Share A Basket Sunday - Special Guest Weaver Cathy

Dear Friends,

Cathy is a new weaver and she has shared with me the second basket that she has ever woven.

It's beautiful Cathy and I'm cheering and applauding you for your great work. 

Thank you so much for letting me share this photo with everyone.  We are all happy you're learning to weave.  One more thing, Cathy says that she is unsure of the color of stain but that it is Minwax.  I think it is such a pretty rich color.

Have a blessed Sunday,

Nancy

Inspired at Home and Facebook and a Favor Please

Do you know about Aleene's Tacky Glue? It's been on the market some time now and it is some good glue.

Do you remember the television show Aleene's Creative Living? I think it was on around the time I was in college or shortly thereafter. Aleene would have her daughter's Candace, Heidi and Tiffany on the show. I used to watch every episode.


Photo from Inspired at Home

Tiffany Windsor, Aleene's daughter, has a website and a podcast called Inspired at Home.

Tiffany has contacted me and wants me to be on a LIVE Facebook show to speak about my design process with dying the reed that I did HERE and basket weaving.

Here is the favor I'm asking of you. I have been reluctant to start a Facebook account, I don't have a MySpace account. Other than blogging, I'm not on social websites. Well....I did open a Facebook account and would like to invite you to be my FRIEND. Please. I don't want to do this live chat and not have any friends! When you are on Facebook you can search for me through my e-mail address. It is basketmaster_nancy@yahoo.com I'll be your friend too.

The live chat is Nov. 16th at 10:00 ET. You can read more about it at Inspired at Home. I will be using my webcam and there will be other craft designers on the show as well. Save the date!

A little about the Inspired at Home podcast. You can subscribe to it through iTunes. I enjoy listening to it each week and it comes out on Sundays. Oh, you can also listen to it live on your computer, but I download it and listen to it later in the week. It is a 90 minute show. Tiffany has her sisters Candace and Heidi on the show as well as her mother Aleene. It has been interesting to listen to Aleene speak about her history in the crafting world. She also has other regulars and one or two guests each week. The talk about crafts, herbal living, crafting and decorating trends among other things. It is a fun 90 minute show.
So save the date and please be my Facebook Friend.

Have a wonderful weekend and one quick update with Emily. The MRI came back just fine. Praise God for that! Emily is still in pain though and she has had extensive blood work done this week that we are waiting on the results. She will be seeing a rheumatologist in the near future. We continue to appreciate your good thoughts and prayers with this while we figure out what is going on.

Hugs and blessings to you all,

Nancy

Feature a Friend Friday - Sue Morello with Sheldon Farm Baskets

All photos courtesy of Sheldon Farm Baskets

Dear Friends,

I would like to introduce you to basket weaver Sue Morello from Sheldon Farm Baskets in Barre, Massachusetts. Sue has been weaving for over 20 years. She is a retired elementary school teacher and has taught basket weaving in the past. Now she has a brand new online store that just launched where she is selling her beautiful baskets.

Sue makes a shaker style basket and uses ash in her weaving. Many of her baskets have painted decorative embellishments. It is Sue's dear friend who does the painting and they collaborate together to make these great pieces.

I also have to take a moment to mention their beautiful farm where the weaving is done. Take a look at their home. It sets on 75 luscious acres that include a pond, a peach orchard and acres of raspberries. (Can I come for a visit please?)

Please pop on over to Sheldon Farm Baskets and take a look around. Remember Christmas is coming up and these would make some perfect gifts.

Enjoy!

Nancy

Basket Weaving Video - Mini Muffin Basket - Twining the top

Ooooo....It's just after Halloween and I have my scary face on! ; - )

In this video we twine the top to prepare for our braided rim.

Don't forget to post your projects for the week HERE. We want to know what you are working on!

Happy Weaving,

Nancy

What We're Working On Wednesdays and MckLinky

From now through Christmas I will be having a new feature on my blog every Wednesday titled "What We're Working On Wednesdays."
This gives us an opportunity to share with one another what we are creating. I am not limiting this to just basket weaving. It is open for you to share any craft or kitchen culinary creation or even any home decor project you have been working on this past week. It is intended to spark ideas with one another and to help us get to know others all around the blog world. We bloggers all want to know you are out there and to say hello to you! So please don't be shy and jump right on in. So What are you working on this week? I've posted my link!


