"Weavers Words" Vol. 2 Iss. 5 Compiled By: David Collins Snail Mail: 408 North Devon Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46219 Owned By: Weavers Everywhere Date Sent: May 22, 1998 Subscribers: 588 "Weavers Words": http://www.iei.net/~davidc/ "Basket Biddin' Auction": http://members.tripod.com/~Basket_Biddin/ {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} ***IMPORTANT INFORMATION*** ***PLEASE READ BEFORE PRINTING*** 1.) Highlight entire issue. 2.) Click copy. 3.) Paste issue into a word processor of your choosing. 4.) Now Print. {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} @=@=@=@=@ PICTURES SENT IN BY YOU @=@=@=@=@ In order to conserve space on printouts, I have removed the list of pictures. You can still see the list on "Weaver's Words" webpage. I will list any new pictures here. Keep the pictures coming. If anyone else has a picture, you can send it to me through email or snail mail. {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 2 I. 4 Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 20:31:42 EDT From: Sandybsk To: davidc@iei.net To Leslie: I just did the "Honeymoon Basket" from Sandy Atkinson's book. I filled it with all types of low-fat snacks, bottled water, a small box of chocolates, juices, oranges, apples, etc. My son is getting married Sat. and they have a 5-hour drive to the honeymoon location. I also attached a 3x5 card with 2 quarters and 2 dimes taped on it, that reads "Call Your Parents". I'm sure they will have fun going through the basket to see what all is there. This type of basket is a great conversation piece for them, useful and when emptied, it is still useful. Hope this gives you some ideas. Sandy Drexler {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: wedding baskets Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 18:25:34 -0700 From: "Ames, Kay H" To: "'Weaver's Words'" While I think of it, let me just add these two suggestions to the great ones sent in so far for the wedding basket. My sister packed a basket for us to take on our honeymoon. As well as some of the items already mentioned was one I consider most essential: Chocolate! The other was a pair of scented candles, grapefruit as it happens. We burned one, but I still have the other, and every time I catch its scent it reminds me of that special time. We watched an interesting special on PBS the other evening, I think it was a National Geographic, on the Wonders of the Andes. One of the projects recreated was a suspension bridge across a deep canyon. It was fascinating: The women gathered local grasses - 1 to 2 feet tall, scruffy. Each participating person/family was tasked with making 50 yards (I think) of rope. It was 2-ply, about 1-2" thick and again, pretty scruffy - I mean lots of ends sticking out. That took one day. The next day they all gathered at the chasm and turned these ropes into 6 much larger ropes by first twisting several together, and then 3-strand braiding those into cords about 4x6" or larger in cross section. The final day was stringing these large ropes across the canyon, four for the footpath and two for the handrails, tying them together with and creating open side walls of vertical lengths of the 1-2" diameter rope. Lest you try this at home, one of the secrets was the buttressing carved into the canyon walls that was used as an anchor for the suspension bridge. Ain't we an ingenious species? Billie Dorris - I have heard that cucumber peelings will also repel ants. And congratulations on your recent sales. {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 21:46:12 -0400 From: Joe Conroy To: David Collins Hello David, I've seen some discussion lately about using patterns. If I am using a pattern in one of my classes I incorporate the pattern cost into the materials fee and the student receives the pattern. That way the originator of the pattern receives credit for his/her work and some income. I make a little money because I buy the patterns at wholesale. Lately I have been giving a lot of classes on my variation of Lyn Siler's "Pathways in Reed". Despite the fact that I have made considerable changes in the pattern (I make it like a Nantucket) I distribute Lyn's pattern to the students. I feel this gives Lyn credit for the basic pattern and the student gets the benefit of her instructions on figuring out twills. About wedding gifts. I like to make a Nantucket fruit bowl on a 12" or 13" mold. I will inset a piece of scrimshaw with the couples name and wedding date. I enclose a small folder I have designed with a brief history of Nantucket baskets which I have personalized with their names. For those of you who print your own business cards consider this. If you are folding them; remember that you can print on both sides