LEATHER QUILTER'S THIMBLE, this item is a blessing when you first start out and don't have a callus built up on the end of the finger, that you use to push the needle (I used 3 band aides, on top of each other, to pad my sore finger tip when I started). I wear it backwards, the flexible strap is on the inside bend of my finger (2nd knuckle) and the finger tip is still covered with the thick leather. There are times when I smooth down the callus with a emery board because it bothers me, then the skin becomes too thin to prevent the needle from poking a sore spot, so I go back using the Leather Thimble. I keep 2-3 of these thimbles on hand, one in my container at all times, 2 more close by in the house. My hands tend to dry out and then scale around the nails of my right hand from the constant contact with wet pine needles. I have to be real careful about using hand creams and working on Baskets.....it is very easy to transfer the oils onto the pine needles......A BIG NO-NO!
I have found that the Goat's Milk Hand & Body lotion, sold at Cracker Barrel Restaurants to be the best in softening and the least in leaving an oily residue on my hands. A little dab of the this stuff goes a long way and is absorbed into the skin instantly. However, if I must use the lotion BEFORE working on the Baskets, I try to do it 30-60 minutes ahead of time. I wash my hands with a liquid hand soap just before I handle the Baskets. It has now become a habit to use the lotion AFTER I have finished working the Baskets for the night. One other item, the books mention, I have one but I don't use it. It is called a Pine Needle De-Capper, usually made out of wood with small notches. The caps can be removed from ALL the Pine Needles BEFORE you use them, or remove the caps individually as you work the Basket(as I do), but this means stopping, get the De-capper, use it, lay it down, go back coiling, stop again when the gauge needs to be refilled or added to, it was just too many steps for me. My left thumb nail works fine for me, most caps come off very easy when damp, they just slide right off.
[Back To Top]
- How do you clean Pine Needles?
I have found the following methods work best for me: After collecting the Pine Needles, I keep them in a loosely covered container on the shady side of the porch for about a week, this gives all the BUGS a chance to leave and the drying out has already started for the Greens & Yellows.
The day this container comes into the house, the needles are all washed in COOL water, just enough water to cover the needles, with about 2 GLUBS of white vinegar. I know this is NOT AN ACCURATE MEASURE, so about 1/4 -1/2 cup of vinegar goes into the water, swish the water around so the vinegar is mixed in well. *Bleach will DESTROY the needles inside and out!* Let the Pine Needles soak for approximately 30-45 minutes, any dirt, lingering bugs, dried pine sap and if you have pets running the yard (like I do) any puppy donations, will loosen from the Pine Needles. Swish the water & needles around, gently, for a minute or so, drain this water out. Refill sink with more COOL water and swish again, this will rinse off the vinegar and bring out any more bugs, dirt, puppy donations and sap still lingering. If needed, repeat again.
**One really good suggestion, when collecting the Pine Needles try to keep ALL THE CAPS FACING THE SAME DIRECTION in your collection container, this becomes a real big plus.**
OK, now the needles are clean and sink is drained. Take 2-3 SECTIONS of a newspaper, folded, lay in one corner of the sink. Lay 2-3 PAGES of newpaper on the counter, lay all the clean wet Pine Needles at one end of the paper and loosely roll up the paper. I have a sink in my laundry room, so I can stand the Pine Needles upright ON THE CAPS in one corner of the sink and let them drip dry on the newspaper over night. The newspaper also gives the caps a non-skid surface to stay propped in this position. To make sure they are completely dry let them stay this way, for at least over night. When I am ready to "bundle" them, I lay the whole roll of newspaper on the counter, open it up, spread the needles, making sure they are ALL DRY. If NOT ALL DRY, separate the wet/damp needles from the rest, lay flat on 2-3 pages of dry newspaper, cover with the same amount of newspaper, wait until the next day to bundle these.
I use Press & Seal for my bundle wrap because it sticks to itself, no rubber bands (leaves indents on needles) or tape needed and I can write the month/year needles were collected on the wrap with a Magic Marker. It takes 2 sheets to completely wrap the Pine Needles from caps to ends, completely enclosed.
[Back To Top]
- What makes your Craft portable?
