"Weavers Words" Vol. 3 Iss. 108 Date Sent: February 24, 2000 Web Page: http://members.xoom.com/dgcollins/ Subscribers: 1329 David Collins 408 North Devon Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46219 Phone: (317) 899-5747 Fax: (520) 222-0391 davidc@iei.net %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Do You Like Weavers Words? Click Below To "Recommend-It" To A Friend! http://recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=210339 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% The Basket Bookstore Stop by "Weavers Words Basketry Bookstore" for a great selection of basketry literature & save up to 40%. Over 40 titles to choose from. The address is: http://members.xoom.com/dgcollins/book.html %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Earn $0.50/Hour By Surfing The Net From AllAdvantage.com: http://www.alladvantage.com/home.asp?refid=BOK567 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Attention New Subscribers You can search Weaver's Words web page and back issues by going to Weaver's Words web page (http://members.xoom.com/dgcollins/) and entering your search criteria into the PinPoint search box. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Attention AOL Subscribers For some reason some AOL subscribers haven't been receiving Weaver's Words through email. If you are one of these subscribers, or know one of someone who has not been receiving Weaver's Words, you can get all of the issues on the Weaver's Words web page. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Picture('s) Added To Web Page Since The Last Issue Valerie Miller-----Basket She Wove For Basket Swap Valerie Miller-----Key Basket Valerie Miller-----Fishing Creel, Pattern And Harness From Lisa Nortz Valerie Miller-----Flat Rib (Aspen) Melon Basket %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 3 I. 105 Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 22:01:27 -0600 From: Roberta R Comstock To: davidc@iei.net "Weavers Words" Vol. 3 Iss. 105 Tony - Thanks for the update on the MO catalog status. Also, I like the JASkets name - it's both clever and unique. Serena Crossfield - Please let us know how you like the 24-hour web page book. Patricia S. - HGA is the Handweavers Guild of America. They are the publishers of the magazine "Shuttle, Spindle and Dyepot", and are supportive of basketry as well. If you write to me privately at I can look up some of the official contacts for you (don't have that handy right now). Bert Comstock, Independence, MO, with a yard full of robins! %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 3 I. 106 Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 22:03:03 -0600 From: Roberta R Comstock To: davidc@iei.net "Weavers Words" Vol. 3 Iss. 106 Gretchen - Hope the trip to China is a pleasant one. I'm sure bringing Hannah home will be a joyous occasion for you. Congratulations! Maurine Joy - Thanks for the good advice to customers. Well said. Jennie - I think you will probably get an answer about the Gasconade Nature Retreat directly from Barb Byrne, who owns it and is also a WW reader. Helene Meyer - I'm really glad to see you on Weavers Words! I think it's one of our best ways of communicating to a lot of basketweavers. The idea of a National Basketweavers Organization is really exciting! Bert Comstock Independence, MO %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: RE: ww post Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 00:04:13 -0500 From: "none" To: "David Collins" David, thanks for this forum, and now I will vent! I don't generally loose my cool, but I've seen too much of this lately and it has hit me like a slap in the face, so here goes. Well said! Bravo! My grandfather, who is about 80 or so, told his girls and hoping it would go further, all of the grand kids that would listen-and he is a very wise and intelligent man-this little test it should pass: Ask yourself the following before you say it (or write it): 1. Is it nice? 2. Is it the truth? 3. Is it necessary? 4. Will it hurt feelings somewhere? If it can't pass all 4 gates, then don't say it. Why do we feel the need to humiliate and hurt? Life is too short, why do we say hurtful things? I realize that is the only way some feel good and even superior about themselves. For crying out loud, JUST STOP IT! This is coming from someone who's family just lost a 16 year old genius to leukemia. Life is truly too short. If you don't have anything better to do with your time, then I truly feel sorry for you, you must have no life. I've sat back and read WW for quite sometime and seen several people get slammed by others in this 'community', and frankly it made me feel ill. How can you do this to your 'friends'. The one thing I have learned from the death of one so young and with so much to offer the world, is that we never know when our time will come and words said in anger never go away, even sorry, doesn't fully remove them. I've thought long and hard about this and I'm not speaking in anger, just sorrow for those who have been treated this way. My family has had many tragedies and you just don't know. The loss of a 16yr old to leukemia after a several year battle, loss of family members to sudden illnesses and you said it perfectly, 'Until you've walked a mile in their shoes'. Shortly after my aunt and uncle married he was diagnosed with chronic progressive MS and he went down hill fast. Everyone questioned her actions and motives about things, but unless you've