of the cardstock! Doing that you can have printing on the inside & outside of your folded card. Here's another idea if you're using the business card as a price tag. I make a small data base with basket name and price (2 fields) and "Insert" these fields onto the business card/price tag. Looks professional, and once you try it on your computer it isn't difficult. My wife, Kate, just returned from a few days at a basket get-together held at Stowe VT. She had a couple of classes taught by Flo Hoppe. They were working in round reed on some fairly intricate baskets. Kate said Flo is an excellent instructor. Joe Conroy Stony Lane Basketry Exeter, RI {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Festival Shows Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 21:58:54 -0400 From: Lewis & Carolyn Megginson To: davidc@iei.net Hi all, I've been quiet for a long time and probably should stay that way. Just want to report on my first "Festival Show." The Balloon Festival in Suffolk. We had horrid weather, went in one morning, did not rain the night before but baskets were wet just like they had been soaked. This was a 4 day show, 10 to 10. Sunday a man came around told us a tornado warning was in effect, we should pack up and leave. Did so, but now we will not receive our deposit of $25 for setting up because a committee member did not inspect our spot. Did not see any such person. Can't help but wonder if anyone else has encountered anything like this. Did have one stroke of good luck. A young man came in and said his mother made baskets, sent her my card. Meeting Nancy over the internet makes the whole experience worthwhile. Enjoyed sharing information. Told me about a pattern designer, Pat Yunkes. Nice patterns and a pleasant person to do business with. Never heard of her before. Anxious to start on patterns but will be busy for the next two weeks. Enjoy all the feedback, especially knowing if you wait long enough someone else will feel like you do. I guess that means no right or wrong, just what suits you personally. Guess I had better go and make room for someone else. Carolyn of Suffolk {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 19:32:27 -0000 From: "MARK MAHONEY" To: Hi, my name is Darleen Mahoney and this is my first time on Weaver's Words. Even though I've gotten every issue the past few months, but I do have the answer to where you can find a pineapple basket pattern. I actually saw it today on the internet. Baskets of Joy has that pattern. I hope that this helps you out. {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Pineapple Baskets Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 22:47:37 -1000 From: The Keener Clan To: davidc@iei.net Aloha, It never ceases to amaze me that Hawaii is actually cooler than parts of the mainland--saw where it was 92 in Pensacola FL, but it was in the low 80*s here..we are enjoying our 35mph trades, morning showers and cool evenings. Come on over and enjoy it with us. Susan (Hi Susan)--here is a simple pattern for a Pineapple basket--this is my own pattern so I*m not stealing from anyone. You will need: 4" wooden slotted base, 1/2" flat reed, 1/4" flat or flat oval, #3 round reed, dyed green. Cut the 1/2" flat: 16 spokes @ 16" (a change from when I posted this before). Insert the spokes evenly into the base and chase weave with the #3 round reed for 6 rows. Pull up gently on the last 3 rows. Turn the basket so you are holding the bottom of the base against your chest and weave several rows of 1/4" flat reed, start and stop weaving, pushing upward on the spokes, making sure the spokes are standing straight up (we*re talking about 5 rows). Continue to weave with the 1/4" and after 14 rows if your pineapple isn*t going in slightly, pull it in slightly to make it look like a pineapple. Weave a total of 24 rows. With extra scraps of 1/2" flat, tuck an extra piece behind each spoke, going down into 2 or 3 rows of weaving to secure it, therefore making the top fuller. If you don*t want the top as full, place an extra piece behind every other spoke. Twine 4 rows around all the spokes with the #3 dyed round reed. Trim the tops of the spokes to a point. Stick the top of your pineapple into green dye (pour some dye into an empty milk carton and push the top of the pineapple into it) and stain the bottom with whatever you like (minwax mix, tea stain, or dye it yellow). Simple as that. If you like continual weave, add an extra spoke (or so one of my students told me). This basket is really popular here (no surprise)--holds a bottle of wine, a rolled up T-shirt tied with a piece of raffia, pineapple candy or whatever. A word about the business cards used for tags. I notice a lot of crafters tearing off half the tag, but to be honest, it