Just For You

This basket was made for a gift exchange at the Southwest Florida Craft Guild this past weekend.  Everyone was asked to bring a handmade gift of their specialty.  The gift exchange is one of those choose a present or take a present from someone that has opened one.  It gets to be very interesting, to say the least, as some pieces are passed around several times.  I really enjoy doing some smaller pieces and trying to make each a study of different techniques.  This time I was interested in accenting the base area, hence the twist.  I also haven't done a lot with the heads of the pine needles, so I decided to include a bunch of those.  I'll use these ideas in future baskets.

Size:  6 x 6 x 5

INSPIRATION

This basket lives up to its name.  The natural agate is a stunning blue lace with a crystal section around the natural hole.  It must have been a center slice.  The triple walls are two coils of muhly grass with rattan spokes in between.  The tapestry is mainly twined palm inflorescence which I carefully chose from different trees to give a variety of color.  There are also sections of natural leather.  The top area is accented with rosettes of pine needles and knotless netting.  This piece was a challenge from the very beginning.  I needed to use a improvised "lazy susan" to elevate and turn the piece as it was woven. Since it needed to be moist each time and I needed three hours to stitch one trip around,  I had to plan a block of time each day I wanted to work on it. This basket was over six months in the making. "Inspiration" has already won its share of prizes and I continue to enter it in shows around the country. 

Size:  19 in X 19 in X 8 in

Price:  $1200