(1) A plastic container (approx. 13"L x 7 1/4"W x 4 1/2" D...a 2 or 3 quart, I think) with a lid. (2) An outer bag of heavy plastic for the container to travel in, with a zip-lock or sealable some way, it keeps the moisture inside, prevents leakage incase container gets opened. A small gym bag works good too. (3) Dried needles wrapped in a damp (not sopping wet) small towel (I use micro-fiber cloth), which is then wrapped inside 2 plastic bags (Wal-mart bags). (4) One bag of natural Raffia. (5) Small spools or cards of Sinew in all colors. (6) Scissors, extra pack of Sharp needles, 8-10 alligator clips, small baggie of different sized plastic straw pieces, small baggie of assorted wood, glass, bone beads, a couple of snack size bags to hold left over Sinew lengths and a Leather quilter's thimble. (7) 1 or 2 extra dried bundles of Pine Needles. ALL except the bag of Raffia & extra bundles of dried Pine Needles, fit inside the container itself. The Raffia & dried Pine Needles fit inside the heavy plastic bag with the container. All of this goes with me to Craft Shows, Pow Wows, visiting friends out of state, and camping. I can start new Baskets, work on small Baskets that fit inside the container and just make a number of different "starts" (the centers/beginnings of all Baskets).
When I am home, I soak a bundle of dried Pine Needles in warm water for 10-15 minutes. The Pine Needles are still in the Press & Seal wrap, but I open the top & bottom of the wrap to let the water get inside. Unwrap my micro-towel(bar rag/bandana size-no bigger), throw away any Pine Needles that are still inside the towel, that have become too soft or falling apart. **Once in awhile a number of the needles have gotten *lost* in the bottom of the towel and were not used; let the whole bunch of them air dry, then sort out any that dry a greyish color, trash them, only keep any that stay brown & are still flexible. I usually slide these needles into the newly soaked needles in the bundles without re-wetting, they will pick moisture from the other needles.** If the towel has dried out completely, lay aside those needles, re-wet and wring out as much water as possible from the towel (it should be damp, not wet...the needles carry enough moisture by themselves), replace the loose needles inside and strip off the Press & Seal from the new needles. Mix the older & newer needles together, roll them all up snug in the towel, wrap the 2 plastic bags around the towel and lay the whole thing back inside the plastic container. The open end of the bags and towel, should have ALL the Pine Needle Caps facing upwards. Fold the plastic bag top over the Pine Needle Caps when not in use, to keep the moisture inside. It is not unusual for the top of the towel to dry out and the rest of it to stay damp inside the bags. ** Pine Needles will stay in good condition for a couple of weeks in this manner, as long as the towel is DAMP and NOT REAL WET.**
When I am at a Craft Show or Pow Wow the container sits in my lap, everything is right there for me to keep working on a Basket and for "show and tell".
If soaking Pine Needles is not an option, I can open one end of a new bundle, pour some of my drinking water inside the bundle, tip it back & forth for a minute. Then let the water out, seal up the open end and insert this bundle (as is) inside the towel still wrapped. By the time I completely run out of the older needles, the new ones are wet/flexible enough for me to use. I can pull them from the wrapped bundle as is or if time permits, remove them from the wrappings and into the towel itself. ** What ever you use for a towel, it will NEVER BE CLEAN &/OR PRETTY AGAIN. It will be stained by the natual oils in the needles, which in turn will coat the towel fibers making them scratchy to the touch. Be sure you pick a small towel/bar rag/ micro-cloth, you won't miss. Eventually this "towel" will fall apart, being constantly damp, throw it away and get another one.** I started out using half of an old thin terry towel, it was very bulky and took up a lot of space in my container. I *borrowed* one of my husbands terry clothed bar/work rags, this worked better, less bulk. When I found the Micro-fiber cloths in janitorial supplies (Lowes), these were ideal, they hold moisture without being real wet. I use the rest of the 12 pack around the house for cleaning and are great for dish cloths, they leave no streaks on shiny surfaces, but seem to absorb dirt. They are fabulous on floors, I have the Swiffer mop, but I use the micro-fiber cloths instead of the Swiffer pads. Dip it into the floor cleaning solution, wring out excess, throw it on the floor, push it around with the mop, rinse in clean water, wring out again, throw it back on the floor, push with mop, leaves no residue solution, shines the floor. The floors are really *squeeky* clean and the cloths are re-usable.