would be just another thing for me to organize. When school supplies come out, I buy the largest student day planner I can find. I found my last one at K-Mart for $5. The planner has a 2 page calendar for each month and several pages between each month, plus a column running down the edge of each page. In this planner, I keep all my basket info: teaching schedule, weaving schedule, what I spend each day on basket supplies, a list of what I take to consignment, ideas I have re: baskets--and most of all, a list for each craft fair. This includes what I*m taking and how much I*m asking for each basket. When I come back from the fair, I highlight what sold. This way, I can look back and tell at a glance what I need to know. I can look back 2 years ago and tell exactly what I sold at what fair and for how much. That is about as organized as I get....but believe me, that planner is never out of sight around this house. This idea works for me, but it took some work to iron out the bugs. One thing about selling baskets--each of us does what works best for us and for our business. If you feel better about having professionally printed cards, then by all means do that. Craft fair time can be stressful (don*t we all know that!!) and feeling good about your finished baskets can alleviate the stress and the anxiety somewhat. I feel comfortable with my homemade cards--they change from fair to fair--and I don*t think I*e lost a sale because my tag wasn*t professional looking. Go with what makes you feel confident about your product. I*ve passed the BIG birthday and I*m still around--it wasn*t as bad as I thought..... aloha, nui loa, Lois Honolulu {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Weaver's Words Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 10:09:24 -0000 From: "Jeff & Diana French" To: "David Collins" Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a great Spring. We finally got over our rain spell and are now enjoying some beautiful summer weather - in the 90's today! I finally got brave a few days ago and dyed some reed. It's the first time I've tried it and was surprised at how nice the results were. I was also surprised at how long it took for the reed to reach the color I wanted. How do you do it when you want to do the space-dyed reed? I can't imagine just dipping will get the reed to the color you want - I had to leave mine in for about 10 min's. Maybe I did something wrong? Maybe my water cooled off too quickly? Or maybe I'm just not patient enough and expected fast results :) I used Rit dye and suggestions I have read in past issues of WW said to have the water almost to boiling - so, that's what I did. Maybe I should have boiled the water? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Billie A Dorris: Great to see another person from a familiar area. I lived in Mayport and Atlantic Beach from 76 - 80 (I think). Gosh, it seems so long ago :) I went to high school at D.U. Fletcher Sr. High in Jax Beach - class of 78! OK, now we all know how old I am :) When were you there? I was considering trying the Lyn Siler fishing creel pattern - my brother is an avid fly fisherman. But after all the talk about problems with the pattern, I'm having second thoughts. Has anyone figured out the error yet? I was thinking maybe if you just did chase weave it would work itself out. Several people in here have mentioned graphics programs for pictures of baskets. My scanner came with the Adobe photo deluxe program and with that you can turn a photograph into a drawing. So, if you want a drawing of a basket on a gift tag you can start there and then add it to a card or business card program. One tip though, use a photo of a basket that doesn't have colored reed in it - that doesn't seem to transfer to sketch as nicely as an all natural basket does. I better sign off now - happy weaving to all Diana French from sunny & hot Southern New Jersey {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Pat Moritz's Baskets Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 09:20:16 -0400 From: Linda Kotarba To: Weavers Words Pat -- Your baskets are wonderful! Keep weaving ;) Linda {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 2 I. 4 Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 09:50:22 -0400 From: "Carolyn S. Willoughby" Organization: Helicon On-Line To: David Collins References: 1 Hi, my name is Carolyn Willoughby and I am a very new weaver. A couple years ago a lady in my church had the older children weave a basic tote basket for Bible School crafts. She and her sister had been to a class and passed the knowledge on. I was able to weave a basket with the kids and use it constantly for my library books. I also got a blue ribbon on it at our local area fair! Of course