Summer in the Studio
I have spent most of the last several weeks in the studio, avoiding our wet, cool summer and the mosquito filled woods. It’s fine with me, the studio is my happy place. I have been weaving, writing proposals and patterns, filling kit orders, working on a tutorial, finishing baskets, playing with paper and dyeing reed. Last week, I updated my Teaching Schedule, adding in the beginnings of my 2018 class schedule. So much to do and so many baskets to weave.
Here’s a peak at some of the new baskets I have been weaving and will be teaching soon:
Faded Dreams Read more
Weavin’ in Winona 2017
Winona, Minnesota is located in eastern Minnesota, sandwiched between the Mississippi River and the river bluffs. It is a beautiful city. Weavin’ in Winona happens in a window lined conference room on the Winona State University Campus. A picturesque location and a great facility – and those are just the first impressions of a wonderful basket weaving event!
Three days of beautiful baskets, weaving, laughing and hanging out together!
Weaving Baskets in Jabez, Kentucky
The Bluegrass Area Basketmakers Seminar, or ‘basket camp’ as many of the attendees call it, took place last week at the Cumberland Leadership Center in Jabez, Kentucky. For six days the place bustled with people weaving baskets, visiting and sometimes just sitting out on the porch in the rockers. It really is a place where we ‘eat, sleep and weave’ for a whole week. It was good.
Basketpalooza – Weaving Baskets in West Tennessee
We had such a wonderful time in Camden, Tennessee with the West Tennessee Basket Guild.
We set up shop, they picked out kits and we were off – Read more
I’m Still on the Planet
Yep, still here.
Four weeks ago we left to go on a family vacation, west to Montana and Alberta. It was a good trip …
Conference of Northern California Handweavers
I am just home from the west and another great event. Flying out I had a window seat and mostly clear skies… so beautiful.
Penny picked me up at the airport in Oakland and we drove down the coast to Pacific Grove and
Weavin’ Up North
Last week I went north to teach at Weavin’ Up North in Bemidji, Minnesota. When I left home, my woods looked like this:
a little green here and there.
six hours later I reached Lake Superior – cold, gray and SNOWING!
A few hours later I was in Bemidji. The clouds were clearing off when I stopped to get a picture of Paul Bunyan and Babe, his blue ox. Read more
A Week of Weaving
After I unpacked and reorganized after Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat, I spent a few days putting my class materials for Weavin’ Up North together, shipped my materials for the Conference of Northern California Handweavers and then I wove!
Ahhh, my hands were happy.
I needed to weave up some class samples- Read more
Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat 2017!
Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat 2017 – I’m home sorting through my carload of stuff and a camera full of pictures. For those of you who missed this event – I am sorry. Hopefully you can join us next year. For those of you who were able to attend – it was great fun wasn’t it!?
This event is always bustling with energy. People talking. People laughing. People weaving baskets. People teaching basketry. People shopping for basket supplies. I hope that the photo journal I am sharing with you today gives you a sense of the enthusiasm in the air. I was teaching so I couldn’t catch everything or everyone but I think you will enjoy the walk through.
Basket Bases
Yesterday, I was working on a set of baskets for my daughter. I love the base on these baskets and it got me to thinking about basket bases. So you know me, I got my camera and wondered around the studio taking pictures. I love the variety in basketry…
This is the set I made for Melody.
It’s a variation of one of my brand new baskets, T Tray. Read more
Weaving Mania
-the 2017 North Carolina Basketmakers Association Convention. Thanks to Katie Lake and all of her volunteers, we all had four wonderful days full of baskets, weaving and visiting. 
I was sad that the weather was NOT spring like, but it was wonderful to see old friends, meet a few new ones and see all the beautiful baskets being used, made and raffled as well as the amazing things in the exhibit room.
Look at all the basket kits
It is pretty amazing how much I can accomplish when I lock myself in the studio for two weeks. 
Kits packed and ready for the North Carolina Convention Read more
Back in the Dye Room
This week I am in the dye room. Last week it was hard to stay inside and cut kits with temperatures in the 70s,
so when it snowed over the weekend I thought I wouldn’t be tempted to head outside. However,
this morning the snow was gone. It was tough – but I stuck to it and headed to the studio. Read more
Mid Winter Get Away
Home from another retreat -the Crossroads Weavers Guild’s 24th Annual Mid Winter Get Away in Okemos, Michigan. I was a little apprehensive about going through Chicago, under Lake Michigan and across Michigan in February – but the weather was amazing. With temperatures in the 60s, it was more like spring!
And the event wonderful. Basket classes and mini classes of all kinds kept the weaving room buzzing from early til late. Meals were catered in and delicious. And the weekend provided lots of opportunities to visit with new friends and old. With everything under one roof, there was no reason to leave the hotel and conference center until the event was over. If you have never attended the Mid Winter Get Away, put it on your bucket list! Read more
Three Rod Arrow Tutorial
Finally – home and time to finish this basket weaving tutorial for the
Three Rod Arrow.
The three rod arrow looks nice in one color or in three colors. If you want your arrows to stack like in the sample below (a bargello pattern), you will need a number of spokes that is divisible by 3 (i.e. 18 spokes, 36 spokes, 48 spokes)
I love your Beaded Ring Basket. They make wonderful gifts. I am having trouible finding the 5/32″ black ash (FO) for rimming. Any suggestions on where I can go to find this?
Hmm that’s a good question. Try Red Valley Splint.
What is the name of the basket you have on your email post – the diagonal plaited basket with two handles??? Love it.
The basket is called ‘Zoe’ I am weaving it and writing the pattern right now 🙂
I finished the four strand braid basket with beads . A bit of a challenge to figure out, the video was great. Live the way the beads went in. A fun little basket.
Great!! Glad the video helped!
Beautiful baskets! Especially love the miniatures on the trees! Thanks for sharing.
I notice the comment about the 4 strand brad basket with beads. I am looking for a basket pattern that uses beads in the basket. What do you suggest? Thank you for the help.
Shirley, I have one basket that incorporates beading in the weave: Beaded Ring Basket
I also know that Susan Coyle has some beautiful basket patterns with beads. I am not sure if she has a web site, but you may be able to find her patterns on basketpatterns.com
I hope this is a good start for you.
Hi Annette,
I’m making your Twines and Braids pattern, and am in need of more beads for this basket. May I ask where you purchased
them, so I can order more?
Thank you!!!
Betty G