Here's how:

1. Go to the specific blog post on your blog and click on the title of just that post. Then at the top of the page where it has the e-mail address that starts http://www/......... Just copy and paste that into MckLinky. This will take us directly to your blog post (not your blog home page) and we won't have to search through your blog to find the basket you want to show us. MckLinky is also going to ask you how you want to title your link.
2. Please mention and link to my blog on your blog. This is such a great way for others to know we are blogging and encourage your blogging friends to hop over here and participate. We all like to meet new friends! You may copy the picture above and paste it in your post or on your sidebar if you desire.

3. Remember this is a family friendly site. Any links to anything inappropriate will be deleted.
4. This list will close in one week.
I hope you all jump right in.
Nancy

What I'm Working On Wednesdays - Woven Santa Boot

My Santa boot. I love my Stanta boot!

I really enjoyed weaving this. It is woven on a wooden elliptical base. The author of this pattern is Julie Deen and I was privileged to test the pattern for her. I know the pattern is for sale on her website, Deen Homestead Basketry, as well as through other basket weaving suppliers. I'm going to get some long candy canes and put them in my boot and set it by my front door! One more thing, I wish the photo showed it better, before weaving the red laces in, I sprayed the boot with gold glitter spray. It just sparkles in person!

What are you working on this week?

Blessings,

Nancy

Party Favor Basket Pattern, FaveCrafts Feature, and getting ready for Christmas

Photo from Figi's Gifts in Good Taste

Dear Friends,

I've been blogging over at FaveCrafts and you can read about it HERE.

With all the great colors of reed I created from using the tie-dye kit, I made some sweet little party favor baskets.  I have the pattern to one of them available for you to copy over at FaveCrafts.  You can link to it HERE.

Did you know, it is only 52 days until Christmas.  Time is ticking away.  Have you been making your list and checking it twice?  Have you been thinking about what you will be making in the way of crafts?  What will you be cooking?  Kind of makes your head spin doesn't it?  Coming up over the next two months, my blog will have some inspiring and creative baskets and crafts that you can do before Christmas.  Just looking at the photo above makes me inspired to get out my recipe books and start planning.  If you don't care to cook and are looking for some unique gifts, pop over to Figi's Gifts in Good Taste and you will find your holiday cooking just got a whole lot easier.  They have some wonderful food. 
Start planning now what baskets you will be weaving for those on your list and what you will be putting in those baskets.  Keep your eyes open for things you will be needing that are on sale now.  Do you need more reed or handles.  Again, think about that now before your supply runs out.  What are you doing now to get ready for the holidays?  I'm starting my notebook with my lists!
Have a wonderful day.
Nancy

Basket Weaving Video - Mini Muffin Basket - Weaving the Sides

In today's video I will be weaving up the sides of the basket.
Remember those clothespins are your extra hands so use plenty of them for the first couple of rows.  Also remember to keep each row packed down tightly.
Hope you are weaving along with me!
Blessings,
Nancy

Who Let The Blogs Out?

Woof, Woof, Woof, Woof......

This is my new read. "Who Let the Blogs Out?" by Biz Stone. This book was published in 2004 and I found it at our library. It goes into more depth about blogging and is not geared to the creative blogger, but just blogging in general. Because it was not directed at the creative blogger I skimmed over some of the book. There were some very interesting chapters though, such as: Geeking Out Starting a Blog and Playing with HTML, Blogging in Business, and Living in the Blogosphere. I'm learning, I'm learning, I'm learning. If you want more in depth knowledge about blogging and a history of blogging, you'd like this book then.

Blessings,

Nancy

NaBloPoMo

NaBloPoMo starts today.  It is a commitment to blog once a day for a month.  That's it!  It's a way for others to learn about you and for you to learn about others.  I can do this for a month.  If you'd like to join in, you may HERE.    I'll be putting up my first official post shortly.
Nancy

Happy Halloween - A Witch Basket - and Instant Messaging

I made this witch basket years ago at a basket guild meeting. I wish I had a better photo of it but I have given this basket away. The rim is interesting as it is a "rolled border". I sewed the arms and the hat came from the doll department at a craft store.  It is not my design.  This pattern is titled "Hagetha" and the author is Wanda Grahm.