the only other baskets entered were made of tissue paper. :) Last fall I finally decided to get serious about weaving another basket instead of just talking about it so I sent off for a kit from Donna Weber of DW Baskets. It turned out great. I gave it to my sister-in-law for Christmas. After that experience I was truly bitten by the basket bug. My friend Cathy and I decided to go for it and we bought some patterns and reeds and started in to weave. We made a few mistakes at the beginning and are basically self taught, so we are please with how we are doing now. I live in rural southwest Pennsylvania (Fayette County) and there don't seem to be classes anywhere near that we could take. We're about 2 hours from Pittsburgh and 1 hour from Morgantown, WV. Does anyone know of a teacher near here? Last weekend our church held a Flea Market to raise money for a church whose building was burned by arson in January. Cathy and I decided we would weave some baskets to put in the Craft area of the Flea Market. We only sold two baskets, but we had a great time. About a mile from here there is a small woodland zoo. They have a gift shop and have agreed to allow Cathy and I to put our baskets for sale there. We will donate the proceeds from these baskets to a program called Heifer Project International. This program sends agricultural animals like heifers, chicks, goats, rabbits, and bees to people in poor areas around the world. The recipients of the animals agree to pass on the first born female to a neighbor. In this way whole villages and communities have been enriched and are able to provide the basic needs of their families. Since Cathy and I are not independently wealthy, I have also sold some of my baskets to friends and family and have managed to get enough to pay for most of our material costs. We are doing it for the love of weaving and the fellowship of being together. Since Cathy has four kids and baby-sits for several others we weave at her house where she can watch the kids and work too. Of course that slows down the work.... :) There is the Pennsylvania Arts and Crafts Fair coming up at the Fayette County Fairgrounds this weekend. Is anyone coming to that? Peace, Carolyn Willoughby Farmington, PA where the rain cooled us off some last night, but the sun is shining today {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Weavers Words Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 09:13:16 -0700 From: "tracy jenkins" To: "David Collins" Hi all! Just a quick question on basket care. What instructions do you give to care for there basket? I have always told them to dip in warm soapy water and hang up to dry, but I'm not to sure that is correct advice. Any suggestions? Also to those who are doing the basket parties, great idea! Any suggestions on how you got started? How many basket to you take to the party? How do you do your presentation. We would like to start doing the home parties, but I feel a little lost in how to get started. Thanks for any suggestions! Warm and sunny in Indy! Tracy Jenkins {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Baskets Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 11:22:21 -0500 From: "Debra Conness" To: Hi David ! This is my first time to write in, about time! I look forward to receiving these newsletters, keep up the good work! I would like to read the back issues how do I get the code to access them? Has anyone ever done the Fishing Creel by Lorraine Otto? Mandy-Wow! That's great for a Home Party! Glad to hear you did so well! Good Luck on future parties. Lois-I think that whoever is the 1st weaver in a shop, should have the choice if they want another weaver in there. They should have priority over the other weavers-if she/he does a certain basket the other weavers should not bring in the same basket to sell. I think the owner should have asked you if you ever planned on making those other baskets! But silly us, I guess we [weavers] just assume that the owners will respect our feelings! I've been told by a shop owner not to bring in certain crafts, I respected that rule. Unfortunately, months later the store owner dropped that rule when that other crafter dropped out. That's not fair, when I had to follow that rule. True it's their shop, they have the right to set the rules, but I guess the best thing is to ask about these things before we even hand them one of our items to sell. Maybe there should be a contract between us & them, instead of them & us! Great idea about putting our e-mail address on our tags, I will do that in the future. On Basket Tags- I do mine on the computer with Memories Forever paper from Wal-Mart.