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My Favorite Basketry Book

I am a reader.  I read everything, especially in subject's that interest me.  When I started weaving 7 years ago, of course, one of my first endeavors was to find a book on baskets.  My find was "The Art of Basketry" by Kari Lonning.

In this book, is not are the pictures gorgeous, but it is very well written.  The basic instructions for bases and how to calculate your spokes for round reed weaving is the best I have found.  
Since I started weaving, I have amassed a collection of over 50 basketry books.  But this is the one that I go back to over and over again.

Learning new techniques

I always love learning new techniques that I can use in my baskets. This week, I have been busy doing just that.  Many of you know of my love of waxed linen.  I got started with waxed linen when I purchased a kit from Judy K. Wilson in 2007 when I was living in Oklahoma.  With that one kit, I was off and running and have found it to be my favorite of all materials (so far).

Judy also does coiled baskets using silk thread.  In 2008, I purchased one of those kits with the intent to learn that technique.  Well, as you know, life happens and things don't always get done.  This past weekend, I found that coiled kit and started working on it.  It is called the "Beaded Baby" and it was so much fun to do.

Well, now that has got the creative juices flowing and so far, I have done this.  This is based on another design Judy has on her website.  But it got me thinking about color and how to connect rows of differing colors.  (Don't tell my Dad, but this piece will eventually go to him, Shhh!)

Now, in the area in which I live, petroglyphs are a very big thing.  I have made one basket with a petroglyph design and have been asked for more. This one was done by knotting.

I am excited about the possibilities with this new coiled technique.  Stay tuned for more baskets using this really cool technique.

P.S.
I have found the website of Joyce Shannon who does magnificent coiled baskets using dyed and natural raffia. Her baskets look like the design was painted on after, but it is actually woven into the basket.  Please feel free to mosey on over to her website to Ooo and Ahhh.

Southwest Arts Festival 2012 Review

January 27-29, we attended the Southwest Arts Festival in Indio, CA.  This was the first BIG show for us that required any amount of travel.  The festival was located at the Empire Polo Club on Monroe St.  It is a beautiful venue with great expanses of green grass and large palm trees.  Being an outside show in the desert, wind is always a concern.  And true to form, Mother Nature played with us a bit on Friday with gusts up to 15 mph.  Sat and Sun were much milder with slight breezes that kept everyone nice and cool.  The high temp for all 3 days was a pleasant 79*. We were located in row 9, all the way in the back by the food court.  This location gave us a nice crowd around lunch time, but we found that customers were more interested in getting to the burgers than looking at baskets.  An additional downfall to our location was that it took about 1 hour from entering the festival until patrons arrived in our area. By that time, they were tired and had already spent their money.  Next year, we will definitely ask for a booth in the first 3 rows.  Even with the wind and the less than stellar location, we did make some sales.  Not as much as we would have liked, but those that we did were to very appreciative basket collectors.  

All in all, it was a very nice weekend.  We had several friends come visit us at the festival and we met some new friends, both human and feathered. We will definitely try this show again next year.

WovenSummers is new to the blogging world!

Hi, and welcome to the first Woven Summers blog.  I plan on using this blog to talk about all things basketry (and probably other stuff as well).  Our business is really starting to take off with our participation in more art shows and the offering basket classes.  I hope to be able to start traveling to basket conferences as an instructor as well sometime in the near future.  I am so glad you have decided to come along on this ride with us.