I also wanted to say, last night on my computer, a small window popped up with the first name of someone asking if they wanted to be my friend for IM'ing.  I'm not into instant messaging so I declined, but then the computer said it would block all messages from this person.  I didn't want to block e-mails from this person, I just didn't want to become involved with IM.  I didn't recognize this person immediately.  Then thought it might be a blog reader.  I don't want to offend anyone here and I'm sorry if it was one of you I blocked.  Blocking was not my intent.  It just seemed to happen when I declined receiving that person's IM's.
Hope you all understand.
Happy Halloween,
Nancy

Lidded Yarn Basket

Did you hear the news?  Julie has her patterns now for sale over at Basketpatterns.com.  Here is the yarn basket I wove from her pattern as I tested it.  I think it turned out beautiful!  The lid is interesting as it has a hole in the center of it for the yarn to come out.  Very clever.  It is plenty wide around to hold a large skein of yarn upright inside it.  A bit of warning to you new weavers, this is an intermediate pattern so get a few baskets under your belt and then give this fun one a try. 
I've been about to bust wanting to show you these baskets and have been waiting patiently for them to officially go on sale before showing the pictures.
I tested a couple other patterns out for Julie and I will be showing those to you very soon.
Happy Weaving!
Nancy

Mini Muffin Basket - Tucking in the fillers and finishing the base

Hi Friends,

In this video we will finish the base. That will include tucking in the fillers, twining a keeper row and upsetting the stakes.

Happy Weaving,

Nancy

Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye Product Review and an Offer for You

Are you ready to see how I created this?

I did it with this!

And with it, I made these!

Dear Friends,

Remember how I was featured over at FaveCrafts? (See post HERE if you forgot) Well for being part of the FaveCraft family, they sent me a product to test and review. It is the Tulip One-Step Tie-Dye kit.

Now, do you really think I could dye just fabric with it? I feel I would be quite amiss to dye anything other than reed. (If I were reading YOUR blogs, I'd want to know how it preformed on reed.)

So the experimentation on reed begins.

The kit comes with 12 delicious colors. That's great, because my box of mason jars comes 12 to a box as well. That means one color per jar and I won't have to wash out and re-use the jars for additional colors.

I mixed up the first color according to the directions, color plus 4 oz of water (1/2 cup). I dipped the end of some reed in it and it took the color instantly. The directions said that the color could be lightened by adding more water. I decided to go to one cup of water. The reed still took the color almost instantly and with the same intensity as the first dip test. I decided to stick with one cup of water for each package of color.

Into each jar I put the dye, 1 cup water and 1 1/2 oz to 2 oz of reed. (I weighed it just to be sure.) Then I shook up each jar and placed it on its side to help the reed get maximum coverage in the dye bath. I let the reed stay in the dye bath about 1 hour and would turn and shake the jars about every 10 minutes.

Just look how pretty the colors turned out!

Did I tell you I did all this outside on my back patio wearing old clothes? Nancy's Tip: Even under optimum conditions NEVER, I repeat NEVER dye read in the house, or while wearing nice clothing on. The kit comes with rubber gloves as well as a plastic tarp. I used those too while working outside. I do think dying fabric could be less messy because it wouldn't flip and fling little droplets of dye the way reed can.

When the kit came, the colors on the package just shouted, "It's party time!" to me. That said, I decided to design and weave little party baskets to hold candy or small favors.

How about a black and orange basket for Halloween!

One more thing...FaveCrafts has asked me to be a regular guest blogger and contributor on their site. I will be posting monthly as well as offering weaving patterns over there. The first pattern will be these sweet party favor baskets. I'll let you know when the pattern is available.


Oh and still one more thing...FaveCrafts is offering a free eBook from Tulip. You can download it HERE.

And because you are wonderful readers of mine, should you like to purchase the kit, you may go to ILoveToCreate.com and enter the code "fave1009" for free shipping at the checkout.  Please note that this offer expires 11/30/09.

For those of you who have been too timid to try dying your own reed, this is a good way to try dying just a small bit at a time. It really was just one-step.

