Weaving in Pennsylvania and Maryland
I got home last night from teaching at two great guilds, the Central Pennsylvania Basketry Guild and Deer Creek Basket Guild in Maryland. We all had a great time!
First stop was Central Pennsylvania – where I taught four different baskets.
The Four Strand Braid Weave
Today I am releasing my new basket pattern, Twines and Braids.
This little basket is a technique basket, it has a fun beaded rim and it’s great for practicing the step up, (you will find my tutorial for step ups here) but the main point of this little basket is learning how to weave a four strand braid. So, in addition to releasing the basket pattern, I am going to post a woven four strand braid weaving tutorial. I will go through it step by step, like I did with my three strand braid weave tutorial, and at the end you will find a link to my YouTube video tutorial. Read more
Wolf River Basketry Guild’s Fall Retreat
And I am home from another great basket retreat … 
the Wolf River Basketry Guild hosted their annual Fall Retreat in Shawano, Wisconsin. Read more
Columbia Basin Basketry Guild’s 2016 Fall Retreat
I just got home from my trip to the Northwest and the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild’s Fall Retreat.
The event took place at Rockaway Beach, Oregon Read more
Painted Paper Trays
Last week, after I posted and got unpacked from teaching at the Heritage Weavers Fall Event, I realized I hadn’t released the pattern for Painted Paper Trays. Typically, after I begin teaching a new basket I release the pattern. This time I am a week late, but here it is, the pattern for the Painted Paper Trays.
Heritage Weavers’ 2016 Fall Event
The Heritage Weavers Fall Event takes place in Dayton, Ohio. This annual event started years ago as Mid Summer Weave; over the years, things changed and it moved to September and became a fall event. This year, the event moved to a brand new location, the Bergamo Center, and to the last weekend of August – just on the edge of the change of seasons.
The Bergamo Center provided great weaving rooms, as well as lodging and meals. The building is a large square with a tranquil central courtyard and the grounds are beautiful. I think the Heritage Weaver’s have found their retreat home!!
It was a great retreat – here’s a little photo journal of the weekend:
Twining around Corners
When you are twining the base of your basket, corners can be a little tricky. Sometimes the weaver lays perfectly and sometimes it sneaks under the stake, defeating the purpose of locking the base. Here’s how to have nice squared corners every time you twine a base.
We’ll start at the beginning… Read more
One Full Year of Blogging!!
Yup, I’m a little surprised myself! This is my 52nd post!
About eighteen months ago, I started thinking about writing a basket blog. So I started researching and asking questions. Of course that just raised more questions, but I was getting more and more interested. So I made a list of what would need to happen – I almost stopped there! Read more
Weave the World!
August 4-7, 2016 the Missouri Basketweavers Guild hosted their 25th convention, Weave the World, in St Louis, Missouri. Co-chairs Leanne Nielsen and Edeltraud Romvai had all kinds of fun planned for the weekend, from the teacher and vendor reception featuring an international smorgasbord to passports and basket bingo.
The Step Up
The step up is a round reed technique used when you come to the end of a 
twined row. It is most often used when triple twining (three-rod wale), but it can be utilized with any type of twining: regular (with two weavers), triple twining (with three weavers), four-rod wale (with four weavers) and even if you twine with more weavers. In most baskets a step up is optional. If a step up is not done, the twining section will spiral up the basket and will have a definite starting spot and a definite ending spot. If a step up is done, each row will be continuous, like a ring it will look like it has no start or stop. Read more
Summer Studio Notes
In the Studio
Usually July in Wisconsin is hot and muggy, so I spend my days in the studio. I like working in the studio and I have accomplished a lot. Pounds and pounds of cane and reed have been dyed beautiful colors. I even have it bundled and ready for basket kits! 
I love the dyeing part of kit prep; sometimes when I’m done for the day I will wander back down just to look at the color. Read more
The Bluegrass Area Basketmakers Seminar
Jabez, Kentucky – I heard a local describe it as ‘five miles past no where”. It may be that, but it is also a destination for over 100 basket weavers each June. Many attendees call it ‘basket camp’; we eat, weave and sleep – it’s pretty wonderful. I taught four classes, enjoyed seeing lots of friends and made new ones. Of course I took my camera and took lots of pictures. I didn’t capture the rocking chairs on the porch or the amazing sunsets, but I did get lots of class pictures and … Read more
Stowe Basket Fesitval
I just got home from ‘Celebrating 25 years of Weaving Friendships’ at the Stowe Basketry Festival. It was wonderful and worth every mile! Thank you Merry Vigneau, the staff at the Round Hearth, and all of you who came to teach classes or to take them. I’ll keep the words to a minimum and share a ‘few’ pictures:
The Round Hearth, where we ate and slept and visited. Read more
Dyeing Reed 101 – Part III
This post will wrap up my Dyeing Reed 101 series…
Today I am writing about the three types of dyes that work on reed and wood: direct, reactive and natural. Part I and II provided background for dyeing. If you haven’t read them you may find it helpful to start there. Dyeing Reed -Part I and Dyeing Reed Part II
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