Reserve Champion!

I entered one of my latest baskets at the Douglas County Kansas Free Fair in the Open Class Fine Arts and received Reserve Champion in the class. So exciting. Hopefully next year I can create one and move to Champion!

Is a basket perfect for a wine bottle!

Inside the basket.

4-H Knitting & Weaving Workshop

Watching a new technique!

We held a fiber arts workshop for our county 4-H'ers. It was great to be able to bring someone else in to teach so I could learn more also.

It was interesting for me since the way I was taught to knit is different then the method being taught. In order to help the youth I had to really focus on how the instructions were presented. Little tools to help them out, like making a puddle to cast on or grabbing a carrot. The idea of going through the front door, picking up your coat and going back out the door in order to make a knit stitch. Made perfect sense to some of the kids once you told them this.

After a few hours of practicing and working on our technique, many of us ended up with small washcloths made from cotton yarn. No two looked the same (mine ended up being more diamond instead of square due to an added row in the middle) but that is the great thing about knitting, every project is unique, even if you use the same pattern!

Weaving using pins, cardboard, a needle, and yarn!

In the afternoon we switched from knitting to weaving. This is something I have not done a lot of (unless you count basket weaving.) Using items many would have around their house we made little looms and made small items like bookmarks or bracelets. Seemed like it would be easy but trying to keep your tension the same and have the sides be even instead of being wider or smaller. Something to continue to work on and practice.

Baskets

I have been working on my basket weaving skills lately. Volunteered to weave a basket for a silent auction item. It has been awhile since I have made a larger basket. Didn't turn out perfect, but was still fun to make (and those in my book club were impressed.)

I also have been using up some scrapes that have accumulated. The result is a few smaller baskets (all different patterns and sizes.) I recently purchased some different materials too. The accent in the large basket above and the maroon row in the ones below. The maroon material is ficus root. Is a bit delicate but still fun to work with some new materials.

White Heart Basket

I have been working on some reed heart baskets. After a little experimenting I have found out what works and what doesn't. For my closed reed basket I use a 5/8 inch natural reed. Each one is cut to 16 inches. I did one with 4, 5, and 6 reeds on each side. The one with 5 reeds looks the best in my opinion. I can make the opening a little wider (in case it was to be used for a flower girl basket or a hanging flower basket) by stuffing in some kitchen towels while it is drying. I am working on developing instructions. Getting the time to make one while taking pictures is the key.

Here is a link to basic instructions using smaller reed.

I used round reed for lashing and flat 1/4 inch reed. I liked the look of the round reed (pictured below) while my husband decided he liked the flat reed (pictured above).

I also experimented with lashing the heart when it was still a little wet or waiting until it had fully dried. It tends to be fuller when it is fully dried and then lashed. I soak the top part of the heart (the round parts) for a minute or two before lashing it and then stuff it with some dish towels to help it maintain it's shape while drying. The opening on top is a little wider and the shape is fuller. (As you can see in the bottom picture, the one on the bottom right was lashed before the heart was fully dried.)


In order to make one white I had to do a little research. Found the best recommendation was to use white pickling. We used an one gallon Ziploc bag and poured about a cup of the pickling in it along with the reed heart. After a couple minutes of shaking to get all the surfaces covered we took it out to dry for three minutes. At this time we patted off any access (that we could get to) and then hung to dry. I later took a paint brush and hit any spots where it wasn't covered well (especially the outside surface.)

We also took a reed heart and used flat, white, spray paint. It was a little easier to cover, but when I went to put on the ribbons, the reed moves a little and you can see a line. Hard to get all of the crevices and edged covered evenly. By using the paint I was able to get a brighter, truer white.

The method I have come to use regularly is first to whitewash using the pickling and follow with a coat of the spray paint to get an even covering. Many times I also finish with a light coat of shellac (you can purchase it in a spray can, it was recommended to me to use for sealing undied or painted reed.) 

I think I like the white-wash better, especially since you can still see some of the grain of the reed. I diluted the pickling a little and the result was a light, white, almost sand colored appearance. (Top: unfinished, Bottom Left: diluted white wash, Bottom Right: white wash and paint)

Heart Basket

I had someone ask me today if one of my reed hearts could be used for a flower girl. Since the sides are open, it would not serve this purpose well. The question did get me to thinking about ways that I might be able to adapt the design or use another design to make a heart basket. While doing a little research, all I could find were Swedish heart baskets. These would work great, but are not easily made from reed.

After playing with some paper (since it is easier to manipulate and doesn't cost as much as the reed) I still hadn't come up with a solution. After more pondering I wondered if I could lash the sides together, similar to how I finish many of my baskets. I went home and started to put my idea into reality. Here is the result!