Eric Otter Bacon wins award

I just found out that Eric Otter Bacon (who I posted about previously) was awarded 2nd place at the juried 53rd Heard Museum Indian Fair & Market.

CLASSIFICATION VIII - BASKETS

Div A - Traditional
Second Place
Eric J. Otter Bacon (Passamaquoddy)
"Golden Eagle/Landlock Salmon Birch Basket"

Congratulations to Eric and all the other award winners.

Eric Otter Bacon

One of the newest additions to my basket collection. A beautiful acorn basket from Wabanaki (Passamaquoddy) artist Eric Otter Bacon.

2.75" dia. x 2.25" tall w/o handle

The basket is woven of finely prepared black ash, sweet grass and birch bark with a "stem" carved of moose antler.

2011 Eric Taylor Workshop

After many years of talking about it I am so happy to announce that Eric Taylor will be coming to St. Louis to teach 4 classes! Eric Taylor has been making traditional baskets and Shaker boxes since 1983 when he began an apprenticeship under Martha Wetherbee. His love for working with wood and the black ash trees inspired him to experiment further in the art which lead to creating his own contemporary designs that combined the elements of the Shaker and Nantucket baskets. Eric has taught the art of basketry, nationally, for twenty years.

The Cottage Collection

Like a Shaker basket, all of the Cottage Collection are woven with hand-pounded black ash splint over hand-pounded black ash uprights, but like a Nantucket basket feature solid wood bases and nailed rims. Woven over a mold the baskets feature finely shaped cherry handles, notched and secured to the rims.

Thursday,  May 19, 2011

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Cottage Carrier

10"(l) x 8"(w) x 9"(h)

Friday,  May 20, 2011

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

10th Anniversary Cottage Mail

11.5"(l) x 5.5"(w) x 6.5"(h)

Saturday,  May 21, 2011

9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Cottage Smalls Carrier 

3"(l) x 2.5"(w) x 3.5"(h)

Saturday,  May 21, 2011

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Sunday,  May 22, 2011

9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Cottage Tool Tote

17"(l) x 6.5"(w) x 9.5"(h)

Workshop Fees

Cottage Carrier	$165
10th Anniversary Cottage Mail	$135
Cottage Smalls Carrier	$105
Cottage Tool Tote	$260

Or register for all four classes for $630, a discount of $35 over taking each class individually. Class fees include all materials, handouts and use of mold, weaving stand and tools.

Contact: Tony Stubblefield
if you would like to receive registration information

John Wilson Shaker Box Making Workshop

Originally I was supposed to be on the fifth day of a workshop with Marilyn Moore at the John C. Campbell Folk School, but unfortunately the class was canceled due to low enrollment. Needless to say I was very disappointed as this was going to be something really outside of my comfort zone and I was looking forward to the challenge.

Well I decided since I already had the week of vacation approved I would go ahead and take it off and just get all the stuff, that didn't get done during the holidays, accomplished. (So far I am not getting much checked off my to-do list, but I still have a couple more days!) Initially I had tried to find and alternative class or workshop to take, but in January those are far and few between, plus I didn't have a lot of time to look with the holidays right around the corner.

I have always wanted to take a Shaker box making class with John Wilson at his home workshop in Michigan, but every time there has been a conflict with one of the four or so classes he teaches there a year. In one evening and a day you make a set of five cherry oval boxes. I thought I would give it a shot, but he didn't have his 2011 schedule up on his website yet. I thought about calling, but one thing lead to another and I never got it done.

Flash forward to the Thursday night before my week of vacation was to begin. I was getting home late from a video and photo shoot for a commercial and print ad and stopped to collect the mail. Amongst the couple of bills and grocery store sales was a envelope from John Wilson. I knew it would be a new catalog and updated class schedule. As I looked flipped to the schedule, what was the first date and class to appear? A beginner Shaker box making class starting on Friday at 6pm. YES, 6pm the next day, in Michigan! I had looked up the route to his shop before and knew it was easily a days drive. I did some quick map search on the internet and determined that it would be possible to make the class the next day if I left early in the morning. The problem was that I had to work the next day, plus I didn't even know if there was space in the class.