[parchment look] When I print them I use the business card style. The first side printed I put the name of my shop at the top, a basket graphic in the middle and Handmade Baskets on the bottom [this is the right side of the card]. On the left side I put my name, address, and phone #. I print this side then, I turn it over and do the inside. On the left side I put information on how I got started, and etc., under that I put instructions [do's and don'ts] on how to take care of the basket. On the right side I put # in the top right-hand side and the $_____ at the bottom. I finish each one by writing the number, name of the basket, and price. I then fold them in half, cut a hole in the upper left-hand corner, and put a loop of crochet thread in the hole. I use Print Shop Premier Edition. {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: First Basket Class (Teaching) Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 12:26:59 -0500 From: Susan Slaven To: davidc@iei.net I usually just quietly enjoy reading the WW issues, but with the supportive recommendation from Susan Tripp in NY from the last issue, I thought I would tell you about my experience teaching my first income-generating basket class. Well, it didn't generate that much, but was very satisfying knowing that it possibly could in the future. I have been weaving about six years now, so I felt I could comfortably offer my basket teaching skills to my fellow Home Extension Club members. Even though I ended up with only four students, I think the results were good. We made a 5 X 5 X 5 square, open weave bottomed basket. No pattern, just a make-as-you-go thing. I was sort of worried for the first three rows up. The shapes weren't going too well, but by the time they started to add some color to their baskets, things were going great. Of course we had fun, weaving is always fun, especially in a group. By the end of the night, we had four pretty darn good looking baskets sitting there. I think the ladies were quite impressed with their creations. One lady, who just came to watch, said she was definitely making one the next time! They asked if I would consider teaching a basket class to other extension clubs. You probably know, I said, "of course!". Weaving is so satisfying, and even more so when you can share the thrill. Thanks for listening. Susan Slaven Muncie, IN {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} From: hannah To: david@iei.net Subject: Weaver's Words Date: Wednesday, May 20, 1998 6:20 PM Hi all!! I was reading the newsletter and found that a lot of people are interested in price tags. I use my own too, but I do have a source to buy from and they are very nice. You can contact Pat Huffman at patony@localline.com and ask her about the Blackberry Creek products that she has designed and sells. I am sure that she will be glad to help you. Also, where is the webpage for Weaver's Words located, I would like to view the pictures and cannot seem to find it. HELP. Thank you for the information about patterns. I am sooo glad that a person is able to sell baskets when they buy the pattern. I was under the impression that some of the people who sell these patterns were not very happy about it, but I assumed that if they sold the pattern, they gave you permission to make and sell the basket. I guess I was right, and I am very glad. You all sound like delightful people. I am getting ready to go on vacation for two weeks, but I will be back. I really love this newsletter, David, thank you soooo much. What a nice way for basketweavers to talk and share ideas with one another. Happy Weaving:) Pam/Ohio {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Re: Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 16:05:30 PDT From: "AnnaMarie DiBucci" To: davidc@iei.net Hi Everyone, I am interesting in weaving my first solo basket. I have weaved 9 baskets with instructors. What would you suggest?? Anna D {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 2 I. 3 Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 23:28:24 EDT From: froggestow@juno.com (Roberta R Comstock) To: davidc@iei.net References: 1 "Weavers Words" Vol. 2 Iss. 3 Billie - I wondered if you had meant that message to come to WW. Sounds as if you had a nice Mother's Day surprise, though. :=) Annetta - I have never used ammonia in a tea or coffee stain. I don't think it's really necessary. I did save a jug of coffee & tea stain by adding salt and vinegar to keep it from spoiling. I believe someone did mention using ammonia to extract walnut stain, but I haven't tried that yet. I sometimes dye reed along with my wool when I am playing with various natural dyes. I got pale blue from indigo, peach from cochineal, and lavender from overdyeing one with the other. The colors tend to be more subtle than the results you get from the same dye on wool or silk, but that's to be