My handmade baskets are to be picked up and used. Some baskets are made with gathered materials such as birch bark, Virginia Creeper vines, driftwood and antlers. The main material is reed which is an actual product grown in jungle type areas. Reed is a wonderful product to dye, with natural or commercial dyes, and stain. I also enjoy incorporating other mediums with reed such as clay, wood, and yarn.

I've been in the basket making business since 1978. This has been a passion that has woven in and out of raising four children, with pets, while being the Art Instructor at a couple of local elementary schools. I've taught all ages to weave baskets, and I enjoy the excitement they get out of the finished product. I'll never forget the young boy in an after school class that looked at me with amazement and said, "Out of all these straight things, you can make this!" while holding out his basket in his hands. He couldn't have said it better. I feel the same way.

All of the steps in the basket making process are quite fun for me: receiving a huge order of reed; collecting birch bark from a friend's property or wood pile; walking along the beach or river and picking up an interesting piece of driftwood; getting the dye pots out and dying all the colors I can in one day, (it's fun for the eyes); cutting a piece of wood and painting it, then weaving a basket around it; forming and shaping clay then adding reed; looking through the yarn shelves and finding just the right texture and color. The creative process blended with the different mediums excite my desire for the public to look, touch and use my baskets. I thank the Creator for my gift.

This is what I do.

copyright ©2003-2007 All images and web design by Sharon Gunter 'the Basket Case'