By this point it is 7:30  and my mind is racing. I form enough coherent thoughts to realize the first course of action was to determine if I could even get into the class before I figured out how I could take off work. So, I called John's workshop just on the off chance that someone might be there. Well a young boy answered the phone much to my surprise, I asked for John and after some yelling of, "Mom, some guy wants to talk to dad," I was informed that John was asleep. I got off the phone saying I would call back in the morning. Well I figured I might as well go to the next step and call my boss at home to see if I could take off. I was going to offer the option of coming in on Monday of my week off to finish up the stuff I was supposed to do the next day. My boss didn't answer so I had to leave a message.

About an hour later my boss called me back and had no idea what I was talking about as I am sure my message was a crazed jumble of information. The great boss that she is she agreed to let me have the day off if I would come in on Monday, but she also cautioned me to check the weather. Duh, I knew that we were maybe supposed to get a dusting here in St. Louis, but didn't really know what was happening in Michigan. We decided that since I couldn't even find out if I could get into the class until in the morning that I would either be at work in the morning or I would call from the road that I was on my way.

I ran around, laid out clothes and brought up my suitcase from the basement. I also checked weather.com and got mixed messages about bad weather around Lake Michigan and Charlotte, MI where the class was going to be held. I decided to pack warm clothes and good boots and outerwear and that I would simply ask John what the weather was like. I also did a search on hotels and found a cheap Super 8 a couple miles from class. I finally got myself settled enough to go to sleep since I was going to be getting up at the crack of dawn.

My normal routine is for the alarm to go off at 4:30 to go to the gym. I did my normal routine knowing that I would need to call at the same time as I had to be into work. Fortunately at some point in the morning I realize that Michigan is in the eastern time zone and that instead of having to wait until 8:30 to call I could call at 7:30am St. Louis time. I watched the weather again and it looked like Charlotte would be at the edge of the bad weather. I called John promptly at 7:30 my time and John answered. As luck would happen someone had recently canceled and there was a spot in class and he said that while it was winter in Michigan they were far enough away that they didn't get the lake effect snow. I told him that I was zipping up my suitcase, throwing it into the back of the car and would be driving straight to class.

Well, since this story is getting ridiculously long as it is I will summarize my drive with a few words, such as, engine light, blowing snow, black ice, 0 to 30 mile hour creeping, blue skies, speeding and only stops for gas and the bathroom. After all that craziness I still was the first one to class! Apparently the drive is shorter than MapQuest indicated and my new Garmin GPS I got for Christmas is very accurate in approximating arrival times.

While I was a bit frazzled the first night of class I had a great time and I am very happy with the way my boxes turned out. I just now want to make another set as I feel I was learning on this set and I would like to make another with what I know now.

Here are some photos from my experience.

John Wilson's Shaker Oval Box Making Workshop

The 100 plus year old copper tack making machines. Possibly the only two left in existence.

John Wilson and a nest of 15 oval Shaker boxes in a variety of woods.

 

Bending the box bands was surprisingly easy. After soaking for 10 minutes in boiling water the wood was like bending leather.

Nailing the box bands using the tiny copper tacks John makes.

Even bending the large bands was easy.

The largest box at 6.5" x 8" bent with shapers inserted for drying.

The class boxes bent and set up to air dry.

 

John demonstrating marking the top of the box.

John demonstrating sanding the box top to shape.

With the box assembled, holes are drilled through the bands and into the top and bottom disks.

Small wooden pegs (aka, tooth picks) are used to peg the lid and base.

My completed nest of five oval Shaker boxes.

After a few coats of finish to bring out the beauty of the cherry wood the nest is ready for display.