expected when dyeing plant materials. Cellulose just doesn't take the color as readily as animal protein fibers. This summer, I'll be dyeing some reed with marigold blossoms, goldenrod foliage, turmeric, and maybe Kool-Aid, wine or grape juice. I'll let you know how it turns out. Karen - Thanks for the Amana report. I hope to be there next spring. Lesley - Just about any kind of basket could be done for a wedding gift. The last one I gave was a 3-color twined serving basket for bread or fruit. It was about 10 inches in diameter with nearly vertical sides. How about a market basket or a picnic basket? If you know they have stairs in their house, maybe a stair step basket? You could give the basket alone, or pick a theme and fill it with things they'd like. Well, it's time for bed, so that's all for now. Bert Comstock Independence, MO - where we're having hot windy days and cool nights. {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 2 I. 2 Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 23:28:24 EDT From: froggestow@juno.com (Roberta R Comstock) To: davidc@iei.net References: 1 "Weavers Words" Vol. 2 Iss. 2 Myra Stutler - Thanks for letting us know your husband is better & back to work. Hope your baskets continue to sell (& that you still have time to weave in addition to your own new job). Kay - The Canada goose nesting tubs are a standard round galvanized metal laundry tub with some drainage holes punched in the bottom. Each tub is mounted on top of a wooden fence post set into the bottom of a pond so that the base of the tub is about 2 or 3 feet above the water surface. I believe a thick layer of straw is placed in the bottom of the tub. The distance from shore is variable, but it needs to be far enough out to remain in the water during the nesting season if the water level drops. This will allow the goslings to land in the water when they leave the nest and also makes the nest inaccessible to terrestrial predators. I'll send some pouch pictures to WW when I get a few more shapes finished & some pattern writing underway. In spite of your address being included in your post, I can't identify your location. If I knew more about where you are, I might be able to find you a spinning consultant/teacher through my Society for Creative Anachronism contacts. I know several good ones various places around the US. Pam in Ohio - Many years ago when I was considering selling craft items, I was told the minimum a person should charge for such things was three times the cost of the materials. Are you charging enough? Do you make adjustments for complexity? Chris Jordan - It's good to hear from you. Someday I hope to get to England. It'll be really difficult to plan my itinerary though, because I want to see historic textiles, archeological sites, museums, castles, and gardens, in addition to basketry stuff. Guess I'll have to save up enough to stay a long time when I do get there! (Maybe after Bob retires.) Meanwhile, it's nice to know there's someone I can contact for some hints about English basketry. Susan Tripp - I had to smile about your 'Winter Weave' non- experience. Several years ago my spinning guru/soul-sister came up from Arkansas via bus with her spinning wheel in a special travel crate her husband had built for it. I took a day of leave from work and we went to the Yarn Barn in Lawrence, KS, to take a spinning workshop from the Ashford expert who was coming in from New Zealand. Our problem was that we were a week early! We had a fun day anyway, spending our class fees on fibers and books and examining everything in the store, and went to the art museum at KU after lunch. Neither of us could afford to try again the following week. I know how you felt! Diana French - Thanks for telling me about your winning baskets. Billie - Thanks for sharing the tip about ants not liking cinnamon! This time of year we get them coming into the kitchen around the sink. A sprinkle of cinnamon around the inside of the window sill and along the top of the splash board is helping a lot. I'll probably also share this with my SCA friends who have been discussing insect repellant strewing herbs for their campsites at the 'Lilies War' next month. Just a thought about the dog dish area - could you sprinkle the cinnamon into the pile around the edge of a cotton terrycloth bathmat so it wouldn't be loose and trackable? (An alternative might be to 'paint' the edge of a plastic place mat with a band of cinnamon oil. I don't know whether that would work or how long it might last.) Happy weaving, everyone. Bert Comstock Independence, MO {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 2 I. 4 Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 01:46:12 EDT From: HEvanssr To: davidc@iei.net Notice! We have