We had a wonderful four days of weaving with a great group of basketmakers. Over the first two days we worked on a trio of 4" versions of classic Shaker utility baskets, a carrier, a laundry basket and a woodchip. Miniature mattress ticking liners were available to be stitched inside the baskets. Liners like these would have kept the mess from the garden vegetables or chips of bark off the nice clean floors of the Shaker community homes. The woodchip basket also featured wooden skates lashed to the bottom of the basket that would have not kept the bottom up off of the snowy wet ground, but also would have allowed the laden basket to be dragged across the ice and snow.
The mini laundry basket featured equally mini ear handles that had to notched prior to inserting into the basket.
On the third day we started the Shaker quadrafoil medallion. This disk featured a saw-tooth rim that creates a decorative frame for the weaving.
As always it was great fun to have JoAnn teaching at the house. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us in 2016.
