May 30, 2012

I have definitely been neglecting my blog.  Amazing how this JOB thing cuts into the creativity, along with inspiration! 

I finished a basket a week or so back and I absolutely love the way the new 'harvest' has added to the mix!

This one is for Greg! 

 Here you can see the dark green of the Queen palm, the off white of the Palmetto frond new growth and there is even some of the wild Muly grass that we picked in there.  The center is a piece of Oak that he had in his shed for years.  He originally cut it many years ago for a cub scout project for his son, who is now 20 something.

I twisted the rim pieces and love the barber pole effect!

It sits proudly on his dresser and he uses it to empty his pockets into when he comes home at night.  I am honored!  Both at he uses it and that he and his wife have been such good friends to me.  Below you see the bottom.

It is not a very large basket, but very striking with the different shifts in colors.  I am on to the next one...that is if I can find some time in the day!

Busy, busy, busy!

I am truly sorry my fellow artists that I have been slack with my blog for the last few weeks. 

Things have been happening very fast for me.  I put in an on line job application, knowing that you are one in hundreds and I probably would never hear anything from them...WRONG!  Within 3 hrs. I got an interview and got a job. 

I had just surrendered my metal tag for my car that should have been surrendered 2 yrs. ago and they kept my driving license.  Thus no pic I.D. making getting a new job very difficult.  Seems that now, due to homeland security new laws, you must have a birth certificate to get any kind of state i.d.  No problem, I have one at home with the rest of my important papers.  WRONG AGAIN!  I even had the empty envelope with a postage stamp 2000 from when I ordered the last one, but of course the birth certificate was not in it.  And to make matters worse the average wait time for one in the state I was born in was 14 wks.  Now what?  Well I was in touch with some very nice folks at the Vital statistics and of course the DMV and they agreed to try to expedite the process for me.  Unfortunately that would not have been in time for the new job.

However, I do have a voter's registration card and a social security card and these two documents will suffice to prove U.S. citizenship and ability to legally work.  Whew!

Then, instead of the job I actually applied for, they put me in another position all together.  The first job's schedule would have matched my roommate's exactly and transportation would have been a snap.  Not so with the position they put me in.  Now what do I do.

Well, the same folks I am buying my RV from (once I got a job) also came into a car that they were selling to someone who wouldn't make their payments.  Only I don't have a legal driving license. Now what?  They agreed to help me get my license (think finance me) and tag and insurance for the car.  Thus after tons of paper chase, and lots of being taxied around from one office to another I am a legal driver again.  After 2 1/2 yrs.  I am also in debt for more than I have ever been in my entire life.

But I have a JOB, a CAR and a place to live as soon as I gather up money to put it in the camp park I have chosen. 

I work nights so far, and I am exhausted when I get done.  It is a truck stop and I work the fuel desk.  Even though I used to drive an 18 wheeler, I had forgotten how busy these truck stops are. 

So my friend's no only am I adjusting to driving, (I am hyper-vigilant without even meaning to be) I am adjusting to the job and the schedule, and will also be moving in the up coming couple of weeks.  These are all wonderful things, butttttttt, it means I will have much less time for art and for blogging as well.  I may not even have internet for a while ;-(.  It depends, like most things, on the money. 

So for now, know that I love you all and will write when I can.  And getting internet will be a priority as soon as I can.  Let's just make good use of the time I have left to be visiting with you and know that it has been fun.

Your fiber artist friend,
Marsha

I've been harvesting some new materials.

Today is April 29th, Sunday.  WOW!  Where is the time going.

Anyway, I was sitting by the pool with some friend's the other day and (same friend's where I got the cool Oak center's for my basket) once again her hubby was busy putzing around in the yard.  This time he accidentally cut the wrong limb from a Queen Palm.  He meant to cut a dead ugly one, but instead got a beautiful live green one.  So I immediately sprang into action and took off the frond leaves.  They were a VIBRANT green, but then got a softer milkier look to them.  They have only dried for about a week, but here is one of the two bundles.

Here is a shot of one of these tree's.