2010 Alice Ogden Christmas Ornament

 

Alice Ogden of West Franklin, NH outdoes herself again this year with another incredibly beautiful basket for my Christmas tree. Measuring only 1" wide x 2" long x 1 3/8" high it is a perfect scale replica of her full size double swing handle basket. Alice has making black ash basket ornaments since 1995 with a new design each year since 1997. I am fortunate to have all of her designs gracing my tree (which I actually leave up all year in my weaving studio).

Alice not only processes all of her splint and hand carves all of her white oak handles and rims she is also a great basket weaving instructor. I made a full size version of this basket back in 2003.

8" l x 5.25" w x 5.75" h

Alice packing one of her full-sized double swing handled baskets.

Pin Cushions

I have been playing with felting more wool lately. I recently made a trip to some thrift stores and bought some old wool sweaters and blazers. The sweaters took about 3 good wash cycles in hot water to get them to fully felt and boy was that crazy. I will have to post more on that later and take before and after photos. It is a sight to behold a man's XXL 100% wool sweater becoming a child's size garment. Of course by the time it is that size it the wool is so thick and dense that a kid wouldn't be able to put his or her arms down!

For the wool blazers I had to cut them apart first before felting. They too shrunk, but the effect wasn't as dramatic since they were just strips of fabric. One of the blazers (the red fabric in the photos) was already made of felted wool so I didn't run it through the washing machine. I used this felt to make pin cushions. I found the pattern on Etsy and decided to give it a try. I am not the best at sewing or decorative stitching, but I thought they turned out fairly well. The later ones definitely turned out better.

They range in size from 2.5" to 4.5" in diameter.

I am excited to try some more. While I have plenty of the three fabrics left I really want to find some more colors. While searching for buttons at my grandmother's I found a few scraps of old wool. I am going to try to felt it (hopefully it isn't too moth eaten) and make a special one out of it including a button from her button box. That one will definitely be a keeper. The other ones I will probably give away as little favor/gifts. I mean, how many pin cushions does one person need? Of course how many baskets does one person need? But, that has stopped me from hording those!

St. Louis Post Dispatch - local basket maker feature

This article recently ran in the local news paper. Mary Makuta took that first Shaker basket class here at my house at one of the workshops I host. Since then she has taken almost 20 classes from my guest instructors.

Made in St. Louis: Mary Makuta
BY KAREN DEER
Sunday, October 31, 2010

Mary Makuta from Ballwin displays
some of her basket creations
Wednesday afternoon.

• How did it start? I was taught crochet and hand embroidery when I was 10 years old. By 13, I was designing and sewing my own clothing. Later, I began making my own draperies and becoming acquainted with fiber arts. In 1992, I became a porcelain doll artist. Years later, I created totes and handbags made of natural fibers. In 2004, I was introduced to the lost art of Shaker basketry. I attended a class taught by a well-known artist, Martha Wetherbee, who has devoted her life to preserving the art of Shaker basketry and other American 'signature style" baskets such as the Nantucket lightship basket. During the class, I created a small basket and fell in love with the wood. It's like satin.

• What is a Shaker basket? The basketry originated in the 1700s in New England. Most consumers are familiar with Shaker furniture. It's very valuable. The Shakers of New England made outstanding fine arts such as furniture and baskets. A Shaker basket is made from the black ash tree grown in New England. To create a basket, the tree is cut down, hand-pounded, stripped, split and sanded.

• What are your prices? My Shaker baskets start at $100 for a 5-inch basket, which is made of all wood. I also sell Nantucket baskets. Prices start at $75 for a Nantucket penny basket and up to $750 for a 13-inch Nantucket tote.

• What else do you make? I create a hybrid purse made of ash or it can be made of cane. It's created the same way the Shakers prepared their ash 200 years ago. My hybrid purses start at $275. Some of my purse lids feature learned marquetry, an inlaid wood. They start at $500.

• How long does it take to make one basket? It takes a month because of the carpentry process and the wood finish process. I also design a liner for the basket made of silk or wool.

• Do you teach basketry classes? Yes. I have a workshop in my home, and my students choose an item to work on. I'm there to guide them through the process.

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