By keeping the "starts" of Baskets or small Baskets inside the container along with everything else, the moisture from the towel will help prevent the Pine Needles in the Baskets from drying out too soon, if I can't work on them again right away. I got in the habit of storing my FOLD UP SCISSORS inside one of the baggies, after the first pair started to rust from all the moisture. The SHARPS needles don't seen to have this problem, ever. I try to NEVER let the container sit with the lid off for any extended periods of time, while at a Craft Show or Pow Wow. Now at home is a different matter, water is always available, it easy to re-wet the towel, the Baskets get too big to fit in the container with the lid on and I am using Sinew from large spools instead of small cards. I can stash Baskets (being worked on) in gallon size zip lock bags overnight, to slow the drying process of the needles. I am kicked back in my recliner, the TV is on, everything is spread out around me, in my MESSY craft room.
However, my container is still in use HERE and all I need to do is grab it, the Raffia bag and extra Pine Needles bundles, slip them ALL inside the travel bag and we are off.......on a trip, camping, Craft Show or Pow Wow.
[Back To Top]
- What do you mean, when you say the Leather & Wood centers are sealed in the Baskets?
I sometimes pre-treat the Leather with Mink Oil, which is for water resistance, but will also seal the Leather pores and turn the Leather a deeper color. Stamping and painting the Leather centers must be done WITHOUT the Mink Oil. I can still seal the Leather with a polyurethane varnish, "that forms a tough, flexible, clear and colorless finish...durable, non-toxic and non-yellowing". For the Luan Wood centers I use a polyurethane spray in the matte finish.
I use Acrylic Paints on the Leather centers and Food Coloring on the Wood Centers.
[Back To Top]
- Do you use anything on the finshed Basket?
Yes, Krylon Workable Fixatif Spray, it is acid-free/archival-safe, the two most important things for a finished Basket. It is used as a finishing product on many different mediums for protection and prevention. This product helps extend the life of the Basket and helps protect the Pine Needles and Natural Raffia against the possibility of absorbing hand creams, lotions, moisture and other things which would cause the needles to rot and/or fall apart and the Raffia to become stained. Not to say that a Bread Basket made with Raffia will not ever stain, it will over time and repeated use. Then the stains become part of the *character* of the Bread Basket, showing how well used it is.
I made a Bread Basket for my husband, at his request: "Not so fancy and will hold at least a dozen bisquits." I used all Natural Raffia, with a little(very little) Sinew thrown in for color and left the Luan Wood plain. I sealed the wood bottom and sprayed on the Workable Fixatiff, 2 coats as usual. That was almost 3 years ago now, it is used almost every night and has just now begun to show some *character marks* (stains) on the Raffia.
THIS IS MY TEST SUBJECT FOR BREAD BASKETS.
[Back To Top]
- Can you teach me how to make Pine Needle Baskets?
YES AND NO, the reason I say it this way, is I can "SHOW" you how to get started, but you will "LEARN" on your own, as I did. I PREFER TO "SHOW" PEOPLE IN PERSON, there are so many little things I do out of habit, I don't remember to mention these things. Somebody sitting next to me would be there to see and have questions.
Now there are many books available to "learn" the basics and then explore your own ideas. What I am "showing" you on my web site are MY methods, hints, suggestions, problems, solutions, and the book I started with (FAQ #2), which I still use for reference.
[A] I can tell you that most books say you can dye the Pine Needles with RIT Household Dye and Yes, it is true. The Pine Needles will absorb the dye in beautiful colors, however RIT Dye is POISONOUS if ingested directly or through transfer. I opted NOT to DYE the Pine Needles, keep them in Nature's Natural colors and use colorful Sinew & Raffia instead. I make "WORKING BASKETS", I want them SAFE in all respects. So far there has been no warning labels put on FOOD COLORING AND KOOL-AID. Howver, that being said, if in the future I decide to make a Basket only as an Art piece, I may think about dying the needles in that manner. A number of books now suggest using natural products to dye the Pine needles, such as boiled onion skins (yellow), walnut husks (brown), certain flowers can make colors, vegtables (beets) produce different colors. I have not explored any of these methods.
