#basketry

[tsulasgi]

More pieces from the Vinita Cultural Center from last year's basketry exhibit

[plantnerderyallday]

You guys. I'm so excited. So we were cutting down and stripping the bark off of Black Locust trees (Robinia pseudoacacia) at work to make some posts rather than buy pressure treated lumber. This tree is considered an invasive species here, but apparently it's valued as both firewood and timber where it's from. It's supposed to be very rot resistant, too.

Behold the beautiful timbers:

Now the thing is, that while I was removing the bark, I started trying to see how long a piece I could remove in one go*, as is my habit. I was really impressed by how flexible the bark was, and how easy it was to make long strips:

And then I thought I remembered** reading about how people are able to take the inner bark of ash trees and peel it away from the outer bark, so I decided try on my break, and:

Look at that! So flexible! So smooth! So staying in one piece!

I did some quick googling and found a few examples of people using black locust bark this way, so I'm pretty excited to try it out. The first thing to do apparently is to dry it out, before rehydrating it to work with.

If you've done this or similar and have any tips, I'd love to hear them!

*Yes, I am the kind of person who habitually removes the orange skin in one piece.

**Turns out I remembered wrong, and apparently they split the individual growth rings by pounding the trunk? Which is incredible!

[hexjulia]

found out about inupiaq baleen baskets today. i really like them! a lot of them remind me of animals popping their head out of the water

Nicholas Makalik, Barrow, Alaska, 1963

Coiled Baleen Basket by Abe Simmonds Barrow, Alaska, 1954

by Andrew Oenga, 1981.

[cubismxdream]

paiute miniature baskets finger for scale

[saqati]

some pine straw I harvested today before the storm. gonna make plans- I want to try my hand at basket weaving one more time!! the small one I made last year has held up beautifully and holds all my desk goodies, might try to remake it a lil larger.

[tigwalen]

Cherokee Rivercane purse - Artist unknown

This purse or "shopper" basket was made from rivercane. Although its maker is not known, the form, material, technique, and pattern are typical of Cherokee basketry made between the 1920s and the present.

The dark brown color is probably from walnut hulls and the orange from bloodroot, both dyes common to Cherokee makers. The pattern woven into the basket is the Chief's Heart pattern. The drop handles are made from wood separate from the basket. The handle attachments are woven into the basket before the rim is attached.

[koenji]

A Yemenite Jewish woman engaged in the art of traditional basket weaving in Herzliyah, northern Tel Aviv District, Israel, ca. 1961. The style of basketry resembles that of the Tihamah region of western Yemen. Not only in Yemen but throughout the region, basketry has been a craft and an art form primarily practiced and passed down by women - with exceptions of course.

The remaining images show other examples of Yemenite Jewish basketry from the Yemenite Jewish Heritage Center in Rehovot and the Yemenite Art Museum by Ben-Zion David in Tel Aviv.

[wander-without-cause]

Finally made it to the Winter' s End Shepherd's Market in Iowa City.

It's small, compact, fibercraft intensity was somehow soul healing. I went in, mentally chanting "i need nothing. Just here to evaluate trends. I need nothing. Just here to see where small festivals focus energy into the craft. I need nothing."

Yeah. Well. Then Naturea Baskets was there. And there was all this:

And a bunch of vendors with this

And my talented friend whose Mission is to expand the Fiberhood.

by teaching, answering questions, & encouraging everyone to "Try it."

It's not Rhinebeck nor Wisconsin Sheep & Wool - but it is a great little festival that celebrates fiber craft & builds our community in small crafter ways. It was warm. It was bright with the energy of creating. And although I did not need anything - I bought many things.