opened a shop at 52 E. Main St. in Saluda, NC under our business name Inspirations From Nature. In addition to our baskets, we are manufacturing shaker boxes. We will be selling some of our popular strips, also. Come see us. Harold R. Evans {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Mackinac Basket Reterat Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 13:33:04 +0500 From: Freebairn To: David Collins I just wanted to let everyone know that Barb Leete and I will be hosting our 4th annual Mackinac Basket retreat (a basket bed and breakfast) August 5 - 9 again this year. Retreaters will stay on Paradise Lake just 5 miles south of Mackinac City, Michigan in a turn of the century cottage. Check-in is Wed around 4:00p.m., and we have a welcoming party with hors d'oeuvres and wine. I cook breakfast for everyone each morning, and then we spend the day weaving usually outside by the lake. This year's project is a black ash and sweet grass Winnebago styled Tote with a lid. On Friday we take the day off to go foraging and go to the beach. There is a prize for the best basket woven at the beach with materials found there. This has always been great fun in the past, and people have come up with some amazing creations. It's back to weaving on Saturday to finish up the project, and then a cook-out on the lake Saturday evening. Checkout is Sunday at noon. E-mail me if you would like more information. If you like eating, weaving, and hanging out at the beach, (not necessarily in that order) this is the place for you. It's a lot of fun ... hope to see some of you there. Janet Freebairn {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Travel Plans, Hourly Wage, Etc Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 09:18:57 -0400 From: "Ann H. Ridgeway" Organization: AnnCrafted To: David Collins Hi, David and WW'ers, Never thought I'd say this but am grateful for forecast of rain. We've had painting weather, so I'm back on the ladder again. We went right into 90+ degrees, so the paint practically dries on the brush. Next week I'm heading for Hilton, NY, then across the mountains to visit a friend on Peacham Pond, VT, then to my mother's in MA. Will take a day trip to DELS to see what trouble I can get into there. Anything along the way that would be worth stopping for? I'm taking the van and not Larry, so there will be plenty of room AND ... I can stop WHEN and WHERE I WANT!! Larry is in charge of the dogs and cats. I don't remember who said she makes 15-28 baskets/day and would like to know how she does it, what type, how much detail in them, etc. One insomniac night I made up 7 small easy ones, but had to rim them and clean them up later. It seems the quality would suffer with that kind of quantity. I spend a lot of time on rims--sanding them, scarfing, and tightening the lashing. Here are some things to consider when calculating the cost of a basket, and hence your hourly wages: Service time--I figure 1 hour/5 hours of production time. This is time spent on bookkeeping, ordering, research, etc. So if a basket takes 10 hours to make, I add two more hours. Overhead--a formula for this is cost of materials plus labor times 15%. This is all your water, electricity, etc. For talent and future investment--10-15% of profit. This gets to the wholesale price. Double that for retail. This information is from Judith Brown, a doll maker in our area. As to hourly wages, I figure around $5-8/ hour. Because my hands are old and slow an it takes me longer, I use a lower rate. If I were faster like Billie, I'd figure $10 also. You have to remember in your calculations the time spent for dying, sanding handles and clean up (hair removal). Even with the Heller hair burning techniques, it still takes time. I use a business card on my baskets and put the price on a small sticker. The customer can peel that off if the basket is a gift. Underneath the sticker is the basket number. The cards are done by a printer so the print is raised and is on a high quality paper stock; for a good impression it's worth the money. I don't like the perforated edges and light weight paper from Avery. The idea of a folded card sounds good and maybe using some color printing. Better get back to work. Have to make a sample class basket.... Ann R. Alexandria, VA {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: miscellaneous Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 10:21:39 -0400 From: "Gail Caron" To: "David Collins" Hi all: I haven't been keeping up reading WW lately - we had twelve straight days of rain in the beginning of the month and once it stopped the weeds and grass have been growing like crazy. I am mowing pastures every day, and the weeds in my flower beds are taller than I am. Last weekend I sold