I look through all kinds of books on different type of Baskets and then try to adapt them into my Baskets. I find that even if I try to copy exactly their descriptions/instructions, the results will be different because of the Pine Needles. Some of the older methods used by Native Americans, coiled root fibers, thin cane strips, reeds, stiff grasses, whatever was available. In these Baskets the coils were wrapped completely then a second wrapping was used to make the designs. I like to see the Pine Needles showing in the coils, the needles have a beauty of their own, the stitching becomes an accent to them.
I forgot to mention PINE NEEDLE CLUSTERS come with either 3 needles or 2 needles. The 3 needle cluster has a THICKER needle and the CAP is thicker & longer, ground colors are solid BROWN at the last stage. The 2 needle cluster has a THINNER needle and the CAP is small, the ground colors are more RED, REDDISH BROWN at the last stage. When limbs drop during a thunderstorm, the needles attached are mostly YOUNG GREENS, an extra BONUS. They are small/short Pine needles, still usable in Baskets, it just takes more of them to get a streak of Green to show.
[Back To Top]
- What other *materials* can be used to coil Baskets?
If you mean materials for the Basket itself, then aside from Pine Needles, thin cane strips, stiff grasses, coarse plant leaves, just to name a few.
If you mean other *thread* materials, the choices come in ROUND such as; waxed cord, waxed Irish linen, thin wire, nylon filament (fishing line), yarn, carpet heavy threads, some artificial Sinews, etc. For FLAT; rawhide/suede lacing, cow hide lacing, rag strips, ribbon, plastic lacing, plant leaf, Raffia, artificial Sinew, the list goes on and on.
Now I use Artificial Sinew, which is waxed polyester cotton (real Sinew from animals is NOT readily available) and Natural Raffia, which is the inner wood fibers from American Oak trees.
The main thing is I am working with damp Pine Needles, which are enlarged with water and will shrink as they dry out. The stitching must be SNUG enough to hold the needles and coils together, but NOT SO TIGHT that it cuts into the coils/needles and leaves dents and impressions in the coils later when the needles dry out. The stitching will become a little relaxed as the coils dry, but should not get floppy loose. This will happen as I found out, when I tried using materials that stretch, such as yarn and plastic lacing. But you don't know if you don't try different things.
Another thing is TRUE, there will be *BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS* making Pine Needle Baskets. BLOOD-I still stab myself with the needle on occasion, get stabbed with Pine Needle Tips in the hands & under the finger nails, more often than I like; SWEAT-I did that more in the Beginning, worrying over whether the Baskets would come together correctly and would the Baskets appeal to anyone; TEARS- *REFER BACK TO "BLOOD" - #!!#&!!#!! (cuss words) It really hurts to get a Pine needle tip wedged under a finger nail or stab myself with the Sharp more than once, on the same Basket, in the same hour!!
[Back To Top]
- Do you have any Special projects in mind for the future?
OH, YES! MANY! I try to let everyone know what I am working on in the *IN THE WORKS NOW*, they get to watch as the Baskets or Wall Art pieces develope.
In *NEW PROJECT IDEAS* it means I am looking into these ideas, I just haven't got all the details to mesh yet. The idea of a SPIDER is interesting, I just have not figured out a way to make the legs look realistic. I learned on the TURTLE WARRIOR how to coil from the opposite side, it is a little awkward at first, but it came out great. I have had more requests for OWLS and I would like to get some done for the May Pow Wow.
One person wanted to know if I could/would make a WALL BASKET, I am giving it some thought. It could hold artificial flowers or dried flowers, but NOT living plants, remember water & pine needles DO NOT GET ALONG.
I have the Marianna Arts Festival judging coming April 11 & 12, I have decided to enter the *MIXED MEDIA* First time with one of the KOKOPELLI, in the *SCULPTURE* will be the TURTLE WARRIOR this year and in *TEXTURE* another BASKET again.
[Back To Top]
|
|
 |
|
|
| 0 items |
|
|
|
|
Latest News |
|
|
|
Bestsellers |
|
|
|
|
|