Happy Weaving,

Nancy

Basket Weaving Video - Mini Muffin Basket - Weaving a Solid Base

In today's video I show how to weave a solid base using fillers.
Happy Weaving,
Nancy

Market Basket with Swing Handle and Yesterday's Class

This basket is really quite large. The weavers are 1/2" flat reed. It is my own design created around a swing handle. The side embellishment is a swag I found at Hobby Lobby. I must confess with this basket...I found a cheep stain. It sounded liquidy (is that a word?) in the can. Oh such a mistake. It ended up creating a very sticky basket. As always, when will I listen to my own words to stick with Minwax stain in the yellow can. (I'm not knocking the stains specifically created for baskets or the natural homemade stains. Minwax is just convenient for me to purchase and easy to work with.)

One more tip. If you are designing a basket around a swing handle, it really looks nice if you plan for the basket to go up as close to the hinge on the handle as possible without affecting the swing of it.

Here are some pictures taken from my class yesterday.  There ended up being seven sweet ladies who came to class.  Three of them had just finished their baskets and I wanted to get a photo before they left.  I thought we all had a nice time and everyone's basket turned out wonderful.  It was a fun afternoon.
The bottom photo shows a big poster that the library had made advertising the class.  I got two of the posters when I left.  How cool is that?!
Have a blessed Sunday and Happy Weaving,
Nancy

Around the House Saturday

I've been very busy.


This next week I will show you how I did this and what I created with it!

Today is my class at our local library. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes. I have a full class with 12 students!

On to other things....Emily, our little 14 year old cake decorator has been having some serious shoulder and back pain. It has been a real mystery as to why this pain is occurring. It started back in July when she took a bus trip to church camp. There was no injury that would have caused this pain. Since that time it has been steadily getting worse. We first tried home remedies, then to the doctor for prescription pain medication and muscle relaxants, no results. Then on to physical therapy, the pain continued to get worse with no relief. X-rays have been taken and do not show anything. It is now to the point where she has trouble getting out of bed and even doing her schoolwork. Thank goodness for online homeschooling that she has been doing this past year. She can do an assignment and then rest for a while before doing the next assignment. This next week she will be going in for an MRI. I'm praying this will reveal the cause of her pain and that it will be easily fixed. We will still have to wait for an additional week before we will receive the results of the MRI. Waiting is hard and to see my child in pain is hard for this old mommy. Blogging and creative outlets have helped me keep my mind busy and not continually focused on what she is dealing with. If the MRI fails to show us anything, I don't know where to turn with this. So please keep sending uplifting thoughts and prayers her way. She's feeling very discouraged right now. I hope within a couple of weeks I'll have some good news to report.

Have a wonderful weekend and let me know what creative things you've been up to this week.
Love,
Nancy

Feature a Friend Friday - John from John Toft Basketry

Photos courtesy of John Toft

Dear Friends,

I'd like to introduce you to John Toft, a talented weaver from Canada. His blog is full of photos and information on weaving as well as his home, family and events in the area. In 1998 John retired from teaching and basket weaving became his passion.

John sent me an e-mail showing me the picture of the coffee cup (shown above) that he had woven through inspiration of Julie's pattern and my post HERE. I just think it is wonderful how we can all be inspiring to one another.

He sells his baskets through Etsy and his Etsy shop can be found HERE. It showcases his beautiful woven baskets as well as kits and even greeting cards with woven embellishments.
You really need to visit his shop to see all his wonderful work.

As John has written in his blog, one of his children is autistic. Through his Etsy shop, John gives a percentage of his sales to the Geneva Centre For Autism, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, a world renowned centre for autism research.

Be sure to stop by John's blog, http://johntoftbasketryatetsy.blogspot.com/ and say "Hello" to him and spend some time enjoying his baskets and posts.

Have a wonderful day,

Nancy

Introduction to Weaving my Mini Muffin Basket

Dear Friends,

We will begin weaving a new basket shortly. It is my "Mini Muffin Basket."

Get you weaving supplies ready. You will need the following:

• 5/8" flat reed
• 3/8" flat reed
• 1/4" flat reed
• #3 round reed

That's it! Only four sizes needed for this sweet basket.

