Displaying your basket collection (part one)

If you are like me you have a lot of baskets and face the challenge of how to display all of them. I have a small house and not a lot of room, but a lot of baskets so I try to utilize as much of my available space to the best use as possible. Fortunately small to miniature baskets don't take up a lot of space, but they can be challenging on their own to display.


I have found that flea market found shelves are a great solution. The can often be found for little money and usually without much work can be fixed up to look great. The little shelf here was already painted and only need a good dusting to be ready to hold some of the many strawberry baskets I have in my collection. This shelf is small, but easily holds 5 of my baskets.


This little shelf was a craft show find. It was unfinished, but I painted and distressed it to match the rest of the room. It displays my collection of miniature basket molds, Native American strawberry, pine cone and acorn baskets and other odds and ends.


This shelf was a garage sale find. All it took was a little sanding to distress the edges and it matched perfectly the rest of my furniture. It hangs in my study and holds a variety of Native American baskets.


I found this shelf at a neighbor's garage sale. I was running out of available wall space so hung this one in the stairwell going into my basement. It was wasted space that was prime for displaying some small baskets I have woven and collected, including a Stephen Zeh basket.


Another flea market find is this little corner shelf. It tucks in nicely in my bathroom in a space that would otherwise be completely wasted. It holds a nice twined Native American basket, two lidded coiled pine needle baskets and a small brown ash basket I wove myself.


This is probably my favorite display. Even though it is technically a "Christmas tree" I keep it up all year round in my basket weaving room. It is filled with small and miniature baskets I have collected, both contemporary and antique, along with a couple that I have woven myself. Most of the baskets are from Alice Ogden. She weaves a new ornament basket every year.