Mini Market

These little market baskets are so fun and quick to weave. The handle is a 4" x 6" D. The rim was lashed with cane.
Happy Weaving, Love,
Nancy

WAHM Talk Radio #245

Last week after the WAHM Talk Radio podcast I e-mailed the hostess Kelly McCausey because her podcast struck a chord with me. I told her how I was feeling guilty about wanting to start up my basket weaving teaching business in that I would be taking time away from my family. I've always felt blessed to be a SAHM and I didn't want my business to affect our family life. Kelly invited me to be a guest on her podcast and did a telephone interview with me and Gina Badality on the topic of work and guilt. I was a little nervous but I think it turned out well and I really got some great input. The biggest thing I took away is that this business is not 'all about me'. I'd always wanted my children to see me as a good role model being a mommy and a wife. Now I see that I can be a role model to my children in running a small business as well.

Please click one of the links to listen to episode #245 WAHM Talk Radio or you can subscribe to WAHM Talk Radio via iTunes.

http://www.wahmtalkradio.com/

or

http://www.wahmtalkradio.com/blog/

Have a great day!

Nancy

Sweet Angel Basket

Technique/Tip Tuesday--Spoke Weight

I have a couple of favorite basket weaving tools, but today I'm going to talk about my #1 tool, the Spoke Weight.

When I first learned how to weave we would put our dishpans full of water on the table to hold our reed in place. While this worked, it was very space consuming. The spoke weight is a heavy metal weight that also is a ruler. It is perfect for holding reed in place and measuring to get the exact length of reed or space between reeds. This is a must have tool for basket weavers.

Here is my tip. What if you don't have a spoke weight and don't want to put the dishpan on the table? What if you do have a spoke weight yet your basket is large and you need more than one. Here's what you do. Go to your pantry and get out a bag of dried beans and use that as a weight. Dried beans are inexpensive, the plastic bag keeps the beans dry, and they don't take up hardly any additional table space. Use 2, 3, or 4 bags if needed. It is a handy homemade kitchen tool to make your basket weaving just that much easier!

Love,

Nancy

Kitchen Wall Basket

The cookie is really a Christmas ornament that I hot glued to the front of this basket. The stakes are made with 3/8" plus the green 1/4" flat. The weavers are 11/64 flat/oval.
Love,
Nancy

Tea Bag Basket

This is one of my favorite practical baskets.
Love,
Nancy

Progressing Forward with the Craft Show

I got quite a few things done yesterday. I made my own business cards on the computer and then rubber stamped a basket on them. They turned out nice. I also made up price tags for my baskets as well as contact sheets for people to sign up to get information from me. I'll have these out at the craft show. I also scheduled a few dates on the calendar to teach my classes. Now I pray that my classes fill up with students! I've also been gathering my baskets together into the guest room to prepare them for the show. I'm getting excited and pumped up now!

Love,

Nancy

Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival

I went to a high end art and craft show this past weekend as a shopper. I made sure I went because an online basket weaving friend was there displaying her baskets. Arlene makes beautiful baskets and is very diversified in her weaving. She works with reed, pine needles, waxed linen and weaving on gourds. Her work is fabulous. Arlene gave me some great tips for when I have my craft show and it was truly inspiring to visit with a crafter who works in the same media as myself. Please visit her site at http://www.azbaskets.net/ and click on her various gallery links to see photos of her incredible work and I'm serious when I say it is incredibly beautiful. One more thing. Arlene is dealing with leukemia. Please be sure to keep her lifted up in prayer. She was doing great at the show and has a healthy attitude of living each day to the fullest. Her work and her attitude are an inspiration to us all. The top photo shows the festival tent located at I-25 and Paseo Del Norte in Albuquerque. This festival is held over the two weekends of the International Balloon Fiesta. The bottom photo is inside the super sized tent where the artisans have their booths. This was the 20th anniversary of the Rio Grande Arts and Crafts Festival.

Blessings,

Nancy

Heart Basket

A heart basket is fun and really pretty easy to make. Start by weaving a square base and then "unweave" 2 or 3 stakes on each side (depending on the size of your basket). You can see in the photo above that I unwove 2 stakes on each side. Twine around the base with #2 read to stabilize the basket. Then upset the sides and begin weaving. The hardest thing about this basket is getting the shape the way you want it. The trick here is to use extra clothespins, more than you would normally use. I also think it is so pretty to finish off the top with a braided rim on a heart basket. That gives it a more delicate look.
Happy weaving,
Love,
Nancy