"Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 19 Compiled By David Collins Owned By Weavers Everywhere Date Sent: June 13, 1997 Subscribers: 190 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 15 Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 16:03:35 -0400 (EDT) From: JDDCNICK@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net Hello Basketfriends--My name is Donna and I have been weaving for about 16 years. I started taking classes from a community education class and have been hooked on weaving ever since. About 6 years ago I did somewhat of a "career change." I went from teaching Business Education at the high school level to teaching computer applications at the high school level. It is certainly hard to teach old dogs new tricks!! I love working with computers though--they sure beat the old typewriters, and I have never had so much fun teaching. It does take a lot of time to keep up with all of the new software and applications, but I am finally seeing daylight and have gotten back into basketweaving as much as I can. This idea is wonderful--sharing thoughts and ideas. David, you are truly a patient man to try to keep up with all of this--thanks so much. I'm looking forward to the next issue and hope they just keep on coming. Thanks again. Donna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 18 Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 18:40:45 -0400 From: "Carty's" To: davidc@iei.net References: 1 Jayna, I think your antler baskets will come out just fine. I just finished a huge antler basket. Someone traded me a huge deer antler from NM I turned it into a huge basket.(27" across and about 20" high) I am going to my first Pow Wow with my baskets on June 21st. I am doing an ash pounding and weaving demo there are not many native people in my area who weave anymore. I love showing people how to weave I usually start an 18inch egg basket and then let everyone help weave it. The kids really like helping me to weave. I have alot of weaving to do tonight. Hope everyone is having good weather now. Take Care Mary Carty South Jersey Piney http://www.imagegfx.com/users/pinelands/ Baskets & Dulcimers P.S. I finally got my Moose antlers now all I have to do is get the time to weave the basket. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Weaver's Words Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 19:52:59 -0400 From: "Joy Moody" To: Hello weavers! Greetings from beautiful Hampden, Maine. The weather here has been glorious & I have moved from my indoor studio to the informal barn studio where I can look out on the green fields. Judy: I recently received gourd information from Anne Blankenship of The Gourd Connection. Her E-Mail is: alohaipu@pacbell.net She also suggested contacting the American Gourd Society, box 274, Mt. Gilead, OH 43338-0274, phone/fax (419)362-6446 & says they have an inexpensive fee to join & a quarterly publication which has valuable information. Do you cut gourds for jewelry & carve in designs? Diane: I have not subscribed yet, but Joanne Jackson shared in a earlier issue that Basket Bits can be reached here: P.O. Box 8, Loudonville, OH 44942-0008. Tim Rutherford is the publisher. Publication sign-ups is one of those things on my desk to do. I haven't seen any basketry magazines here in Maine. Marie: You asked about spray stain. I have used Deft. It's put out by Deft, Inc. of Irvine, CA and Alliance, OH. I buy it locally through T. Taskets, Main Street, Winterport, ME 04496, (207) 223-5159. I've used Salem Maple, Golden Oak, and Modern Walnut all with good results. It is not cheap ($7.95 a can) & be sure to have plenty of ventilation. Some people say they spray as many as 8 or 10 baskets from one can, but I say, "No way!" That would be a "mist" only. For full coverage, I've used one can for a Tote (maybe it's because I was using the lighter colors?). The most coverage I've gotten is for 1 1/2 baskets. It IS nice though. Last but not least: David, I checked out your site & your work is beautiful! Your creativity is obviously not limited to mechanical engineering! Thanks for sharing. Your mom is undoubtedly proud. Happy Weaving till next time! JOY Moody Sign of the Crow Hampden, Maine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 18 Date: Wed, 11 Jun 1997 20:13:49 -0400 (EDT) From: Bskcreed@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net Several have asked about the Willowe's web site. This is a growing site with new patterns added daily. They have a great selection of patterns & supplies, Many of their patterns feature custom made wooden lids - some plain and some laser etched with hearts, baskets, checkerboards, etc. They are wonderful. Check them out. You'll be glad you did. Willowe's Basketry http://www.qth.com/willowes Lynn Pawley Indianapolis, IN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: INTRO Date: 12 JUN 97 01:20:14 EST From: PAT STEINMETZ To: David, Thank you for including me in "Weavers Words". It is so great to be connected with fellow weavers. This is just to cool. I guess you could say that I have been lurking. Actually, someone has been printing out Weavers Words" for me to read. It is only recently that I have found a way to actively participate. I am Pat Steinmetz and I live on the southside of Indianapolis, Indiana. Have been weaving for about 4 years. I attended IBA for the first time this year and had a great time. Lora Khoury, you and Karen did a superb job putting it all together. This is short but, duty calls. I work full time at a hospital on the midnight shift and my pager just went off. Hope to chat more later. Pat in Indy. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 14 Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 02:55:19 EDT From: froggestow@juno.com (Roberta R Comstock) To: davidc@iei.net References: 1 Lois Keener: It's good to know you're feeling better, even though it wasn't chicken pox. I'm also glad to hear a happy ending (of sorts) to the birdhouse story. It'll be good for you not to have to see it all the time. Joy Moody: In Alaska, I've seen chairs made of moose racks. A basket would be huge, and heavy! What a concept! But from the sound of it, not necessarily bigger than the one you're working on! What materials are you using? Is it mobile, or are you weaving it in place with the stakes anchored on a permanent base? Be sure to tell us how it turns out, please! I'll try to find the book I've got that includes a lot of birch bark and let you know what it is later this month. When the 'Treasures of the Czars' exhibit came to Topeka, KS, a year or so ago, one of the things I bought in the museum's special exhibit gift shop is a pair of little cylindrical birch bark containers with lids. They have wooden bases and simple designs pressed (or maybe stamped?) into the bark. I also saw a lot of birch bark baskets on the Alaska trip. I bought a small one - not quite as big as a pint berry box. It's kind of square at the bottom and has a rounded rim lashed on. The seams are laced together. Of course, the basket materials I collected on that trip are still tucked away waiting for me to decide what to make of them. Lisha Kimball: I had to laugh about the stupid little frogs made of nuts and bolts, too! Of all the frogs I have in my collection, there's not a one anything like that! On a more somber note, the lawsuit thing sounds really scary! Reminds me of the huge malpractice premiums my ex-husband had to start paying as soon as he got out of medical school back in '65. I know its even worse now. People sue each other over the stupidest things, sometimes. But you can't just crawl into a cocoon and not go out to interact. As much as I enjoy dyeing, maybe I should dye reed for others....? Hmmm. another potential project to consider. My big problem there though would be the marketing. I'm not a salesperson At All! (Couldn't even sell cookies when I was a Girl Scout!) Lora Khoury: HI! Hope your trip home from KC was uneventful. I really enjoyed your class Friday night. I actually did finish my basket (at last!). I was the caboose of the class, I'm sure. I ended up taking my gretchen border out twice before I got it done satisfactorily. It isn't perfect, but I managed not to break any of the reeds, and it's not bad for a first attempt. At least it won't be an embarrassment when people want to look at it closely. I'm thinking about maybe a pewter gray dye for the basket to go with the navy blue border. And then I'll add an ornament (in lieu of the heart), probably a bit of macramé with an ozark water-pierced stone and some bits of freshwater mussel shell. (I've been telling people what a good time the convention was, and I've probably mis-spelled your last name several different ways in the process. I apologize. Next time I'll get it right.) Gail Johnson: Thanks for the supplier addresses! I gathered a lot of information at the Missouri convention, but your suggestions still look worth pursuing. Especially if I start doing more weaving later this year. To all: This may be my last post for a week or more. First, I'm going to be attending a 9-day medieval war, camping with a couple thousand fellow history buffs. There's a lot more to it than just battles and tournaments: archery. heraldry, classes in many different topics, song and dance and stories around the bardic fires, merchants of all kinds, pageantry, feasting, fun and games! I plan to get a fair amount of basket weaving done there while visiting with friends I don't get to see often enough. One of my students is hosting a natural dye workshop, and I'll probably do some herb walks on request (I lead groups out and about and teach them to identify plants that were used historically for many things.) Second, my email server (Juno) has upgraded its software this week and now I can send messages, but it won't retrieve all my incoming mail, just an occasional handful of messages. I am not amused by all this. I sure hope it's fixed by the time we get home! Time to set my busiest list (not this one) to digest now. More later. Bert Comstock Independence, MO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 18 Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 07:34:22 -0400 From: "RON & ANN " To: Hi all, I finally found a few minutes to sit down and read the latest issues of this great list and noticed my last message must have been one of those now floating around cyberspace. Exams have begun at school. I'm home today marking a set of grade 11 chemistry papers (oh there will be tears I'm sure) but as it is only 7:00 a.m. I thought I'd get the day off to a good start with a message to my basket weaving buddies. Oh once the holidays begin in earnest I hope to be weaving up a storm. FORREST: Thanks for your tips on bending the wire for basket handles. I am assuming that I'm to hammer the nails in from the underside of the wood so I'll be free of the nailheads when I try to slip off my handle. With respect to your Bavarian wildflower meadow creation. Did you do that with traditional tools and your form? or did you use your Uri Geller mind bending techniques???