been in a similar situation, you just don't have a clue. Once again, 'BRAVO!!! and well said'. I'm sure to be criticized for not signing, So sign me, Shaking my head in disbelief %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Swap and more Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 00:06:12 EST From: SharonKlusmann@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net Hi All: I was downstairs weaving (as usual) getting ready for my show this weekend and my husband brought down a lovely heart basket that I received from my basket swap partner, Sue Erb from Webster Grove, MO. I didn't get the joy of seeing the box and unwrapping it as so many of you have described, as my husband seemed to think that was his job I guess! Sue did a lovely job shaping the heart and it was filled with a beautiful heart sun catcher, wooden heart decoration and yummy chocolates. Thank you so much Sue, it will be a lovely reminder that my first swap was around Valentines Day of 2000! Joanne: I, too, have been experimenting with painting and white washing baskets and have found the information given on WW to be very helpful. I cannot remember who it was that suggested spiriting the watered down paint, but that did the trick! I did one in white and one in a dark green, but watered down the green was much lighter. I used the regular acrylic paints, but spraying it on I didn't get that heavy crunchy look. Try it and thanks to whoever mentioned the spray bottle! Lynda Crowe: You will probably get 20 people giving you the dates of the IN Convention, but just in case you don't, the convention runs from Thursday, March 22nd until Sunday, March 26th. The day for nonmembers to shop the vender area and pattern room is Saturday the 25th. I will be helping at the Plymouth Reed and Cane Booth - come buy and say Hi! Lark: Thank you for the file info - very helpful. Gretchen: You probably won't read this until you return from China, but I just wanted to say congratulations on your adoption. My husband just returned from his first business trip to China and was amazed how blessed he felt for living in the good old US of A. God's blessing to you and your growing family. Bernie: Interesting concept with the purchasing of a Ford and calling it a GM - don't think anyone would be too happy with that. I am sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I have taught many, many people to weave over the years and some of them have become quite good and done craft shows locally. I have had other students attend the show and report back to me, quite indignant, that they were selling MY BASKETS at their booth. I said, what do you mean, my baskets? I had them in class, taught them to weave my patterns and they chose some of those patterns to sell at their show. That doesn't mean they are copying my patterns and putting their names on them. They are choosing to weave something I created but that doesn't mean they are calling it their original design. I guess it has always seemed like a compliment to me that someone would like my pattern enough to want to weave another one and sell it. I have always woven my own patterns exclusively, until about a year ago. I just love the little birdhouse I wove with Grace Kabel at the last Basket Classic I went to. After weaving it with her, I purchased the pattern and have sold a ton of them in my store. Is there something wrong this that that I am not seeing? Didn't mean to say that I was calling someone else's pattern my own, sorry about the misunderstanding. Sharon Klusmann/Ohio http://www.SharonKlusmann.com %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Hi Mom....... Date: 23 Feb 2000 05:17:08 -0000 From: "J. Choate Basketry List" To: List Member J. Choate Basketry List - http://www.corecom.net/~choatepp I've been after my Mom FOREVER to come up to Alaska in the winter and run dogs with me. Mother is a devout Midwesterner. A Michi-gander born and raised her roots are planted firmly in the Lower Peninsula. She's put her time in at GM and now putts around with rocks she collects from the shores of Lake Michigan. Devoted to her home state she finds no reason to travel during the winter and is absolutely sure that the end of the world exists at the border. When I left home for Alaska she assumed I was crazy and I believe that thought has never left her. Somehow I've finally talked her into coming up for Iditarod and she will be arriving on Saturday. As a young woman in Alaska it was one of my great joys to culture shock Mother with my adventures. I'd send home photos of myself decked out in a ripped up T-shirt, bandana around my head, gun on my hip, bowie knife in my teeth and my hands clutching the reins of two horses. If that wasn't bad enough the first picture that I sent home of my soon-to-be husband was one with his bridge out showing no teeth in front. It's always been a lot of fun to watch Mother's hair rise as I introduce her to the next thriller. This time it's running the dogs. Even though I don't think I will quite convince her that she can run her own team I believe she'll spend quite a bit of time in the basket with me as we tour the countryside. You too can experience Alaska first hand next March by coming up for the Alaska Bush Basketry Retreat. If you'd like some more information let me know and I'll send it your way as soon as it's available. Until then video copies of the Antler Wall Pocket are in stock if you need to start on that basket right away. If you'd like to