Bump Bottom Basket

8.5" dia. x 10.5" high

I made this basket quite a few years ago in Oriental, NC in a workshop lead by Eric Taylor. This was a different style basket for Eric, his baskets almost exclusively feature solid wood bottoms, but this basket features a radial spoke-woven bottom. The style of the base of the basket is called a "bump bottom" since it is raised or pushed up. The basket is woven of hand pounded black (brown) ash, nailed walnut rims and a notched walnut handle. This basket was challenge to weave. All 16 staves were each tapered from 5/8" to 1/8". The weavers graduated in size from 1/32" to 3/32".

First Nantucket Class

20" x 16.5" Big Boy Oval

This was the first Nantucket-style basket I made in a class. I had made a number of Nantucket baskets before this, but had been working only from some instructions I had gotten from an Early American Life magazine. Needless to say the class was a real eye-opener.

I made this basket in 1998 during one of my summer trips to New Hampshire. The class was taught by Lisa Thayer of Long Island, NY. I think the class was about three or maybe four days of steady work. I remember it took us all of one day just to get the staves shaped and inserted and just an inch or so woven. It took the remaining time to weave the body of the basket. The mold was so large that it was a lot of work just to reach around the 17 or 18 inch long staves to weave one stitch. The last day we installed the rims and about mid-day it started raining which provided just enough humidity to the air that the now glued rims were almost impossible to get on the basket. I can remember the relief when that outside rim finally slipped over the edge of the staves and I was able to squeeze it into place.

I learned so much in the class that I called the woman who hosted my classes and scheduled to teach a Nantucket class. I came home with a set of 12 5" Nantucket molds and began teaching classes. I still have those molds, but unfortunately they have been sitting unused for classes for about 10 years. I guess I need to get back to teaching with those!

Basket Easels

Here is a great way to display your shallow baskets and baskets with detailed bottoms/bases. My mother used to have easels in her needlework shop to display framed pieces. I thought they would be great for displaying baskets so I redesigned them to be deeper and wider. I make these in three distressed finished, toffee, black and white.

Before

After

Box Project

So I got a wild hair last night and decided that I needed to make a new box to display my hand-stamped basket cards when I am vending at conventions, like Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat. My woodworking skills are actually kind of limited. I grew up with a father who was a high school industrial arts teacher and who now makes custom built furniture, but of course I didn't learn how to do any of that for the 18 years I lived at home. Fortunately I have a photographic memory and know how to do many things in principle (like knitting and crochet). I have a pretty good wood working shop, just enough to be dangerous, but not quite everything a true furniture builder would need.

With my limited skills, limited tools and some scrap wood I decided to make a box based on a really nice dove-tailed bird's eye maple Shaker-style handled carrier. I couldn't do the dove-tails so just had to butt the corner joins. I did mark and pre-drill the nail holes, trying to make them look somewhat decorative. I had a couple of scrap boards that Dad had given me probably 15 years ago that were really pretty so I used one of them to make the base. I am not really sure what kind of wood it is. I do know that the sides are maple (scraps from my weaving stand making). The model/sample base was attached to the sides with counter sunk brass screws so I did the same and was actually impressed with how nice that looked. It isn't anything fancy, but it will look nicer than a cardboard box holding my cards.

Here is the fruits of my labors.

12" x 7.5"

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