(VBG) Just you wait Bud by summer's end I'll have produced a northern lake with canoe, 2 paddlers (one with traditional beaver tail paddle the other an otter tail), moose cow and calf, dragonflies overhead and a light mist on the water :o))))) I might just throw in a Black Diamond tent logo and all !!! LOL---Hard to get too down on you though, I love your name. All of our 4 kids have botanical names (Linnaea, Cedar, Larkin, and Silken) and the last was to have been Forest but lo and behold he was a she and Forestte just didn't cut it. In regards to your idea of using antlers for hood ornamentation---BE CAREFUL. A couple of years ago my husband strapped a set of longhorns on the hood of our car for a trip into Toronto to our gourmet club meeting. (if truth be told it's become a get together and eat club) The theme for the dinner was Texas BBQ. Well I tell you the looks we got, both angry and amused, driving across Toronto were something else. You may find that Grace will tend to travel as I did ---below the dashboard ! MARY IRVINE--I obviously didn't make it to Focus. I found out about it too late and even then I'm pretty certain my principal wouldn't have allowed me the time off being so close to the end of the school year. I really want to make it to one convention/festival before too long. Here's my question to all you experienced souls. What is your favourite basket get together? Why? What does it feature? I am a complete neophyte to these I have NO idea what goes lon at them? I'm sure there are others like me. Could you share your experience with us so we can get to one and make it really worth our while? Mary, your Haida baskets sound wonderful. Is there a good book on these? One that covers the different materials and the actual basket creation?? Well I'd best sign off now. If I can get through my marking I may still be able to weave a basket before the kids get home from school/the sitters Weave well and Keep well. Ann Moum Orangeville, Ontario Canada rjasiuk@headwaters.com @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: spacing Date: Thu, 12 Jun 1997 10:36:30 -0400 (EDT) From: Bsktjoe@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net David: In reference to my previous e-mail to you about spacing; I down loaded the back issues that you made available to us. I printed #3 w/ my word processor and had awkward spacing. I then reviewed the document with "show all characters", removed the pertinent "Enter" key symbols and printed the document again. This time it printed properly. I think many subscribers are using the "Enter" key at the end of the lines in their e-mail instead of letting "Word wrap" take them to the next line automatically. Normally the "Enter" key should only be used at the end of a paragraph. I know it is time consuming to manually remove those symbols, but this may solve the mystery for you. A little about my wife & I. Kate has been weaving for approximately 10 years. I assisted her for the first few years by cutting out material and staining. (I make my own black walnut stain). I retired from NCR Corporation about 4 or 5 years ago and got involved with the basket business full time. I weave Nantuckets and Kate weaves flat reed. We participate in a few craft shows, give lessons in both types of baskets and have baskets on consignment in a few up-scale gift shops in the tourist areas of Rhode Island. I smiled reading that one subscriber hates making Nantucket rims. I enjoy very much making the rims and doing the other wood work such as making bases. I feel that a well constructed rim "makes" a basket that otherwise may be mediocre. When I make a rim where I have a hard time finding the joint I feel I've done a pretty good job. A hint for Nantucket weavers: If you're making staves from dried oak, put them into a pressure cooker for about 10 minutes. They become pretty flexible. I think this is superior to soaking in hot water or boiling in a kettle. Just be careful that you don't get a steam burn. Use some kitchen tongs to remove the staves from the cooker. Work w/ 1 stave at a time, leaving the rest of them in the hot water in the cooker. They lose their flexibility rather quickly. Joe & Kate Conroy Exeter, RI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Jewelry Gourds Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 09:45:00 -0400 (EDT) From: DKallner@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net In Vol. 1 Issue 18, Judy Sanford asked about jewelry gourds. I asked the same question on Shirley's list, so I'll try to pass some of it along. Theresa Williams (hello, Theresa!) sent me some very helpful information about growing gourds and the Indiana Gourd Society. The membership secretary (as of 7/95) is Dallas Lunsford, 317 Maple Court, Kokomo, IN 46902, and the president is Ron Blair, 10901 W 1300 N, Gaston, IN 47342. There is also an American Gourd Society (PO Box 274, Mt. Gilead, OH 43338). I started my gourd seeds indoors the third week in April (I live in northern Wisconsin, where we expect frost until the end of May and aren't surprised by it any other time). As Theresa suggested, I started my seeds in cottage cheese containers to give them plenty of room to grow. They're in the garden now on vertical trellises, and looking good. Here's hoping for a long growing season this year! I don't think we have a long enough season for anything larger than jewelry gourds, but I sure have hopes for these little guys. I have also purchased jewelry gourds from The Caning Shop in Berkeley, CA (800/544-3373). They are 1-2" in diameter and have already been cleaned, and sell for $2 each. I've received several different shapes from them. Hope this helps. Donna Kallner White Lake, Wisconsin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: Ella Mae King's request Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 10:00:40 -0400 (EDT) From: Boo1Sue2@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net I tried to send you info on basketweaving guilds in the Atlanta area for your friend but got a return with "user unknown".............send me correct e-mail or snail mail address and I will be happy to resend it Patsy Jabaley, Alpharetta, GA Boo1Sue2@aol.com @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: my