Dream Me a Dream

 Last year a dear friend was side swiped by a truck as she walked home from our day at the Fiber House.  This lead to a long recuperation and lots of physical therapy.  I had just started a new pine needle class where we designed a modified dream catcher.  I made this one for my friend to help her with her recurring dreams of waking to see the grill of a truck on top of her.  It seemed to have worked for she is much better today. This dream catcher is begun on an 6 inch ring and with the added Muhly Grass makes the ring about 11 inches.  I added pygmy date palm inflorescence and various other dried seeds.  This model has been great for my beginning students.  It gives them a chance to practice sewing the coils without having to worry about shaping a basket.  The finished project is beautiful and gives the student encouragment to try another!

Seeds of the Shoals

 

The focal point of this piece is a fantastic Solar Crystal, which is a slice of stalagmite (found in caves) This pricey little stone is often used in high end designed necklaces.  In my earlier years of buying materials for my baskets, I really didn't pay too much attention to the price of my stones.  I probably will never recover this one!  I surrounded it with turquoise pine needles and then an outer basket of Muhly Grass.  You can see that the inner basket comes to the outside in three different arcs. The small Chalcedoney beads decorate the spaces.  This piece has won a second place ribbon.

Approximate Size:  12 x 12 x 4 in

Midnight Mystery

 Sometimes life sequences change, and so you change with it.  I haven't been shopping in person for base stones in several years, so I have resorted to Etsy,  What else.  The base stone is called Orthorceras, a very old fossil and quite common.  The uncommon thing is finding the right polished stone in the correct size and shape to fit in a basket.  Like this one.  This is my double basket design having dyed black Florida Long Leaf pine needles around the center with my home grown Muhly Grass coming up on the outer basket.  All coiled with different shades of Irish waxed linen (almost impossible to find int the colors I need these days) .  I have accented the spaces with Howolite beads and Onyx pendants and beads.   It's not that big but stunning!

Approximate  Size: 8 x 8 x 3 inches

PS.  Have more stones so more will be coming!  Just bought a stove to dye needles!

Magma Mounatin

 

I've been watching the videos of erupting volcanoes in Iceland and Hawaii and this agate slice is just a small reminder of those fabulous sights.  Again this is a Long Leaf pine needle basket formed on the inside accented with small beads of Chalcedite.  The outer basket is formed from Muhly Grass that I grow and coil with waxed linen thread accented with Chalcedite pendants.  The natural color linen thread that I prefer to use is from Ireland and I have found that this color seems to be very rare right now.  The price doubled but I bought the last 5 rolls I could find!  Another victum of the Covid affected supply crunch.  Just finished this one today!!

Approximate Size:  9 x 8.5 x 3 inches

White Surf

 I found this agate in my stone drawer and it made me think I was looking though a telescope at the beach surf.  The colors are remarkable and deep in Turquoise.  This is part of my newer design of a basket inside another basket.  The brown Long Leaf pine needles tie the inside together  and coil in and out the spaces around the beautiful Turquoise stone pendants. The outer coils of Florida Muhly Grass that I grow form the outer basket and give a feeling of closure and picture windows of light.  I decided to use a Turquoise waxed linen thread to add the the movement like the ripples of water on the shore.

Approximate Size: 8 x 7.5 x 3 inches

Timeless Treasure

 This Orthorceras center is a long ago fossil set in epoxy.  That allows me to sew directly onto the base.  This design is a nice open dish which can be used for holding your watch or bracelet until the next day.  The brown Long Leaf  pine needles begin the coil, then some dyed black pine needles accent the curve and fade into the Florida Muhly Grass that I grow. Snake Jasper pendants accent the ends.

Approximate size:  9.5 x 7 x 1 inches

Wild Child Gallery Demonstrations 2021-2022

 

Demonstration days at the Wild Child Gallery in Matlacha, FL is always fun.  It's so nice to meet and chat with the visitors from all over the USA and Canada.  Even a few from Europe.  I bring lots of extra baskets to display and sell and show how they are made.  We try to be set up by 10 AM and work until about 4PM.  That's enough enough sewing for one day! Here are the dates for this season barring unforeseen bad weather. 

November 30, 2021

December 9

December 16

January 13, 2022

January 20

February 10

February 17

March 3

March 10

March 31

April 7

April 14

April 21

Rainforest

 

This basket I just finished this week.  Summer weather in Florida keeps me inside during mid day so it's a perfect time to listen to a good book and sew.  This basket is a double construction.  That means there are two baskets: inside with Florida Long Leaf pine needles and outside with the Muhly Grass that I grow. I like to make the two forms compliment each other but still retain their own form.  The base stone is Serpentine in shades of green and white.  Large Brazilian Rain Forest Jasper pendants adorn the outside form while smaller Green Jasper beads add interest to the green netting and pine needles on the inside.  This particular basket has been claimed by a close friend and will travel to California.

Approximate Size:  11 x 10 x 4 inches

Small Wreaths

Jasper Footprints

Coiled Florida Long Leaf pine needles around a vine wreath using waxed linen thread, accented with various seeds: cotton, pine& birch cones, Arjun, Star. Jasper bead

Antlers

Coiled Florida Long Leaf pine needles and Muhly Grass around a vine wreath using waxed linen thread, accented with various seeds and a Agate bead

These pieces are nice to use as a small gift, a decoration on a full size Christmas tree, or add to a wall group of artwork.  These are shown on a stand but are meant to hanging.