see which class you can catch me at the website is finally updated with a full Summer Tour 2000 schedule. Until the Cheechako returns to the Lower -48..... Jill Choate Talkeetna, Alaska %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: Devil's Claw Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 23:53:11 -0700 From: Diane To: David Collins I need to thank everybody who has sent info regarding the Devil's Claws to me at home and on WW; I know I've learned a lot about them from the sites you recommended and from your tips and ideas. When these vines start showing up in my yard this year, at least I'll know what to look for! The only vines I'd noticed last year yield little round cucumbers; I think they are called Desert Cucumbers. I'm not even sure if one can use them, but I'm sure some resourceful person out there knows. I didn't notice any of the okra-like pods, which later dry and turn into the Devil's Claws, but then again, I didn't know what to look for. Given the new knowledge I've gained, I should be able to spy the plants this year, and I'll know not to rip them up. When I finally get something woven that uses some of them, I'll try to send a picture to David to post here. Thanks for all your help. Diane in AZ %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 3 I. 105 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 06:32:07 -0500 From: Pamela Woodbury To: David Collins References: 1 Diane R, I don't whitewash baskets too often cause I think it is a pain too and I also don't like how brittle it make them, but I thought if I ever did it again I would try spray painting them white. Seems to me depending on how far away from the basket you hold the can would make a difference on how white or thinned the paint would go on the basket. Just a suggestion. Pam %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Basket swap Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 08:05:12 -0500 From: gatsby@larck.net To: davidc@iei.net Just wanted to let Dolores know that Brenda Beale and Pam White did receive their baskets. I am not sure that we need any further directions/rules for the swap although I thank the person who volunteered to do it. One suggestion would be to send a list of the directions already used with the name. I always print the name out. I checked and the directions on page with my partner's name do not say to let the coordinator know when you received the basket. I know Dolores posted it on WW but sometimes people don't remember or didn't have a chance to read each WW. So, if it came with the name, you'd have it. There have been a couple of times I didn't receive acknowledgement of the receipt of the basket I sent, and I simply e-mailed the person to see if she got it. In both cases, she had but had been on vacation or just really busy and hadn't gotten back to me. I could have waited but I was more concerned that the basket got lost in the mail and she would think I hadn't sent one. I had another one ready to go if it had been lost. Happy weaving, Dot in Maine where it's supposed to be 50 today! %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Hi Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 07:14:16 -1000 From: Joanne Howard To: "Collins, David" Aloha All, It's a beautiful sunny Hawaiian day! I wish I could share it with you. Pam and Patricia- Thanks for making a comment on your feelings about the swap. I totally agree that making basket friends is of the utmost importance here. I have had the opportunity to communicate with some really terrific weavers through the swap and have learned so much about different areas of the country. I still believe that no matter the circumstances, if you participate you should be inclined to follow the rules posted. For all the weavers out there thinking of participating, you should. No matter the level of ability or whether you include goodies or not, it is still fun to join in. RULES governing the swap have been posted before and you ARE given the opportunity to decide if you can follow them or not. No one is forcing you to join in and I am still of the belief that if you play, you should play nice or don't play at all. Enough has been said about that subject. Deleana- Thank you for your opinion. Check back issues of WW for posts regarding inclusions in swaps. Lois and I went to Ribbon Lei making class yesterday. My weaving experience came in handy when I chose to weave a six strand ribbon lei. I wanted to learn how to make a everlasting lei gift for my daughters friends graduating this year. It is turning out so pretty!! Well off to class to finish the Day in the Park basket. I am so enjoying classes with Lois. Wish you all to take one. When Lois gets on a story telling roll she is a hoot!!!!! My classes are my therapy!!! Have a nice day to one and all, Aloha, Joanne %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Basket Swap Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 13:46:04 -0500 (EST) From: IBWEAVIN@webtv.net (Juanita Gulden) To: davidc@iei.net Hi WW members, I just wanted to express my opinion on a recent post about problems of participants not acknowledging receiving their basket. I don't think a "flowery acknowledgement" to boost ones ego is necessary, just one stating it was received and appreciated. A private e-mail to that person is fine. This a more kind thing to do, than to not say anything to be kind. This swap was my first along with a lot of beginner weavers. I wonder how many would have gotten in the swap with more guidelines, evaluations and no message that their basket was received. I think the rules posted before each swap are sufficient and to the point. I hope now that everyone will at least let the coordinator know when they receive their basket. Lets keep the swaps friendly and fun, with not too many rules and evaluations. Just expressing my opinion right or wrong. Just finished a wagon basket for my guilds basket bingo raffle prize. I planned on putting potted plants in it for decoration., or a watering can with flowers. I want an adult theme instead of childs. Any suggestions???? Juanita Gulden in Balmy Balto Md. Where the temp is expected in the 70's later this week. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: add class to list Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 14:45:42 -0500 From: Barbara Holt To: davidc@iei.net I left out a class in the listing of the Tri-State Basketry Guild's classes posted in the previous WW. Please add Jim and Diane Langston's Nancy's Southwest Basket to be taught on April 29-30. Sorry for the confusion. For further information, call me at 423-990-2389, or email bholt@usit.net. Barbara Holt Bristol TN %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Pictures! Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 19:20:31 EST From: Frbasketsc@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net Hello weavers, I thought I read something about someone resizing their pictures. I would like to make my pictures smaller how does one do that. Thank you for your help. This well help me with my basket pictures, the ones I send to David. A Friend in weaving, Carolyn %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: ww 107 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 19:39:40 -0500 From: Gary Selvey To: davidc@iei.net Deleana - Very well said. Does anyone have any pattern suggestions for a heavy-duty picnic basket? Wooden lid, 2 handles - like grandma use to have. I have been asked to weave one and would really like to but I want to make sure it will hold up under use. Diana in Indiana where spring has sprung, temporarily. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 3 I. 107 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 19:31:15 -0500 From: SUSAN A REED-FANFONI To: davidc@iei.net References: 1 Hi, This is a quickie note to Dianne Gleixner. You asked about displays and take apart wood shelving units. Check out a website called www.woodfactory.com. They have different size wood shelving units that fold up and stack in your van. Right now they are having a sale on them for the month of February. I just ordered two units myself. They come unfinished pine. Hope this info helps. Looking forward to joining the next swap. Looking forward to seeing many WW's readers at the NCBA convention and IN convention. Stop by my vendor booth and say hello. Susan Reed-Fanfoni (The temps are in the 60's this week in the Shenandoah Valley, hope it last) %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 3 I. 107 Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 21:29:39 -0800 From: "Lisha Kimball" To: "David Collins" Hi all you crazy weavers out there!! I should be outside in the shop making baskets, baskets, baskets...but I'm not. Dianne Collins...When you look for a show..make sure you check to see how many people attend the fair, (hopefully 25-30 thousand persons going through *). Make sure that it is a well-juried show! Sometimes you can get a potholder type fair and your not going to sell at all! Always be asking your neighbors, at a fair, for the good ones. And it helps not to stay at one fair too many years...but it's funny. Sometimes if you don't show at a fair, they will try to track you down to find out where your going to be, so I always write up a schedule of where I'm going to be and hand them out to my customers I attend the very high end of the show picks and sell about $4000.00 a fair. It's a lot of work no doubt but it's worth it if you can do so well. I'm so lucky to have a man that's always there for me...He loves to go on trips with me and I don't know what I'd do without him. We built a shelving unit that's easy for us to put up and take down. My husband made 2 shutters, 7' tall. They look like shutters for you're outside windows. Then we added leather pieces and made a hinge. Now they fold up and slide into our pickup truck. I have no tables. When we set up: one set is at one end of my tent and another set is at the other end of the space. We take long boards and place them at any height that we need. I have 3 setups like this so I can cover all 3 sides, of the inside assigned space and arrange them any way I like. I also have a long pipe that sets on top of the racks and it holds a long black curtain and makes the baskets jump out at you! Then behind the curtain I can store baskets and sit there. We've done fairs for over 14 years and this works really good for us...Sometimes you can hear my husband snoring behind the curtain and I tell people it's just the girl with the bears next to me....or something like that :) We've got most of our shows booked now, and I'm getting excited to get on the road again. At some of the shows the crafters we've met come from Canada, Germany and all over. They're an exciting bunch of people with the most fantastic artwork to display. We have such a good time together and it seems so much like a family! I guess you've got to love what you do to be this