Handwoven Baskets
Hand Woven Baskets
Basket making is an American tradition that honors both Native American and European roots. Handwoven baskets today may use materials that are readily available today but many of the traditional designs for baskets date many centuries.
Nantucket Baskets
Nantucket Lightship baskets are truly an American heritage basket. In the early 1800's, sailors tending the lightships around Nantucket Island, spent 3 to 6 months on board an anchored ship. During these times, they would weave the baskets using shipyard materials. The molds of these baskets were cut from discards masts. The materials for the baskets were harvested from the woods of Massachusets and Connecticut. From design to materials, these are 100% American heritage baskets.
Kentucky Rib Baskets
The Kentucky Rib Basket was brought to America by early colonists. They used available natural fibers to construct baskets. The basket was useful for carrying eggs and vegetables from the garden to the house. This basket is constructed from braided seagrass or round reed with strong 3/4 inch oak hoops. The trademark feature of the Kentucky Rib Basket is the God's Eye (ojo de Dios) which is used to connect the two hoops which make up the basic structure of the basket.
Doubleweave Baskets
The "Double" Basket lives up to it's name. It is handwoven using a double weave construction. The basket base starts with flat reed woven in a herringbone design. The interior of the basket uses with flat reed and the exterior weave incorporates colored reed or braided sea grass, to give the basket an elegant touch. The handle is hand carved from White Ash.
Splint/Flat Reed
In North America along the Appalachian region, baskets were made from cattails and splints rived from either White Oak and Ash. Only a few trees could be split apart by hand to create the splints thin enough to weave. White Oak can be hand split along the growth rings, while White and Black Ash could be pounded to separate these rings.
Only a few basket makers today work with the Oak and Ash. It is a labor intensive process, but the final baskets will be able to endure 30 to 40 years of regular use. The true handmade basket from White Oak or Ash can outlive the basketmaker by generations.