Here are some snapshots from my fifth wonderful basketry workshops with JoAnn Kelly Catsos we had here in St. Louis October, 2010. JoAnn taught two incredible baskets, both woven of brown ash (or black ash which it is also known by) which she and her husband Steve prepare themselves. We started out with a half-size Shaker knife basket to warm up and then dove into a delicate 6" quadrafoil tub.

Half-Size Shaker Knife Basket
and
6" Quadrafoil Tub

October 16-18, 2010

JoAnn Kelly Catsos shows the class the two baskets we will be making.

We will start out with a half-scale Shaker knife basket and finish with a 6" diameter quadrafoil tub.

Each upright is sanded.

Cindy starts laying out the base.

JoAnn shows how what the base looks like with all the uprights woven together.

JoAnn demonstrates tightening up the spacing of the base.

Time to test the fit of the base to the mold.

Jane pins the base to the mold.

The uprights are dampened and banded to the old to dry.

While waiting for the uprights to dry the rims are sanded.

The rims are so nice they barely need much work to be satin smooth.

With the uprights tight to the mold the weaving can begin.

The little baskets weave up quickly.

JoAnn loves that everyone is such good weavers.

The baskets are woven to the top of the mold.

Tina levels her basket.

With the basket off the mold the baskets are ready for rimming.

A final rim row is woven into the leveled basket.

The uprights are folded over and secured to dry.

The handles are notched to fit.

The rims are fit to the basket.

JoAnn gives some pointers on lashing the baskets.

Lashing begins.

Martha Kay lashes her basket.

JoAnn inspects our handy work.

My completed half-scale Shaker knife basket.

Some of the goodies JoAnn brought for our shopping pleasure.

JoAnn begins the the 6" quadrafoil class.

JoAnn discusses how the baskets will be woven.

Tina begins laying out the base.

Jeana works on her base.

JoAnn gives Leanne and Wanda some pointers on how to follow the pattern.

Cindy checks her weaving pattern.

The bases are woven up loose.

Then the spaces are evenly packed tighter.

Until all the space is eliminated.

JoAnn demonstrates beginning the weaving.

With each row the uprights are spread.

After a few rows the uprights are almost completed fanned.

We continue weaving the pattern around and around.

JoAnn answers one of Martha Kay's questions.

Lyn continues until she gets to the edge of the base of the mold.

I am starting to come out of the pattern.

The pattern is framed by plain weaving.

JoAnn inspects Tina's base.

I clamp my base to dry perfectly flat.

The bases is pinned to the mold and the uprights banded to the mold.

Cindy gives her basket a "hair cut".

JoAnn gives Pat some advise.

Leanne starts weaving the sides of her basket.

Lynanne starts up the sides of her basket.

The baskets are starting to take shape.

Because the bases are flipped over when attached to the mold you have to weave the sides "backwards".

After weaving the complicated bases the sides seem like a pieces of cake.

Wanda is about up to the top of her mold.

Once dried, packed and leveled a rim row is woven in.

All the uprights on the outside are folded over and clipped.

After the folded uprights dry they are unclipped and the remaining uprights trimmed

The little side handles are notched.

Lashing begins.

Pat lashes her basket.

Martha Kay untangles her lashing.

Lynanne lashes her basket.

I am to my last stitch.

Fishing the last stitch up between the rims is tricky when you lash really tightly.

I love how the quadrafoil pattern looks.

JoAnn helps Leanne with the last stitch of her lashing too.

I made and extra little knife basket.

My new 6" quadrafoil looks great with my 9" and 11".

JoAnn poses with Cindy and her two beautiful baskets.

Jeana shows off her two equally beautiful baskets.

Everyone is so ambitious that they start some extra basket projects.

Pat works on a small twilled basket.

Lynanne works on a little 2" cathead.

I work on a 4" cathead.

A couple of us get so crazy that we decide to make tiny pin cushion baskets.

Amazingly they weave up pretty easily.

The baskets are leveled just like the full-sized version.

The baskets are so small that the rims have to be tied on with dental floss.

Leanne is so motivated that she makes three!

Of course I have to try one too.