As always, if you would like to view any of my baskets, you can visit my YouTube channel at

http://www.youtube.com/user/basketmasternancy

Blessings,

Nancy

Woven Angel - A Happy Mail Day - Deen Homestead Basketry

What a happy mail day I had on Monday afternoon.  The doorbell rings and it is the UPS man with a package for me!  Inside is this beautiful angel from Julie over at Deen Homestead Basketry.  I've been testing some basket patterns for Julie before they go into publication and she sent me this as a sweet thank you.  It is now my turn to say thank you to her!  The angel is a Christmas ornament, but I think she'll be lovely as my little kitchen angel and I'll keep her on my kitchen windowsill.  (There is no direct sunlight at that window so she'll be fine there.)
Julie has her patterns for sale on her website HERE.  They will be for sale soon at Basketpatterns.com I'll keep you posted when those go live.  The patterns I've tested and woven were the "Recipe Box Basket", the "Yarn Dispenser Basket" and the "Santa Boot".  I'll be posting pictures of those soon.  All three are very unique and clever baskets and were a lot of fun to weave.  Julie is a very thorough pattern writer and there are lots of photos in the pattern making it easy to follow.
Thank you again Julie for both the angel and the opportunity to weave your patterns.
Blessings,
Nancy
ps.  If anyone has patterns they would like tested before publishing, just send me an e-mail.  I promise to give only constructive comments.

Tip Technique Tuesday - Starting and Stopping with a Project

I try really hard to complete weaving a basket in just one sitting. Sometimes though, that just isn't possible. I want to give you a few tips on where to stop if you are working on a large project and need to pause so you can cook dinner for the family.

If it is a large project, one stage you can do is read through your pattern, gather your supplies and cut your stakes. Of course you can stop at this point. I like to have all my supplies gathered together because it is frustrating to have to get up and down because I've forgotten something.

Is your basket being woven in all natural reed? If so, and if there are no wooden parts then you can stop at most any time during your project and just resoak it when you are ready to begin again.

If you have wooden parts on your basket such as a wooden base or a wooden handle, you shouldn't even dip those in water. Some wooden handles are held together with glue and the water could affect the stick-um power of the glue. Some handles are steamed into their shape and water could cause them to relax and straighten back out. Of course they may get slightly damp from using wet reed and that cannot be helped, I'm just saying don't dip them in water. So that said, when you start weaving, it is best to weave up to the top of your basket and get your stakes cut and tucked. You can always put the rim on during your next basket weaving session.

If you have used some dyed reed in your project, you should either stop before incorporating the dyed reed on your project, or again weave to the top and do your cutting and tucking. If you need to re-soak your reed later you strongly risk your dyed reed bleeding onto natural reed. Spend a minute really shaping your basket at this point so that when you come back to lash the rim on, your basket will be shaped properly.

If you are doing a braided rim and the basket is in natural, I like to get my round reed in place before pausing.

What happens when.....your child requires that horrible trip to the emergency room when you just have to drop everything? Well, things like this can happen and you have no control of when to stop working at a convenient place.  (Seriously though, let's hope that never happens!) What I would do is when I return; I'd mist the reed lightly with a water bottle and work on shaping the basket the best I could. I'd continue weaving up the sides and again mist the reed where it gets cut and tucked. Have a paper towel handy to wipe off excessive drips. By only misting and using a towel to wipe drips you will decrease your chances of the dyed reed bleeding onto the natural reed.  When you tuck in your stakes, you may have more cracking and splintering than usual, but...this is just one of those times where that cannot be helped. The cracking and splintering will be hidden by the rim and rim filler.

