Here are some snapshots from yet another pair of wonderful basketry workshops with Martha Wetherbee we had here in St. Louis June 21-24, 2007. Martha offered two classes, the sixth in a series of Nantucket signature nesting baskets and the final in a series of Shaker confection baskets woven of brown ash. This marks the 8th year Martha and Alan have come to St. Louis.

Nantucket Signature Nesting Baskets

June 21-23, 2007

Alan explains the basic layout of the staves.

Alan demonstrates setting up the four quadrants in a 4" basket.

Alan continues demonstrating the use of a "gap gauge" to space the staves evenly.

Alan explains to Euline about the theory behind the stave placement.

I just about have all my staves in place on my 4" basket.

Cindy, now on her 5th basket in the nest, is set up and weaving in no time.

Everybody is off and weaving. Natalie works on the second in her next, a 12".

Lynn works on the huge 16".

Beth settles into her groove working on her 12".

Mary catches me photographing her while working on her 8".

Many of us are now working on the smaller baskets of the nest, but even though they are small they are very detailed.

Fortunately since the staves are shorter it doesn't take quite as much work to go around them, so they progress fairly quickly.

Even with all the running around I do as host, I am halfway up the sides of the basket.

It is the end of day one and the baskets are progressing nicely and are left banded for the night.

Lynn's 16" is coming along nicely.

As day two begins Martha checks to see how everyone is doing.

Lynanne, who has traveled around the country taking classes with Martha and Alan is the farthest along on her nest, a tiny 3" (or #2) basket.

Everybody settles into a day of weaving.

Euline brings in a number of the Nantuckets she has collected.

Martha gives us a review of the features of this basket, constructed of oak and cane.

The maker has signed the basket with a wood-burned brand and signature/date.

After the show-and-tell Fern is back to work.

Beth is about halfway up the sides of her basket.

Lynn is past the hardest part of the weaving, the curve as you go from the bottom of the basket to going up the sides.

Euline, making her first basket is having no trouble.

The basketweavers are starting to get to the tops of their molds.

Lynn continues to chug along.

Jeana, Anne and I are making the 4" baskets.

Without too much trouble I am to the top...

...and off the mold.

The baskets are dried and packed.

After leveling, a temporary binder row ins inserted so that they staves can be easily trimmed to the same length.

With the staves trimmed the rims can be fit to the basket.

The third day of class is all about handles and rims.

With the handle and rims fit to the basket, it is time to pin the rims.

Wanda mans one of the drill press stations.

My basket rims are nailed and I am ready to lash.

Cindy discovers that while the small baskets were quick to weave there isn't very much room to work when it comes time to lash.

But, our weavers are old pros now and Jeana is on to the last half of her lashing.

Lynn breathes a sigh of relief once she is off the mold and packing.

Euline proudly displays her basket freshly off the mold.

Natalie is almost finished clipping her staves level.

Martha takes another break to recount her basket weaving adventure she took last summer.

With only a bare minimum of tools Martha took off for the wilderness to make a basket. Here is the result of her adventure, a beautiful basket with a "star" bottom.

Euline also shares one of her incredibly detailed Nantucket purses.

Beth double-checks the placement of her handle before she snaps on the rims.

Natalie discovered that tights rims are great, but are also challenging to get onto the basket.

It seemed at the beginning that Lynn would never get her basket woven and yet here she is starting on the last half of her lashing.

Robin has her handle and rims on her basket and she is at the drilling station.

She can then relax and lash after three days of work.

Natalie didn't let those rims get the best of her and she is just finishing up her lashing.

Anne proudly displays her completed 4" Nantucket Signature Basket with Alan and Martha.

For her first basket Euline did a great job and is ready to display it along side her incredible collection of Nantucket baskets.

Beth, Martha, Alan, Euline and Wanda are all smiles after another great workshop.

Shaker Confection Collection Basket

June 23-24, 2007

The first evening of the class Martha explains how the holes between the staves must be perfectly square.

Martha then demonstrates laying out a base.

Martha points out the spaces between the staves should be square from the beginning.

After the lesson everyone begins laying out his or her base.

Cindy checks to see if her base fits on the mold.

Carol and Lynanne make the tiny 2" "sweet tooth" basket. Here one of them is upsetting the corners of the base.

Martha demonstrates pinning the base to the mold and how after spacing the staves the "cat ears" are already beginning to stick up.

My base is pinned to the 4" "sugar cube" mold and ready for bed.

The next day Martha does a demonstration of splitting brown ash.

After scoring the splint Martha coaxes the growth ring to spilt.

Using her thumbs she slowly begins to divide the ash strip.

If the two sides become uneven a little extra pressure on one side evens things up.

Martha continues the process down the length of splint.

As the growth ring is divided it reveals the beautiful satin inner surface.

After the splint is divided it is run through banks of knives to cut it into weavers.

Robin uses not only her hands, but also her mouth to help with the weaving.

Carol gathers the tiny corners of her basket to help encourage the formation of the cat ears.

After a few rows my basket is starting to take shape.

Beverly works on her 8" Confection basket.

Kathleen also is engrossed in her 8" Confection basket.

Cindy weaves up the sides of her basket.

Kathleen is almost to the top of her mold.

One of the 2" Sweet Tooth baskets is woven to the top.

Carol removes the pins so she can remove the basket from the mold.

Beverly writes her initials on the basket before putting it in the dryer.

Cindy packs her basket.

My basket is off the mold, packed and leveled.

The final step, lashing the basket.

A completed 2" Sweet Tooth basket.

My set of three beautiful Confection Collection baskets (4"-6"-8").