crazy!!! Lisha Kimball Basketmakers Shop, Webster NH Where is feels like spring after just getting dumping on pretty good.!!! ~Mother Nature ~what a woman she is! %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: weavers words Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:43:56 EST From: "Patricia Steinmetz" To: davidc@iei.net Hi all, I am so glad that David provides us with this forum to speak our minds concerning the etiquette for basket swaps. I was under the impression that we had established guidelines and that everyone involved in the swap knew that they were to acknowledge receiving their basket as well as informing the swap coordinator of the sending and receiving. I know that we have discussed this before, but for Deleana's benefit, maybe someone should post the rules and guidelines again. Deleana - The last swap that I participated in was when North Carolina was having major floods. My swap partner lived in the flooded area and was cut off from the outside. But even with all the problems she was having, she still found a way to let me know that she received her basket. It only takes a minute to send off a note or email saying, "I got the basket". It is only common courtesy. If we are going to have to write a "Mission Statement" and a "Bill of Rights for Basket Swaps" than you can count me out of the next swap. I thought this was suppose to be fun. LIGHTEN UP! If you send a basket, let them know that you sent it. If you received a basket, let them know that you got it. How hard is that. I am sure that everyone appreciates Deleana's offer to write our basket swap constitution, but do we really need one? I will now step down from my soapbox and brace myself for what I know is soon to come. Pat Steinmetz, On the south side of Indy where the temp got up to 71 yesterday. I know that there is still bad weather in store for us, but yesterday was glorious, and I can't wait for spring to arrive and stay. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Devil's Claw Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 17:02:18 -0500 From: Ruthanne Morningstar To: davidc@iei.net Hi all Weavers, Pamela Zimmerman - What I've heard from Native Americans on the use of Devil's Claw is they soak it for 2 - 3 days to soften it. Then use a knife and split it to use as decoration, Black, in their baskets. They do a coil weaving so short pieces aren't too much of a problem. Most Devil's Claw I've seen is about 8 - 10 inches. Thanks for the sites. My Hopi friends don't use them because they don't grow in their area. I think they grow around Tucson, but I'll check that out. Basket Bash 2000 is in full swing. Registrations are coming in and we should be surpassing last year's attendance. We have lots of fun planned. So, if you've been sitting on your registration, get it mailed to me. BB2000 is April 7,8 and 9 at Fowler Center, Mayville, Michigan - that's in the Thumb area. For more info you can contact me. I have a new e-mail address. My husband gave me my own e-mail account! Ruthanne Morningstar from Dryden, Michigan where it's upper 50's and mud everywhere! Dogs are confused. There's still snow under the pine trees to roll in but they get yelled at for muddy feet. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Craft Show Shelving Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 16:35:46 -0600 From: "Bonnie Fanning" To: Diane Gleixner - I participated in my first craft show this year and used some old stepladders to display baskets on. I was sharing the booth with a friend and space was crowded so I wasn't able to use any shelves, but I had intended to use 1" pine boards (as wide as would fit on the step) on each step as shelves. You could use every step with small baskets and skip one to make room for taller baskets. The ladders and boards could be painted or stained all one color to make a nice presentation. The show we did was a Christmas show and the ladders looked nice with lights entwined on them and Christmas fabric and lace doilies on the steps under the baskets. Bonnie Fanning The Fountain Creek Peddler ftcreek@net66.com %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 19:38:00 -0600 From: "purrx3@stlnet.com" To: "david collins weavers words" Hi all! Wow the WWs have been coming fast and furious and I'm WAAAY behind, but enjoy every one. This last swap sounded like so much fun - I hope I'm on my toes enough (and caught up on reading the 229 e-mail messages in my box) that I can get in on the next one. I was lucky enough to take an oak basket class with Luke and Willow Block. I know they'll be at the Mo. Convention in June, where else they'll be, I don't know. If you have a chance, though, take a class with them. They gave us a choice of 4 different baskets all being done at one time. There were 20 of us!!! Through it all both kept their cool and gave us all the attention we needed. While all this was going on Luke managed to cut rims and rim fillers and custom make handles! Be sure to check out Willow's pottery, too. The postings about basket cross-stitching patterns was intriguing. But, cross-stitch is not my thing. Does anyone know of any needlepoint or crewel embroidery patterns with baskets? Elaine from St. Louis where it's in the 70s, 'stuff' is starting to bloom and my allergies are acting up already %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% If for any you would ever like to cancel your subscription, simply send me a message with "unsubscribe" as your subject.