Also, in my daily walks with my dogs I did indeed find a new growth Palmetto spear.  They come right up out of the center of the Palmetto bush and before they fan into a frond they look like a spear.  I got two small ones, love the whiteness of the new growth.  They will turn a lovely buff color with age.  I also got one about 3 ft. tall.  They kind of accordion out when you want to use them and I then split them into the size for what I need at the time.

Here is the tree.

Here is a pic of one of the smaller spears parts.  They dry out very quickly, alot quicker than I would have thought.  These are often used instead of thread by the Gullah ladies who do sweetgrass baskets in Charleston.  Much longer ones of course.

So far I am only adding in these things to my Pine needle baskets for color variations.  In this case I am not looking to make solid stripes but very much like the look of the colors swirling around which ever way they want to.

Yesterday I worked on this basket until my shoulder was really bothering me, so it is bigger than you actually see here.  In reality I have 5 founds of the added in colors of green and white along with the brown Pine.

And I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this type of Oak for the center.  It has a much different center than any of my other Oak.

Keep watching, I am also trying out Needle Tatting.

Pine Needle Basket coming right along.

April 6, 2011

I went to the Green Cove Springs, FL, Clay County Fair yesterday.  I went with my friend Max and her daughter to do demonstrations.  They did bead weaving and I did Pine Needle basket coiling.  A fun time was had by all and I was pleasantly surprised to find so many people interested in the basket work.  Unfortunately I didn't think to take my camera...

I took several examples of my work.  Two that I made last year or so, the red and black one and the one I did with copper wire and Ivy vine.  Max brought along 3 pieces that I had done for her and her family.  The 'fruit bowl' blue and green, the little purple and blue one I made for her daughter and my only waxed piece a trivet.

I took examples of different types of Pine needles, I even collected some the day before on a nice long bicycle ride.  I also took my books and lots of different center pieces along with examples of threads and cards in case anyone wanted to find me.

The weather was gorgeous and I took my 'triangle basket' to work on.  So I thought you might like to see what I have so far.

This shot is from the top. The green stripe is some grass my room mate pulled for me.  I believe it is Muly grass, also know as sweet grass.

Here it is from an angle so that you can see how deep it is so far.  It is a little over 2 in. and I am shooting for 3...I think.  I have incorporated green Long Leaf Pine needle's that Dana sent me from Georgia.  Wish I had some more.

This one is the bottom so you can see how much my stitching has improved.  :-))))

As you can see it is around 9 in. at it's widest.

I have another center like this one with the holes already drilled.  My intentions, always subject to modification ya know, is to make another just like it, only a little bit larger diameter.  Then I will turn it upside down and place it over this one and it will serve as a top.  That way I have to independent baskets or one with a nice tight lid.  We'll see how it goes.

I am using waxed linen on this one and I must tell you it is much easier to work with than the unwaxed threads, even when I drag them over the was they are not as nice as this is.  Unfortunately this is the only color I can get her locally and I am getting a bit tired of brown.  It also comes in very small pkgs.  20 yards for $1.99 at Hobby Lobby, I am already on the 4th pkg at this point.  I may have to break down and order some from off line.  I am just not sure whether I want to order alot in the same color or lots of colors????

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

TADA!

Today is April 25th and I am not feeling particularly inspired of late.

I did complete my triangular basket, so without further adoooooo...

My Wedge weave.

April 5, 2012

This is an old Navajo weave done at an angle.  It usually creates a scalloped edge, but for some reason mine stayed pretty consistently straight.  I think it has to do with the fact that for so many years I worked so hard at NOT having scalloping on my edge/selvedge. I think I, simply out of habit worked too hard in this case, to keep my tension consistent.  LOL

I absolutely love the colors, they are very Spring like.  Unfortunately, until I was already well into the weaving I had thought this was cotton yarn.  My mistake, the white is cotton, but the green and pink are 100% acrylic.  Way tooooooo spongey for my liking.  Makes great throw blankets, not such great tapestry weaving.

It was a learning process and while I found the tapestry weaving on a frame loom much easier on my body than the backstrap has been since the car accident, I bored with it quickly.  I just can't seem to get inspired to weave.  But I do like it for a little table topper!

Pine needle basket weaving/coiling.