Approximate size:  6-7 inches

Etheral Amethyst

 

This is obviously another of those three dimensional bases that I have stared to use.  Each one is challenge to sew into the base.  Not only must I have enough tension to grasp the stone , but try to make it sit evenly.  This is a lovely Amethyst which I tried to make the focal point by adding a stitching pattern on the bottom but also some small Amethyst beads.  The coiled fiber is Muhly Grass that I grow and harvest stitched with a wrapped waxed linen checkered pattern.  The side beads are Fluorite giving added slightly different color.  There are two colors of thread in the checkered pattern.  It seems the lavender shade is muted.  A little twist on the top edge continues the great movement seen in this piece.

Approximate Size: 11 x 11 x 5 inches

Picasso Brush Strokes

 

This base stone is called Picasso Jasper. Great color in browns and blacks.  The inner basket basket in the "double" design, is made from coiled Florida Long Leaf pine needles and Muhly grass grown by the artist.  The base is accented with Artistic Jasper beads ging the base depth.  The sides are adorned with Silver Jasper pendants.  This is a nice table top accent.

 

Approximate Size: 10 x 9 x 4 inches

Stone Waterfall

 

 This basket was created beginning with a stone called Picture Jasper.  This particular stone is darker than I have usualy found but still has the optical illusion qualities of all Picture Jasper.  Are you above a hole? Looking into a lighted tunnel? or something else? Florida Muhly Grass that I grow and Harvest make for sturdy sides accented with small Picture Jasper beads.  The Picture Jasper pendants on the sides would look nice in any piece of jewelry.  The checkered design of waxed linen thread is a time consumer because the thread is thin.  But the results are worth the trouble!

 

Approximate Size: 9 x 8.5 x 3.5 inches

Obsidian Connection

 

Can you identify this stone?  I just love the intricate feathery crystals in the rich gray bedding stone.  Wish I knew it's name.  It's now in this basket called Obsidian Connection due the side pendants I chose for accent.

Small Obsidian beads in the bottom and the pendants are Snowflake Obsidian.  The Florida Muhly Grass and the black waxed linen thread all come together to present this lovely base stone.  

Approximate Size: 11 x10 x 4.5 inches

Emerald Palace

 

Lovely green Serpentine!  I really like the tonal quality of this stone and I have used it in several previous baskets.  Maybe it's just that my green waxed linen thread matches this stone so well.  The pendants on the sides are gorgeous Canadian Jade with some smaller Jade beads for accent.  The home grown Florida Muhly Grass makes this a rich picture perfect basket!  Perfect table top size.

Approximate Size: 8 x 10 x 3.5 inches

Artistic Lines

 

This double basket design begins with a stone  called Artistic Jasper.  A very unusual stone that appears to be drawn with pen and ink and a touch of water color.  The inside basket is formed from Florida Long Leaf pine needles accented with some Labradorite beads.  The coiled Muhly Grass which forms the outer basket is grown in my own flower beds.  It's a nice long grass that when watered grows very quickly. The length of the grass gives great strength the the basket, especially larger baskets.  This grass is not difficult to harvest except that is needs to be hand cut and done in late August,  In Florida, the temperature can easily be in the high 90s!  That's the hard part!

 

Approximate Size: 8.5 x 8.5 x 2.5 inches

Intricate Minds

 

 

 

 This is a unique wall piece.  Making one of these takes some time because it takes at least 3 hours to go around once.  The reason is there are three layers: Two coils of Muhly Grass with a filling of cane. The distinctive agate center is first fitted with a jacket and then two coils come together to hold the cane pieces.  I needed to design a new stitch to hold all three pieces together and figure out how to hold it so I could sew!  See if you can find the following: hand spun dog hair, sheep roving, goat roving, yarn, and sea grass braided rope, and agate beads. Florida Long Leaf pine needles finish the fial rows.

 

Approximate Size: 18 x 17 x 1 inches

Misty Lagoon

 

 

This basket seems a little dark on the agate in this picture  The agate is translucent and light does come through the lighter sections.  This piece is cut differently than most stones and the solidification shows 3 different centers making this a very different view.  This is a "double" basket design:  Florida Long Leaf pine needles form the inside basket accented with knot-less netting.  The outside basket is coiled Florida Muhly Grass grown and harvested by the artist.  The large Agate pendants accent the sides. 

Approximate Size: 11 x 9.5 x 3.5 inches

Nature's Roller Coaster

 I just love these Picture Jasper bases because you can see so many optical illusions in them! Just make a quarter turn and you suddenly see something different.  I decided to use that concept to have some fun with the sewing of this piece.  The Florida Long Leaf pine needles are intertwined with Florida Muhly Grass that I grow and harvest.  In ups,  and downs, and arounds,  the coils act like a roller coaster.  Small Picture Jasper beads in the base, and larger pendants of Indian Conglomerate adorn the sides.  This basket has been awarded ribbons in two different juried  exhibits. 

Approximate Size: 9 x 10 x 4 inches

Passing Through

 This basket begins with a distinctive translucent agate. There is a small Druzy "hole" which is common in many good quality agates.  This was the idea for its name.  Small Feldspar beads and then larger pendants decorate the spaces.  The lighter color grass is common Muhly Grass grown in my flower beds and then harvested and dried.  The darker color fibers are Florida Long Leaf pine needles. 

 

 

 

 

Approximate Size: 8.5 x 9.5 x 4 inches

 Italian Fire & Ice

This smaller sized basket is made from coiled Muhly Grass, grown and harvested by the artist, and sewn with waxed linen thread,  The base is called Brecciated Jasper and is a highly polished stone.  The beads are very unusual because they they come from a broken necklace.  These "beads" are hand blown Italian glass in red, yellow and clear.  Loved this necklace when I bought it in the 1960s and wore it often, then it broke. Still have enough of this long rope of beads to try to restring or make another picture piece!

 Approximate Size:  6  X 6 X 2.5 in