Thanks all for the nice words. She works, if you can call smiling, and just weaving, work. But she endeavors to always improve, and add to the list of both materials, and also types of baskets she has woven, sizes are just a matter of your position, but the different types all go together differently. I try to keep up, but she has done so many types it's hard to think of all the details each has, not to mention the weave patterns. She is at the point where some truly gifted weavers are recognizing her work. This is very good, and when she weaves one to sell, it really helps the price.
OT. think of the bottom as a piece of wood 3/8 to 1/2" thick, with the edges sanded down to a taper. Then they are run on a router table using a slitter bit, and a channel is put straight into the tapered edge. Most use 1/8" as the width, and that size can accommodate most weavers, the depth varies, but usually about an 1/8" to 1/4" with the larger being for bigger baskets, or really heavy weavers. Changing the size of bearing gives you depth control, and the slot cutters themselves come in different widths for thickness. Get it set, and just go around the base making your channel. Pretty easy work, so making the correct shape and size for the intended bottom, you can run a batch of them off in no time.
Handles, when wooden can be laminated up, or a few woods can bend if you heat them enough at a pretty good thickness. Probably why Oak was used so often back when. A few she has made have had wooden lids, so theoretically a lot of woodworking can be involved.
Jim, appears you wife also had quite a bit of talent, that is a beautiful basket, and I know from playing with a handful of pine needles that isn't the easiest weaver to master. My wife has made several of needles, but I am not aware of any of hers being as large as your wifes appears to me. I'm thinking that basket is 6 to 8" wide minimum. My Wifes are all just little palm of your hand baskets when she has used needles. She often refers to them as Hummingbird baskets.
She finished her class this AM, well went a little into the afternoon, we are talking about a gabfest among a bunch of girls who all know each other for years in most cases. Hard to reign in that kind of energy. She almost finished todays basket, just lacks putting on the rim, and maybe an hour of cleaning it up, and then spraying it.
It's really rainy here today, so natural light kept coming and going, so I used a flash on a few shots. If the pics get really washed out looking, that is flash effect.
Tried to get a good pic of the bottom, once the weavers are placed the slot pretty much disappears. Plus some baskets the weavers go straight up, and they seem to "fill" less. These are more of a wrap, so they will appear to fill a lot more.
They are getting better and better accessories for the weavers, of course $$$$$$$ is spent, and somewhere peeps are making it pretty quickly. NEW APRON, this thing is a heavyweight canvas like material, so no sharp tools are gonna lap stab her. Plus it has a deal for her guild, she has moved from the Dayton area down to the Cinci area, better weavers, better everything.