March 29, 2011

I haven’t been doing much in the way of weaving here lately. But I do keep plugging away at my Pine basket work.

This one is for me. I am going to make myself a basket for my ‘basket tools’. The center is Oak and I have tried some of the local grasses…the green part that you see. I think it is Muly grass, also known as sweetgrass. It measures 9 1/2 in. x 8 1/4 in. so far. Of course I have my quality control personnel on duty also.

I have another piece of this same wood and I may even try my hand at a lid for this basket...I am just not sure I can get the shapes to match up even though the centers are roughly the same size and shape...we'll see!

Back to my roots...Tapestry weaving.

March 10, 2012

As most of you know I have been in something of a creative funk.  My mojo has been broken for just about everything except the Pine basket weaving.  I do love making baskets, but to be honest it gets redundant at times just going around and around and around.  Especially since I am now in the process of making the second commission basket...which is in the same colors as 4 others.  Five baskets in the same colors and stitch are getting the better of me.  I was craving some fiber arts.

So in that vein I tried to work on my backstrap.  I have a white and charcoal double weft double weave piece going...just couldn't get into it.  I tried lashing to the frame, hooking up to the table, etc...nothing was satisfying me at all.  Not to mention it crowds up my room and further more makes my injured shoulder ache.

Sooooooo I went to Home Depot, bought some wood and threaded rods and made myself a smaller version of my (waaaaayyyyyyy to large for my room) larger tapestry loom.  Now I have warped it up and put it right onto the little table Carol bought me for $5 at a thrift store in Georgia.  (Best little weaving table ever, home made out of scrap so you can't "hurt" it, and it folds up when not in use.)

I haven't been particularly inspired to do something specific so I just went with what yarns I had here available...lots of cotton of course.  lol  Wash cloth bright white cotton for warp and then I needed to decide on a technique...i.e. a pictorial (not my best thing), cartoon, graph, stripes, well you get the picture.

Then I had an AHA moment.  I remembered that I had read about 'Wedge weaving' on ravelry in the Saori group forum.  Having done alot of weaving similar I thought I would give the formal instructions a try.  The technique is associated with the Navajo Indians and it is supposed to give a scalloped edge to the finished product once it is off of the loom.  So not alot of worries about the edges being perfectly straight.  Remembering of course that straight edges are most difficult in tapestry weaving.  

So far so good, I have pictures of the first part of the weave.  I am using directions from the Rachel Brown book "Weaving, Spinning and Dyeing Book".  I even like the colors, the pin and the green are Acrylic and wool, I have no idea what made me think they were cotton....But anyway, the colors go well together and I am excited to get to the next section where the diagonals will go in the other direction.

I have no particular plans for this piece when it is complete.  It is 7 1/2 in. wide and the warp is 38 in. long.  I can't wait to see if the sides scallop like they are supposed to!  

Stay tuned, and I will keep you posted.

Update:

So far when I loosen the tension there is no scalloping.

 

Completed Pine basket.

March 6, 2012

 

I have completed the first of the two commissioned Pine needle baskets.  I was asked to duplicate the one I did for my sister...you know, the one I forgot to take pictures of before I gifted it to her.

So here is a picture of what it looked like, for the most part.  The center is Pine branch slice like hers, but the wrapped coil was the absolute first coil done.  I couldn't get it to work this time, so after days of effort and frustration, I just did a couple of rows of stitch work and then wrapped.

The russet is #10 mercerized cotton crochet thread double stranded and the dark brown is waxed linen.  I used closed coil wrapping, the v stitch and the fern stitch.  It has a 7 in. base and 2 in. tall sidewalls.

I absolutely love working with the waxed linen.  It is really too bad I can only find it in dark brown here in St. Augustine.  Even then I found it at the local Hobby Lobby, and as we all know I work at Michaels.  lol  None to be had there although we do have the artificial sinew aplenty.

Pics...From the top.

From the side...

From the bottom, believe it or not my signature and the date is signed on the back.  So sorry for the glare.  I wax the wooden center's and I couldn't get any better shot than this.  In this next one I also think you can see some of the green needles I like to incorporate.  I dry them in the house so that they retain their color.  I am told that with time they will turn brown, but kept out of direct sunlight the green lasts a very long time.

