JoAnn Kelly Catsos Workshop 2015 - Recap

Well I can't believe I am just now getting around to posting photos from JoAnn Kelly Catsos' class that were at the end of October, but that seems to be the way things seem to go anymore.

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.

Display Table

I am always trying to come up with creative ways to display my baskets. I have so many that they literally are in every room and every corner of the house. One of the hardest style/shape of basket is the tray or shallow bowl. Fortunately my father makes and sells a glass topped display table. It is basically a coffee table with a big shallow drawer, but the top is glass, so you can see whatever is in the drawer. This works perfectly to display my many Native American baskets, pine needle trays and other shallow baskets.

I must apologize for the crappy pic, but with the glass it was challenging to photograph.

Old Tech Meets New Tech

Does anyone else do this? Do you take pics with your phone so that you can remember things? I now take pictures to remind me of gifts I want to give or get, flyers of events I want to go to, and steps of processes I am afraid I am going to forget.

So when it came time to change the thread color on my rarely-used vintage sewing machine I FINALLY stopped to take a picture first so I would know how to re-thread the damn thing. Ever other time I would look at the path and think, "OK, this is simple I can do it again," only to have absolutely no recollection of all the dips and doodles. Of course, now that I have actually taken the reference photo I will probably be able to remember now, but at least I have it, when 6 months from now I need to do this all over again.

Pinterest Ideas

If you are like me, you like looking at all of the great ideas on Pinterest. Unfortunately many times it seems like the projects are completely impractical or worst, aren't even projects at all and just links to Google images so there are no instructions or any additional information.

This idea of using a restaurant style cheese shaker (or sugar dispenser) as a twine holder was actually one that needed no further instructions to make. I like using butcher's twine in my card making or for making tags, but between the cat going absolutely bonkers and the spool shooting across the table, I find it can be a test of one's patience. I had been on the lookout for one of these vintage restaurant wares for the last year, but had never run across one. I hit the jackpot earlier this summer when I found not only this cheese shaker, but also a sugar dispenser as well. Both looked like they had never even been used before.

While my big cone of red and while baker's twine won't fit (until I use up more of it), my other spools fit perfectly and keep the spool on the table and away from playful kittens. It made sitting in front of the TV tying strings to tags a pretty easy task. It also doesn't hurt that they look cool hold the twine too.

Because, why not?

As you may have seen in my previous post, I am hosting a workshop with JoAnn Kelly Catsos this fall where we will be making mini Shaker utility basket. Many of the baskets the Shaker used in their communities were lined with fabric or even leather. The Shakers were fixated on cleanliness so a liner in a wood chip basket for example would keep the mess from small kindling contained and off the floor.

So, being the crazy person I am I decided that the little baskets we will be making needed to have little liners to match. The first challenge was to find fabric with a pattern the correct scale. I have lined some of my full-sized baskets with pillow/mattress ticking, so wanted to find something that would look like that. After wondering around the fabric store for a while and getting some confused looks from the sales clerks when I tried to describe what it was that I was looking for, I found some striped denim that looked promising.

Thank goodness for Project Runway as I have watched how the designers drape and fit their clothes to the mannequin. Really, I used what I learned from a reality TV show to help me with my crafts! After cutting and sewing and prototype, and fitting to the basket, I was able to make a pattern so I could make more.

My goal is to make these to offer as an option for the participants in the workshop. I am sending a couple samples to JoAnn to make sure they fit the baskets and if that goes well then I will start sewing away.

Wish me luck.

2015 JoAnn Kelly Catsos Workshop

October 31, November 1, 2, 3, 2015

9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ultimate Shaker Trio

Shaker baskets can be divided into two major groups, fancy work–small delicate basket sold to the World’s people (those outside of the community) and utility–sturdy baskets made to be used for daily chores of the Shaker brothers and sisters.

Join JoAnn to make this incredible trio of 1/4 sized classic Shaker utility baskets, the carrier, wash basket and wood chip. The baskets are woven of black ash over a wooden mold, and topped with hardwood rims and three different styles of handles, each unique to the use of the basket.

Shaker Carrier

4" long x 2.5" wide x 2" deep

A classic utility basket from the Mount Lebanon Community in NY. Baskets like these would have had a variety of uses in Shaker society. This one features feet woven into the corners and across the bottom to keep the contents off the floor and protect the bottom of the basket.

Shaker Wash Basket

4" long x 2.5" wide x 1.5" deep

Another classic design, baskets like these were used by the Shakers as wet or dry wash baskets. The pair of carved sides-handles made it easy to carry a heavy load of laundry from the washroom to the line or to store clean linens for ironing.

Shaker Wood Chip

4" long x 2.5" wide x 2" deep

A basket like this was a workhorse, it was used to haul kindling and small stove wood. The runners lashed to the bottom kept the basket up and out of the snow, and made it into a sled for sliding from the woodpile to the building.

Quadrafoil Medallion

6.5" diameter

This beautiful disc is a smaller version of the ornament JoAnn made for the White House Christmas tree in 1999. The quadrafoil pattern is woven of delicate 50/1000” black ash weavers and featured a fancy saw tooth rim. This basket is challenging so previous black ask and quadrafoil experience are mandatory.

Shaker Ultimate Trio and Quadrafoil Medallion

$530

Class fees includes all materials, handouts and use of mold, weaving stand and tools.

Level: Advanced

These baskets are challenging, previous black ash and quadrafoil experience are mandatory.

Instructor: JoAnn Kelly Catsos

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

Eric Taylor Workshop 2015 - recap

I can't believe it has already been a couple weeks since Eric Taylor was here teaching two great basket classes. It was a whirlwind visit, but many beautiful baskets were made and we ate some delicious food.

Unfortunately I was so busy working on my own baskets that I really didn't get all that many photos taken. Of course I don't know why that even matters since I am three years behind getting workshop photos posted to my website, JASkets.com. I really need to drop some of my commitments so I can actually relax and maybe (call me crazy) weave some baskets more than three times a year. Seriously I only get to weave anymore the week I go to John C. Campbell Folk School and during the two workshops I host at my house. I do weave when I vend at the one or two basketweaving conventions (Stateline Friends Weaving Retreat and the Missouri Basketweavers Guild Convention), but I don't count them as I rarely actually finish the baskets I am demoing on my weaving stands.

Anyway, I thought I would share a couple photos from the workshop.

Here's my completed Smith River Creel. This basket was really a lot of fun to weave. I rarely ever weave without a mold anymore, so shaping this basket by hand made me nervous, but I think it turned out really well. I had heard horror stories about weaving the lid, but I actually found it to be a fun challenge. Of course most would call me a glutton for punishment.

This is my completed Mountain Bread Basket. It has a really interesting twill pattern on the two sides, which was also deceptively challenging. This basket, like all of Eric's is chase woven (so woven with two weavers), and I happened to have a light and and a dark weaver. So, my pattern alternates each row light/dark which makes it hard to see. Fortunately in a few years (or quicker if I put it in direct sunlight) the colors will darken and the difference will not be noticeable.

I did catch a few photos of Eric at work. Here he is putting the first four rim pins in for one of the participants. That way he makes sure the rims are nice and level before all of the other pins are inserted.

And finally, the class wouldn't be complete without a trip to Ted Drewes for a Concrete. On the last night Tina and I actually just skipped dinner all together and went back for a second one.

Sorry I don't have more photos to share, but you can see some more on my Facebook page if you like.