turn Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 14:25:34 -0700 From: Terri Brenner To: davidc@iei.net David, Thanks for keeping this list going. I've enjoyed keeping up with everyone's comments. I keep highlighting things I want to respond to or ask about, but my stack of printed issues is getting sky high and I'm not too organized and now I can't remember what most of those items were! I've been weaving for about 5 years and my favorite are traditional styles...Shaker, Nantuckets, etc. I like plain and simple. Unfortunately, I find that those types don't sell as well...don't know if it's because they're more expensive or that most people are attracted to colorful styles. Anyway, I make the "production" baskets to pay for my habit and make the ones I really like whenever I can. My husband likes my pay for itself hobby because it's also paid to support his '66 Corvette habit. And I mean HABIT! I still have trouble understanding why a perfectly fine looking part needs to be replaced and why such small things can cost so much, but what do I know. But then again, he has trouble understanding why I would pay a lot of money for a white oak or ash basket that he thinks I could make myself. Someone asked in the last issue about liability insurance. Well, I happen to work for an insurance company (one of the reasons I need to weave!). Here's the deal. If you are teaching a class at your own or someone else's home AND YOU ARE BEING PAID FOR IT, it is considered a "business pursuit." Most homeowners policies specifically exclude coverage for incidents arising out of a business pursuit. You need a special rider, for an additional cost, to cover your business. It's usually not that expensive. If you just have a get-together at your home to weave and you're not being paid, your homeowner's policy should cover any incidents that might arise. Someone also asked in a recent issue about the formula for diluting oil based stain. I use DeftOil or Min-Wax most of the time. If I need to lighten the color, I use equal parts of mineral spirits and linseed OR tung oil until I have the color I want. You can use just mineral spirits...it's a lot cheaper, but I find that it also takes away the sheen that I like so well from an oil based stain. Be careful with the linseed oil...make sure you dispose of your rags properly. I have tried the aerosol stain from the Weavery and I really like it. It's a bit on the expensive side. I just bought a can of DeftOil aerosol from Gratiot Lake Basketry that was a lot cheaper, but I haven't tried it yet. A few days ago I mailed in my registration for the Michigan convention. Can't wait! It's going to be a long summer!!! I was really impressed with the choices this year...a lot of new ideas and new instructors (to me anyway!). I'd love to get together with fellow listers while we're there! Thanks again, David, for all your hard work to keep this group together. Terri Brenner Cincinnati, OH @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: Ella Mae King's request Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 10:00:40 -0400 (EDT) From: Boo1Sue2@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net I tried to send you info on basketweaving guilds in the Atlanta area for your friend but got a return with "user unknown".............send me correct e-mail or snail mail address and I will be happy to resend it Patsy Jabaley, Alpharetta, GA Boo1Sue2@aol.com @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 6 Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 08:01:23 -0400 (EDT) From: KGSUNSHINE@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net Hi David! My name is Karen Gray and I live in Mascoutah, IL. I have been weaving for about 11 years and love it. Unfortunately my busy family keep me from weaving as much as I'd like, but I manage to get time. I enjoy flat reed weaving as opposed to round reed weaving. For Debbie Duval, I live about 35 minutes from St Charles/St Louis. I wanted to go to the June Convention in KC, but alas, my husband runs the Air Show at Scott AFB and it is the same weekend. Hopefully, next year..... David, thanks for keeping all us basket addicts in touch! Karen Gray kgsunshine@aol.com @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 6 Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 08:01:23 -0400 (EDT) From: KGSUNSHINE@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net Hi David! My name is Karen Gray and I live in Mascoutah, IL. I have been weaving for about 11 years and love it. Unfortunately my busy family keep me from weaving as much as I'd like, but I manage to get time. I enjoy flat reed weaving as opposed to round reed weaving. For Debbie Duval, I live about 35 minutes from St Charles/St Louis. I wanted to go to the June Convention in KC, but alas, my husband runs the Air Show at Scott AFB and it is the same weekend. Hopefully, next year..... David, thanks for keeping all us basket addicts in touch! Karen Gray kgsunshine@aol.com @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Rust and Dyes Date: Fri, 13 Jun 1997 20:18:47 -0400 From: "Kim Renich" To: Hello Everyone, To answer Betty's questions from issue 16, I rarely use pastel colors because they fade so quickly. When I use colors that are too bright (such as Rit mauve) I tone them down with a dab of Tan. Depending on the color I'm going for, I'll sometimes use Gray instead. That might work with Peach as well. For the rust, I don't know how to PREVENT rust on the wires, but if you'll use a paper towel or rag with a little cooking oil on it, just wipe the wire and it will come off. Kim Too Hot in NC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If for any you would ever like to cancel your subscription, simply send me a message with "unsubscribe" as your subject.