Here are some snapshots from yet another pair of wonderful basketry workshops with Martha Wetherbee we had here in St. Louis June 25-28, 2009. Martha offered two classes, the eighth in a series of Nantucket signature nesting baskets and the second in a series of reproduction Bushwhacker baskets woven of brown ash. This marks the 10th year Martha and Alan have come to St. Louis!

Nantucket Signature Nesting Baskets

June 25-27, 2009

Martha introduces the class and gets us started.

Jane begins sanding her staves.

Martha and Jeana catch up since last year.

My #0 mold and base are tiny!

Martha shows the proper fit for Wanda's #16 staves.

Because the staves are so small you begin weaving as you insert them.

Jane sands each stave tip to that it fits nice and tight.

Lynn carefully fits all of her #2.

Since Lynanne already has her next complete she works on some special projects.

One basket with all its staves inserted.

Beth has all her staves in and begins to carefully weave the first delicate rows.

All my staves are in, whew!

A few rows are woven and my basket is ready to go into the dryer.

Lynn continues to weave her first rows.

Fern, like the others working on the #16s, is finding the setup takes awhile.

Martha shares some of her stories as Mary works on her #4.

Wanda continues to add her staves.

Jeana almost has all of her staves inserted.

Martha checks out the stave spacing.

Beth weaves away on her basket.

My tiny basket is weaving up pretty quickly. Spacers are inserted to make room for the "ears".

Jane settles into weaving.

Jeana finally gets to start weaving.

Wanda also starts the weaving on her basket.

With everyone weaving Martha shares more of her adventure stories.

Beth continually watching the spacing on her staves, making any adjustments as necessary.

My basket is already off the mold and leveled.

Martha sits down to give Mary a hand.

My basket is leveled and the staves trimmed.

As day one ends baskets are banded for the night.

The second day is all weaving and Jeana jumps right in.

Alan works on assembling my tiny handle and ears.

My handle and rims are fitted (the excess staves will be cut off after pinning).

Martha helps Beth with her #2 rims and handle.

Jane settles into a day of weaving.

Wanda pauses long enough to scratch, but then it is back to weaving.

My rims are pinned and the staves trimmed. They just need to be carefully sanded level.

Martha helps Lynanne with the rims of her special project.

Alan appears to have gone into a trance.

Jane can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Fern continues to weave away at her #16.

And before Jane knows it she is off the mold.

Martha helps Jane fit her rims.

Martha checks her marks.

Lynanne starts another special project basket.

Jeana never thought she would be off that #16 mold.

I start a little bonus basket.

Martha is all smiles after another successful day of weaving.

As day 3 begins Fern is off the mold and is packing.

Alan helps with a patch job on a broken weaver.

Fern's basket is leveled and the false rim is woven in.

Martha helps fit rims on a #16.

Fern uses a cabinet scraper to refine the shape of her handle.

Jeana does the same to her handle.

Mary pins the rims on a bonus basket.

Jane's basket is rimmed and handled.

A quick once over with the sanding block and her basket is ready to lash.

Jane lashes her basket.

Lynn lashes her basket.

Jeana and Wanda do the same.

Alan applies a coat of finish to the baskets.

With my #0 lashed my set of 9 Signature Nesting Nantuckets baskets are complete.

Bushwhacker Basket

June 27-28, 2009

Martha describes what makes a Bushwhacker basket distinctive...

...including the way the swing handle is attached...

...and the little "knot" in the bottom of the basket.

Martha goes over the instructions for setting up the double bottom.

The instructions include a diagram of how the spokes should be arranged.

Leanne begins her sample base.

Mary has joined us from Florida.

Rick, also new to the class, works on his starter base.

Of course I jump right in on my basket.

The next morning Nancy, Rick's wife, begins marking the basket uprights.

Martha supervises as we begin cutting the uprights.

With everyone settled in, Martha recounts her discovery of the Bushwhacker legend.

Martha shows us photos of the surviving "Bushwhackers" in the book she wrote.

With all the uprights cut, Martha demonstrates laying out the base...

...and how to begin the weaving.

Martha demonstrates how the split upright allows for continuous weaving.

The bottoms of these baskets are woven over a little "bump bottom" mold.

The starter mold helps you achieve the "bumped in" or "kicked up" bottom on the basket.

With the bottom woven it is pinned to the basket mold.

Padded aluminum and steel pointed pins are used to affix the basket to the mold.

Annette fits her base to the mold.

My basket is banned to the mold to dry..

Once the uprights are dried Annette begins weaving.

Nancy splices a new weaver onto her basket.

I am almost to the edge of the bottom.

Mary is already about halfway up her mold.

In short order we are all about to the top of the mold.

Martha demonstrates to Rick how to taper and end the weaver.

My basket is leveled and the binder woven.

Annette begins tucking her uprights over.

The rims are fit to the basket.

A swing handle or a pair of side ear handles can be used.

Martha Kay begins lashing her basket.

I am almost around my basket once.

Leanne is just finishing up the double lashing on her basket.

A grouping of the sample baskets Martha brought to class.