Still one more to go.  I think I might reverse the color of the threads next time.  Dark brown for the body and russet for the trim.  (I am a bit bored with these colors in general, I think this is the 5th basket using russet as my base color.  I am indeed looking forward to using another color when these two baskets are completed.)  The center will probably be Cedar.  Stay tuned folks, same bat time, same bat channel.  LOL

New tapestry loom's.

March 3, 2012

I have assembled a few new smaller tapestry looms...however, I am still very uninspired to weave.  All of my supplies have been put away for a while.

I just thought you might like to see the loom itself.  I sit comfortable with this in my lap in my recliner.  The part closes to me rests on the arm rests and the end down at my knee's is on legs to make it at a slight incline.

I have since reassembled this loom with different parts and the weaving itself was cut off and discarded.

Back to Pine needle baskets. 

My friend's have been busy.

February 28, 2012

My friend's have been busy.  Especially the ones with power tools.  Below you will see pictures of sliced tree limbs with drilled holes for Pine needle basket center's.  I am fully loaded up for a while!

I have some round Oak that was cut for a childhood project for Cub Scouts and sat around in my friend's shed for many years .   (I heard him outside with a chain saw while I was visiting and asked if he could slice a branch for me.) Since he already had the wood all her husband only had to drill the holes for me.  Beautiful, and already dry and seasoned. 

I also got the thrill of seeing some of my first cross stitch and crochet pieces in their home being used as we speak, years after making them.  It makes me so very proud. :-)

Then I had already called another friend and asked him during one of his trips to the woods (he is an avid outdoors-man) to keep an eye out for a piece of Cedar for me.  He cut and drilled about 25 pieces for me. Some I even stripped the bark off of.  WOOOHOOOOO!  

We were cooking out using some split Oak instead of charcoal and I asked for a couple of slices of it also.  They are a little larger and triangular in shape.  I hope I can actually get a different shape than just round with those.  I can pine needle coil for a long time with all of these centers.  I really like the aesthetic that they give to the basket.

Here are a couple pictures of my loot.  At the top are the Cedar slices.  Of course you can see the triangular ones and they are Oak.  Then you see the round seasoned Oak...the little squiggles are bark from some of the Cedar.  At the very bottom my last two pieces of Pine slice.  They will all be sanded of course and I have found that the sap in the Pine is very difficult to sand without an electric sander (too bad mine is in storage).  I am doing them by hand and that is why I am looking into other wood options.  The fact that they are free is incentive also.  I do favor the Pine though in keeping with the Pine 'theme'.  My labor, the sanding, is free also...lol.

Here are some close ups...later I will show them to you when they have been sanded as an 'after' shot.

And guess what?  My sister showed mine off and as a result I have two small commission baskets to do!  I think I will make a few samples and place a sign in her restaurant and at her booth in the farmer's market for 'Customized Pine baskets', your choice of thread color, type of wood center and size.  Wish me luck.

Finally! Weaving!!!!

 February 22, 2012

I finally finished my piece that has been on the loom bars since before the car accident in November.  And I have also warped up a piece for dbl wft dbl wf (embedded double weave).

Here is the simple warp float piece from November.  I just had no inspiration at all and wanted to see if I could manage to weave with the injury to the shoulder.  However, I do love simple warp floats and the colors here just pop against one another.  I did do something new and leave the stripes inside the motif, and warp floats galore on the outside.  Just simple diamond's but good practice.  All in all I am pleased.

 It will be made into an envelope bag.  Here I did a test run of the folding.

The dbl wv is in bright white and charcoal gray...so far I have only done my signature heart as I have two commissions for pine needle baskets I had to get a start on.  No pics of those in the other thread as they will be as close to the first one that the lady saw as possible.  Boring, but money is money, I am glad for the work at all.

As for this weaving, I have 19 pattern threads (after creating border's that hide the weft well) and am trying to decide on whether to do something of my own in motif or maybe some Bedouin motif's from Laverne's charts.

