Lavender Sea

What do you do with a favorite necklace that broke?  Restring it? Or make a basket?  I hated to throw away all those drilled shells so instead I incorporated them into a coiled Muhly Grass basket.  The base stone is a dyed agate as are the shells.  I just happened to have some agate beads on hand.  Some netting on the ends was a perfect place to add the pearls. 

Approximate Size: 12 x 9 x 2 inches

Flight of the Butterfly

I just love this stone.  It's called Butterfly Jasper.  The colors are so vivid and pattern so interesting.  I've never seen an ugly one!  This basket is another basket inside a basket.  The inside is coiled Florida Long Leaf pine needles and the outer basket is Florida Muhly Grass that I grow and harvest.  The inner basket is accented with Picture Jasper beads, while the outer basket contains some distinctive Leopard Jasper pendants.  The fibers are intertwined and then joined with netting. 

Approximate Size:  11 x 10 x 4 inches

Contemporary Fiber Exhibition/St Petersburg, FL

Florida CraftArt of Saint Petersburg, FL is hosting an extensive fiber exhibit.  It was to be open to the public from March through April, but due to the virus closures, it is only available in a virtual show.  It can be viewed on their website.  The exhibit is going to be held over until late August with the hopes that businesses will be open by that time.  It's well worth the trip if you are in the area.  Otherwise watch it online and look for my baskets at the very beginning. 

Waves of Sunshine

This is another of those base stones called Honeycombed Calcite.  It's a soft stone and yes, the light comes through!  The combination of Florida Long Leaf pine needles and Florida Muhly Grass that I grow and harvest work wonderfully with gold colored waxed linen thread.  That's what makes the checkered design.  I added some Yellow Jade pendants for accent and an extra pine needle design on the rim.

Approximate Size: 11 x 10 x 4.5 inches

Friendship Ties

This is a special basket for it was made for a very special person.  For many years we have made baskets together at Spanish Point in Osprey, FL.  Our guild tries to have a weaving group demonstrating at the "The Point" every Tuesday from October through May.  The tourist attraction is a cluster of homes built in the early 1900s  famous for one of the homes which was built by Bertha Palmer.  The White Cottage has a wide screened porch overlooking Little Sarasota Bay and has been a perfect spot for the Venetian Society of Basket Weavers make baskets and greet visitors from all over the world.  My friend and I have been members of this group and have spent many wonderful afternoons here.

Approximate size: 10 x 8 x 3 inches

Sandbar at Cripple Creek

This basket is one in my latest style: basket inside a basket. The inside is coiled Florida Long Leaf pine needles and the outer basket is coiled Muhly Grass that I grow and harvest.  The base is called Cripple Creek Jasper and rather than being shiny it is a matte finished stone.  It has a wonderful tone of greens and sandy browns mixed.  It was difficult to decide which side of the stone should be facing up!.  The pendant beads are Green Magic Jasper.

Approximate size: 9 x 8 x 3 inches