Rustic Baskets

Rustic Baskets

In pre-colonial and colonial times, rustic baskets were made of materials gathered from the local woods and grasslands, as well as grown in gardens. Natural fibers such as fox grape, willow, Virginia creeper vines, sea grasses, sedge, nettles, corn husks, day lily or iris leaves, honeysuckle, coralberry or wisteria vines all could be used to make baskets. Basket handles could be made from thick vines, driftwood found by the ocean, or even branches found at abandoned beaver dams in ponds and streams.

I make my rustic baskets from a gathering of found fibers, such as iris leaves from my garden, driftwood, seagrass and shells from the ocean shore, beaver hewn sticks from a lakeside dam, as well as pottery ornaments and reed purchased from my favorite basket supplier.

These are a few examples of my rustic baskets. As you can see, each one is unique.