Yesterday I got a wonderful couple of phone calls from Georgia.  I sent my socks that were a little too big for me to my friend Dana, you remember the two tone blue and teal ones done not long ago, and I sent her fella Steve a Pine needle basket.  Both were well appreciated and I feel good to have been able to do something nice for my friend's.

All in all a good day!


 

A little chit chat and update !

February 16, 2012

After several trips to the Emergency room I think I have now been properly diagnosed and I am on the mend.  I am back to 2 walks a day with my pup's and I am not in bed all day or in pain.  YAHHHHOOOOO!!!!!

Yesterday a friend took me to have breakfast at my sister's cafe and I gifted her the latest Pine needle basket.  Last week I gifted her a couple of weaving's I did for her while I was in Georgia.  One was the diamond Celtic knot work pattern I got from Laverne's blog.  My sister loved it and the basket, saying that my weaving  just keeps getting better.  Too bad I have no inspiration for it of late.  I did manage to complete the warp that was put on the backstrap back a day before I got hit by a car on November 7.  That warp is #3 maize yellow, #10 myrtle green and #10 royal blue.  I just did simple pick ups, and the band is 32 in. with fringe and 2 in. wide.  It will probably be made into an envelope bag as the colors are wonderful together.

But as usual, I digress.  After breakfast we ran a few errands and then went out to gather pine needles.  We went to the woods where I used to live to find that roads had been paved and you couldn't even tell where my mobile home used to sit.  Bummer.  As a result most of the pine needles we gathered were green and it was difficult going as I was in sandals and we had to tromp through the woods.  Another bummer, briars and it is so warm here that the snakes are definitely already out.  We didn't see any, but were very aware of our feet.

One of the most delightful moments of the day was when we found a piece of a Pine tree on the ground with its star like blooms still attached...what was surprising was that instead of the usual brown or gold color these were the most beautiful shades of purple and lavender.  They were stunning and breathtaking.  I can't believe I didn't think to take out my camera and get a shot of it.  If I can find a shot like it on the web I will post it.

Found one.  It says on the pic that this is a Slash pine bloom.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=pine+tree+blooms&view=detail&id=BB8A1652A94E02F8B1B25F8A7DCCC807E0248336&first=0&qpvt=pine+tree+blooms&FORM=IDFRIR 

Won't let me copy the picture but here is the link.  Notice that purple/lavender.

Work has taken many changes and I have a job on a technicality that went in my favor after missing so much work.  

I did pick up some needle point for a couple of days, thinking it would be physically easier and less messy in my space, but alas, I am just not fiber inspired at this point I guess.  I think maybe there is a little burn out going on here due to the fact that I was totally submerged in it while in Georgia.  Loving every minute of it of course, but maybe I am just out of steam for a little while.  Weaving has always been my creative mainstay so I am sure it will return at some point.

Meanwhile, I am the pine needle Queen!  I started another basket day before yesterday, and didn't like the results so I took it apart and then got sidetracked without trip to the woods.  I spent the rest of the day organizing and removing the tops of the pine needle sheaths.  I like to get them all ready before I start the assembling of the basket.

So for today, the plan is to start the basket over and watch a little tube while hanging out with my pup's.  Lacy is getting so old and she hasn't been feeling well of late.  Wiggles on the other hand keeps me pretty busy lol.  

That reminds me, it is time for a puppy hug...

Marsha

Update:


Steve and Dana received their pkg.  A Pine basket for him and hand knitted socks for Dana.  Both were well received and I am so proud to think of them using these pieces on a daily basis.

Closed coiling on Pine Needle basket.

January 23, 2011

I have decided to make myself a basket for my Pine needle coiling tools.  It will be on the large side, made with both FL and GA pine needles.  I have a very nice Pine slice for the center and I am experimenting with various threads.  

I am going to attempt to make holes along the top rim for sliding my scissors, pliers and such into.  I am thinking of making a small pin cushion and mounting it onto the basket somehow also.  This basket will be larger than my previous creations and I think it should have a lid/top and handle.  