my first baskets!! I represented Mary Carty at one of the local town's colonial days festival where I demonstrated basketweaving. I was working on an oval egg basket as a demonstration, and had an assortment of baskets (both my own and some from several of Mary's other students) on display for sale. I was a little disappointed at the low sale volume, but it was better than nothing. A lot of people stopped by and admired the baskets (one person made a comment about how they were like "the baskets from that company" I assumed she meant Longenberger, and didn't take that as a compliment), but only two made purchases - I sold a double wine basket like the one in Lyn Siler's book and an amateurish version of Lisha Kimball's quilters basket. Mandy and Billie: I have been learning a lot from your discussion about basket tags. I think you both have great ideas. I would like to know what your tips for the care of baskets are. No one has ever told me how to care for my baskets and I sure would like to have them in good condition for a long time. I think the only thing that I have read was to wet my baskets at least once a year if they are left natural or stained with walnut extract, but I don't know what to do about the ones that are stained and sealed or those that I have treated with mineral oil. I would love to hear your advice. Diana Macomber: I finally looked at the pictures of your geese. They are wonderful. Someday I would like to try one. Well, I better go do something about some of the weeds. I think it is time to resort to chemical warfare - it takes too long to pull them out. Gail Caron in southern NJ {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 2 I. 4 Date: Thu, 21 May 1998 14:25:33 -0500 From: catslapbaskets@webtv.net (russell/karen mitchell) To: davidc@iei.net (David Collins) HI Weavers and David. Thanks to Pat for all the new pictures, and to David for putting them on the WWW. Billie, thanks for further info on Judith O. If you have any influence with her encourage her to write "another" book...she does explain things beautifully. Now for the shocker of the day I was at the Doctor's office and there was a current issue of COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE, June 1998....Now if current magazines at the doctors office aren't shocking enough, turn to page 38 in the magazine and there is a Ralph Laurent wicker coffee table 36" by 50" for $2,685.00.....now maybe there was a typo in the magazine but I really mean thousands there!!! Where is Cheri(?) wasn't she weaving a coffee table.? I thought some of you might like to check that out while waiting in the grocery check-out lines!! Hope everyone has a safe and fun holiday! Happy Weaving from Karen in sunny and beautiful Minneapolis!!! {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: re: torches Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 12:31:42 EDT From: WCoehill To: davidc@iei.net Hi, I feel bad that I haven't been able to provide any input to the wonderful work that David brings us all, but..... (Yes, I have a thousand excuses) I have been so busy with work, we are being accredited this upcoming week and have a million things to do, on top of that we moved, and of course in the midst of moving my husband had a car accident. He is fine (Praise God) but the car has a slight problem, it DRIVES SIDEWAYS. So between work, driving my husband around, and unpacking I haven't even been able to weave. On to more happy thoughts, weaving!!!! I also use a type of torch to singe the basket whiskers. I use a long clicker lighter. You can buy them in many places, Lowe's, Michael's, and Wal-Mart. I think they are used to start candles, fireplaces, or grills. They do not last as long as I would like them to, but then again they work out well since I am afraid of using a propane torch. I used a propane torch once and almost ended up starting my Dad's work shop on fire. Thankfully he had some iced tea handy and I used that to put out my basket. Boy do they catch on fire quickly. Have to unpack the rest of our household so I can get some weaving started......... {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} Subject: bear grass Date: Fri, 22 May 1998 17:12:34 -0700 From: Jason Morris To: davidc@iei.net Our family lives in north central Idaho, and we have some of the largest natural areas of bear grass. We are looking for buyers of bear grass. If you are interested or know individuals who are, we would appreciate communicating with them. Please reply at your earliest convenience. Thank You Jason Morris jem@cybrquest.com {*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*}{*}-{*} If for any you would ever like to cancel your subscription, simply send me a message with "unsubscribe" as your subject.