Does anybody else make pine needle baskets?

[Scrambled Egg]

GORGEOUS!!!! I've seen that type work before at the flea market in Charleston, SC, very tedious but well worth it!

 

[peewee]

Thank you very much everybody,
First of all I am blessed with Southern Sand Pines that have needles that are anywhere between 10-18 inches long. Every time the trees shed I'm out there with a plastic bag picking them up.
This is a great link that I used to teach myself how to do these baskets:
http://www.nativetech.org/basketry/coilinstr.html
One thing I will say is that they are not as hard to make as they look but it does take some practice to get them to look decent. The first few that I tried were so lopsided and ugly I could not even call them abstract art.

The first is made with a wooden bottom that I cut out and drilled holes around the edges to sew the needles to. This type of coiling is called open coiling.
The second is called closed coiling and it does not have a wooden base.

 

[New adventure]

Those are just beautiful!

 

[Zookeeper9000]

Awsome, thank you for sharing your baskets as well as the link.

 

[mtnmel]

I do. I realize this thread is seven years old...but would love to chat with anyone who makes pine needle baskets. I enjoy making all kinds and shapes, especially those with interesting inserts, like agate slices, walnut slices, etc. I sometimes use dyes, but I mostly like my needles natural, and use colored thread or cord. I am always happy to find others who enjoy this craft, as it was a dying art not too long ago. Thanks to the internet, and a resurgence in handcrafted arts, I am seeing more people learning this ancient craft! When I have time to transfer my photos to my kindle, I'll post some pictures of my favorite baskets.

 

[wolfrosie]

Wow, thanks mtnmel for bringing this up. I've heard of but never actually seen pine needle baskets before. I can't wait to try it!

 

[mtnmel]

If you type in a google or yahoo search of images for pine needle baskets, you can see the wide diversity of designs for this ancient craft. What I like most about this form of basketry, is the boundless creativity. Unlike some more traditional forms of basket making, with pine needles, form and design has no standard structures: your finished design is limited only by your imagination. There are some excellent books available that teach this craft...that is how I learned -with lots of practice, of course. Give it a try, let loose, and have fun!

 

[dowdlauren]

I've always wanted to learn, but props to those that know how!
I ran into someone who does at the Glenwood Springs, Colorado Strawberry Festival and her work was beautiful!