So far I have tried polished hemp in deep dark brown, hated it, drags too much to make traditional stitches no matter what I slick it up with.  I have tried paraffin, soy wax and even thread heaven, NOTHING MAKES IT WORKABLE.  :-(  I did accomplish some wrapping with it, but I have no desire to try to work with it again  with Pine needle work, so this would be the only spot of it...not much for help for the design factor, so I will probably redo this basket start...again...already done it several times.  I also discovered that the wrapping, since it completely covers the 'core'(i.e. pine needles) takes much more time than the already time consuming stitching....bummer.  I also like being able to see the pine needles...so I switched to the v stitch in my faithful #10 double threaded Russett (while I love the color I am a bit tired of it since I have been using it so much, bummer again).  Then I went back to the coiling in #3 Copper Mist. 

My thoughts were, dark brown, medium brown, light brown.  Not looking like it did in my head and I can't make up my mind if I even like it.  Notice that the anchor stitch of the copper mist wrapping, goes down into the Russet...don't like that at all.

I am posting a picture, but it may vanish after today.  I put it aside for a couple of days and I don't like it any better today than I did when I put it down.

Feb 16, 2012 update!


Took this apart and re-worked the entire thing.  It turned out beautiful, but I have gifted it to my baby sister and not only did I forget to take pictures, I forgot to sign the back :-( !  But she loved it and I have started another.

Inspiring friend.

March 10, 2012

As all of you know I follow a blog called "Backstrap Weaving", by Laverne Waddington.  Her last post was about teachers and it got me to thinking...about my teachers.

Although Laverne is one of them, I have another who lives closer to my heart and her name is KraftyMax.  I was a nail tech for years and Max was one of my very faithful clients.  We have been friend's ever since. There came a time when she asked me to be in her wedding, of course I said yes and that has been many years ago.  I have know her since before marriage and children and still find her to be an incredible artist and influence in not only my art, but my day to day life as well.

She is such a generous spirit.  One day, after taking a bad fall off the top of my dump truck (in another life I operated heavy equipment) and being out of work for over a year Max said to me "Look what my mom sent me!"  It was  Mirrix loom and Christmas was fast approaching, and I had noooooo money.  Since Max does bead work, bead work is what I started out doing.  Weaving beads as a matter of fact.  One day I tried yarn instead of beads...and I have never looked back.  I actually never wove beads again either, lol.  She has helped enable all of my arts to be honest.  Everything from cross stitch to sock knitting.

When that loom had to be returned I decided to build myself one, thinking, and not knowing any better, that any loom should do any weave structure.  Whatever, I didn't even know what a weave structure was at the time.  But build one I did!  A Navajo loom, with enough time and reading (Thank heaven for the internet, cause we don't see much info about weaving here in St. Aug., FL) I also made modifications.  Bought and refinished a piano stool to sit up to my loom on, had friends gift me things like spindle's and Navajo hand carved fork's.  And yarn, forget about it, I had, and still have tons to choose from Thanks to the same folks.  I was being enabled all over the place.  lol

Yep, it is friend's like Max who make the world go 'round.  I don't know what I would do without her and I hope that I contribute to her life in some small way also.

There are many others who have taught me and inspired me along the way, but Max was the first.  I love you Max, I hope I remember to say it often enough.  

Here you can see a piece of her beautiful hand bead woven work.  She only does one of a kind pieces that she designs herself and beads them herself.  I love these little neck purse's!

Steve's basket and some new books.

January 18, 2012

Started a new basket 2 days ago.  This one will be for my friend Dana's fella, a place for him to empty out his pockets when he comes home at night.

His favorite color is green and I used a Poplar center.  Here is what I have so far.

I have the best, most supportive friend's in the world.  Last week I got pine straw in the mail from Georgia, this week I got two basket weaving books from Max in Jacksonville.  I love you guys.

Both books are very informative.  The one on the right is superb for letting me know what to harvest from my surroundings to continue my basket experimenting.

I also went out and cut my first bamboo for playing around with.  I had no idea it would be so tough while so thin and tiny.  I also had no idea it would be yellow.

So now I have Georgia Long leaf pine needles, Florida pine needles, split leaf philodendron sheath harvested from the yard, sliced pine and poplar buttons for starter points, bamboo (don't you just love the little knobs!) and palm frond.  I am on the look out for Muly grass (aka Sweet grass ).  Look out boys and girls!  Here she comes.