I hope this gives you some suggestions when to pause your weaving should you need to .  Of course, in all instances, it is ideal to go from beginning to the finished project in one session.
Happy Weaving,
Nancy

Share a Basket Sunday - Halloween Basket with Spindle Handle

I wove this fun little Halloween basket using a 5" spindle handle. I think the handle adds so much and gives it a primitive country look. The embellishments are resin figurines that are just glued to the sides of the basket.
On the inside of the basket you will see the fillers are finished off in a "Crow's feet" or "Chicken feet" method for a fun look.
I think the little raffia bow is the finishing touch!
Baskets of Blessings,
Nancy

Halloween Candy - Candy Corn Cookie Bark and Candied Apples

The kids and I continue to cook. They love to work in the kitchen and are old enough to do candy making safely. The kids liked the candied apples best but my favorite was the Candy Corn Cookie Bark. (I'm not kidding, the Candy Corn Cookie Bark is seriously yummy!) For the candied apples, I just used the recipe from Joy of Cooking.
Enjoy!
Nancy

Candy Corn Cookie Bark
Recipe adapted from Your Home Based Mom
Ingredients:
One package of Oreos broken but not crushed. Keep in large chunks.
3 cups pretzels, broken into pieces.
2 lb. white chocolate, almond bark
2 cups candy corn
Colored sprinkles

Directions:
Melt almond bark over low heat in a large saucepan.
Add Oreos, pretzels and 1 cup candy corn to the almond bark and mix, coating well.
Cover a large cookie sheet with wax paper.
Pour almond bark mixture onto cookie sheet.
Sprinkle remaining candy corn and colored sprinkles over the almond bark while it is still wet. Tap the sprinkled candy corn lightly into the almond bark mixture but let it stay on the top for decoration.
Place cookie tray into refrigerator until set and firm. Remove and gently break bark into small pieces. Store in air tight container.

Free Basket Weaving Pattern - Tea Cups

Photo courtesy of Deen Homestead Basketry

As the weather is starting to cool and the leaves starting to turn, doesn't a cup of hot tea sound delicious? My favorite flavor used to be Cherry Almond Tea, but it's not being made anymore. Anybody have a good recipe for it?

Well, if I can't have my favorite tea, then at least I can have a favorite teacup. Aren't these adorable. Julie, over at Deen Homestead Basketry has a free pattern on her website for them. You can link to it HERE.

Hope you'll give it a try and be sure to stay warm in your part of the world.

By the way...What is your favorite flavor of tea? I'd like to hear.

Happy Weaving,

Nancy

Halloween Smores in a Jar

Look what the kids and I made! I actually saw this the first time at Easter with those little marshmallow bunny peep candies. What a great gift to give. Be sure when you give it to put it in a holiday basket filled with paper raffia or lined with a holiday napkin. Also, have patience and take your time when getting those little ghosts to stand upright in their place. They want to fall over. Enjoy!
Nancy
ps. What do you think of my photography skills here? I'm trying some of those fancy close-up shots and I have a frame around my picture. I'm learning! (thanks Anne for your Power Point help) These were suggestions from the book I told you about the other day Blogging For Bliss by Tara Frey.

Halloween Smores In A Jar
Ingredients:
1 quart mason jar
1 sleeve graham crackers
1 package holiday marshmallow peeps
one bag of holiday M&Ms candies
1/3 cup of brown sugar

Directions:
1. Crush 1 sleeve graham crackers to crumbs.
2. Layer 2/3 of the graham cracker crumbs in a 1 qt jar. Pack down the crumbs a bit.
3. Arrange 8 to 12 marshmallow holiday peeps standing up, facing out around the inside of the jar. Press them up against the glass, but don't squash them.
4. Carefully spoon remaining cracker crumbs in the center of the jar to support the peeps, pressing down to keep it snug.
5. On top of this pour 1-1/4 cup M&M's in holiday colors.
7. Spoon 1/3 cup brown sugar into center of M&M's, gently pressing with a spoon. If you have any room left over, fill the jar to the top with M&Ms.

Cooking directions:

1. Empty the jar contents into a bowl.
Snip the peeps into bits with kitchen shears or cut up with a knife.
Return the peep bits to the mixture. Mix well.
2. Melt 1/2 cup butter; add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour this over the dry ingredients, mixing well. Pat into a greased 8" or 9" square pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Cool and cut into bars.

Blogger Blogspot Question - Bloggers Can You Help Me

Most of the time, not always, but most of the time when I view my blog I see a little wrench and screwdriver everywhere I've placed a gadget (like in the little photo above). How do I get that little wrench to go away? Kind of funny how it comes and goes. Do you see it when you look at my blog?

Thank you in advance!