Pine needle basket weaving/coiling.

January 18, 2012

I thought I would just throw out some of my experience's on the learning curve of Pine needle basket weaving.

One of the things I think needs clarification is the name "Pine Needle Basket Weaving".  Notice how I always place the word 'coiling' after 'weaving', the reason for this is that there is no actual WEAVING going on here.  I can't even imagine how it got that name.  

In reality it is coiling and stitching, more akin to sewing than anything else...maybe embroidery and cross stitch as the stitches are decorative. This is why I always differentiate this title.  I have only seen one book that clarifies that this is not weaving, there is no over and under, only stitching and feeding more pine needles into the coil.  The method is actually very simplistic, the rest is all design element.  That is why the resulting basket is so very personally related to the person constructing it.  This is also in all probability why I love it so very much.

The tools are minimal, and are usually already on hand, especially if you are artsie fartsie (crafty) at all.

You need pine needles (I collect them myself and use rubber bands to bundle them with all of the heads at the same end), of course, a needle, and thread (or even raffia)at a minimum.  Some people dampen the pine needles to start with, and then wrap them in a towel to keep them moist.  A couple of times mine molded, and so I don't dampen them any more.  I us center's for most of my baskets that are large enough that I don't need the pine needle to bend to the point that it cracks or breaks.  I also find that I get a firmer basket if I use them dry.

I also use a gauge (a piece of cut ink pen tube, sometimes a piece of a drinking straw), a pin cushion, a small pair of pliers, scissors, wax or thread heaven, something for trash, a container for my tools  (glad ware, wicker basket or tool box even), a container for the pine needles (glad-ware again), a thimble (I keep a medal one and leather one on hand), a glove for my right hand (Playtex cleaning glove with the fingers cut off at the tip, when tightening up the stitches it is easy to cut yourself, like a paper cut, with the thread without this glove) .

So here are a few pictures to help clarify.

First off, my friend Dana sent me some Long Leaf Pine needles from Georgia.  I knew the ones I have found here in FL so far were smaller but ... OMG.  Check it out.  Not only are they longer but the difference in thickness is incredible.  The Long Leaf are heavier, say a #3 crochet thread size, and the ones I gather here are more like a #10 thread size.  Amazing.

They both work equally well, I just have to feed more pine needles in more often with the smaller ones.  Mine are somewhere between 8 to 10 in long, and the Long leaf between 14 and 16 in. long.  God love Dana for send them, and I hope to receive more.  They are expensive to buy by the way.

So here I will post a pic of some of my tools.  This is part of the left hand glove that would have been discarded.  This way I don't waste it and I can double up on thickness.  These are the fingers that get the most cuts from the threads.

This is the second layer of glove.

Home made pin cushion (steel wool wrapped with burlap in an old cheese tin), plyers, wax, thimble, scissors, #10 thread (I double it because it breaks when I don't) and a started basket.  Notice the gauge and the sliced Poplar center.  I had a friend cut and drill these for me months ago so that they could cure.  I don't care for the poplar as I see no grain, live and learn.

Glad-ware with de-capped needles ready to go.  Some were picked green and dried indoors to retain their green color.  Eventually they were brown up just as the others that were dried outside will do.  I think I recall reading that if you Shellac or varnish the basket they colors stays green...but I like the Pine scent so the most I have done is spray a little matte fixative on a basket.  I find I like my method of waxing the thread and then melting it in the microwave is more to my liking.  Makes the house smell wonderful also.

I save and use tins alot.  The round one holds my rubber bands, one has needles, one has wax.  You get the idea.  And then we see the gauge at work, this one is an ink pen tube cut to size.

And that, my friends, is my way of making pine needle baskets.

I have taken to walking my dogs in the afternoons to scour out supplies, and low and behold yesterday I found a small stand of bamboo.  The lady who owns the property says have at it, so today I cut some small bamboo to work into this process.  I am also going to add in some palm frond and vines...so stay tuned.

Same bat time, same bat channel.

Oh yes, and we can't forget the cutest pup ever has to supervise.  She is on the heating pad AND under a blanket.  You would think we lived in the Arctic instead of FL.  lol