Nancy

Tip Technique Tuesday - Designing Your Own Basket

On Sunday, I showed you some casserole carriers that I wove around a Corning Ware dish. I've had e-mails asking how to do this and how I design my own baskets.
From time to time I like to weave a basket to contain something specific like this Corning Ware dish. I've also woven around plastic containers of various sizes. These plastic containers basically become a liner for the basket. This way, I can put food or plants in my baskets and I don't have to worry about my baskets becoming damaged or wet.
The way I start designing the basket is I know what purpose I want to use the basket for.
If I want to weave it around something like this dish in the picture, I measure around it. Look closely at the photo. My tape measure extends two inches on each side of the basket. I would cut my stakes for this basket 17". This gives me room to cut and tuck and I won't run short when I get to the top. So basically, measure the three sides (side, bottom, side) and add 4 inches. If it is a large basket, I would add 6" or an extra 3" to each side. Make sense?
Then I almost always use 1/2" flat or 5/8" flat for my stakes or spokes. I weave typically with thinner reed than my spokes so 3/8", 1/4" or 11/64" flat or flat oval or round reed, anything that is thinner or more flexible than my stakes. If I use fillers for my base, I often use 3/8" or 1/2" flat. To know the number of stakes to cut, you're just going to have to do the math on your particular project. It depends on what size stakes you are using and the spacing you choose between each stake.
As I weave up the sides, my creativity just guides me. I just have a finished height in mind. For my rim row, I weave 1/8" narrower reed than what I'm going to use for my rim. for example, if my rim is 1/2" flat/oval, I would weave my top rim row 3/8" flat.
Have you ever been at a store and saw a basket you really liked and thought you could weave it at home with a higher quality look and in colors that matched your decor? Just keep your tape measure in your purse and measure around the basket like I did in the photo. Take a few notes as to what sizes of materials they used and the finished dimensions of the basket. Then you can go home and weave it with better quality products, better reed, better handles etc.
Be sure to post a comment or send me an e-mail if you have further questions about this. I hope it gets you started on designing your own baskets. As always, be sure to let me know when you finish a basket and post me a link to its photo.
Happy Weaving,
Nancy

Blogging For Bliss by Tara Frey

Have you gotten a chance to curl up on the sofa and read for fun?
This is my new favorite book and I've been devouring it. I love reading blogs. I think what I like so much about reading blogs is that they remind me of reading a magazine and I love reading magazines. Magazines have short articles of interest and that is just what blogs are about, short articles of interest. I really enjoy blogging and I've been trying to get better at it. Have you noticed I've been playing around lately with the look of my blog? I've been looking at blogs and trying to decipher what it is about some that just draw me in. That is what I want for my blog. I want to draw you in. I want to be a better writer. I want to be a better photographer. Goodness, some of the photos on blogs make me feel like I am right there. If it is food I just want to reach into my computer and taste it. If it is fabric I just want to touch it.

Blogging For Bliss by Tara Frey is scrumptious. I'm not kidding. She uses examples from over 50 blogs that are amazing in one form or another. She starts out with the very basics covering starting up a blog and takes you step by step through the process. She covers photography, HTML codes, banners and sidebars, search engine optimization and more and more and more! The 50 plus blogs that she mentions are like an interview with each one. Each blog interview talks about blogging and gives some tips and advice. Tara blogs over at http://www.tarafrey.com/ and you can get her book on Amazon.
Have a wonderful day,
Nancy

Share a Basket Sunday - Woven Casserole Baskets

As the weather cools off I wanted to show you a couple of casserole carriers I wove. Both baskets have handles made from the stakes. The one on the left has a 7/8" strip of reed in the middle of the weaving which I painted. The basket on the right has filler from #6 round reed rather than seagrass. I took the round reed up from where it is sandwiched between the rims and incorporated it into the handle wrapping for a sturdy handle. As I wove these both, I kept putting in the Corning Ware dish into the basket to make sure it would fit. It is a handy way to serve a hot dish at the table.
Have a Blessed Sunday,
Nancy

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Special Shapes Day

Here is where I was Thursday morning with the kiddos. Wish you all could have joined me. It's like a big party at the fiesta park. Like I said, this is my favorite week of the year. (Well, one of them anyway.)
Hugs and Blessings,
Nancy

The regular balloons took off before and after the special shapes.