News about my booklet and "Ripples"

http://www.blurb.com/b/8076897-japanese-basketry-embellishments
Here's a link for purchasing my booklet on Japanese basketry embellishments through Blurb.com

My booklet shows how to put Japanese basketry embellishment knots and wraps on baskets. They are the same knots you see on my rocks. There is also a section on putting a knot on a rock. The booklet is 24 pages long, w/ color photos. With practice, you can put any of these embellishments on your favorite rocks.

If you read my previous post, you'll know that I've been really ill.  But thanks to my doctors, I am slowly recovering.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that I might have to have immunotherapy infusions for the rest of my life. However, you didn't stop here to read about my health.

My newest woven piece has been very fun to work on.  I was able to weave with new materials (to me) and weaving combinations.  The first  item was ramie cord, or Chinese nettle, that I purchased at the Japanese Garden gift shop in Portland. Same family as European stinging nettle, different species.

Have you heard of hinoki?  It is Japanese cypress, or Chamaecyparis obtusa, which is a sacred tree.
Every year, Japanese woodworkers have planing competitions, in which they try to produce  the thinnest piece of wood.  Some are many times thinner than human hair!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vINeD7nQ2

 My fiber friend, Mari, was kind enough to give me some samples when I visited her studio.  I decided to spin it for weaving. These were pretty thin pieces.  Thinner than a piece of copy paper. 

I used both of these fibers, and more in making my newest 'hybrid basket.'  The center is pine needles woven around a resin base, followed by ni'au blanc leaves.  They are bleached white coconut leaves that you might have seen on Tahitian headdresses.

Then I attached some leaves to the last row of coiling, and started twining.  I used waxed linen, waxed cotton, more ramie cord, hemp cord, and horsehair.  The last few rows are Perigord weave.  (I learned this technique with Eva Seidenfaden's book, The Art of Basketmaking - The Périgord Technique and Tradition.

If you're not familiar with this weave, it's used in willow basketry.  Here's a sample from the book. 


At first, I was going to make my piece into a wall hanging.  But then, I decided that I like it better as a decorative basket.  

 That's how the Perigord weave looks, on the last two rows.  Don't look too closely at my coiling!  I still consider myself a beginner.  And, somehow, when you're up at 3 am, functioning on 5 hours of sleep, the stitches get turned around, but you don't see it, until it's too late.😒

Spring beach time

Sat. afternoon, I arrived in Cannon Beach, Or. to teach a workshop at the Tolovana Arts Colony. We were so fortunate to have a lovely, sunny day in late April.  There were 8 participants, who were given the choice of making a basket with reed and natural materials or a birdhouse.  Here are some of the results.  All very different, yet the same materials were available to all. 

I didn't get photos of everyone's work, sorry!

When I left Cannon Beach on Sun., I headed north to Seaview, Wa. for an artist in residence visit.  It was 81 degrees!  What a treat!  I arrived at the Sou'Wester Lodge after lunch. It's been here since 1892.

I was issued the key for my home for the next 5 nights.

This great old cabin from the 50's had everything I needed.  

So what do you do with 5 days of freedom?  You walk on the beach, and weave!

My first project has been on the back burner for years.  The face is clay, made by Dana Swisher of Eugene.  You may recognize the style from some of my woven figures.  The whole thing is about 8" across, so it's not one of those little beads.  I used western red cedar strips for the warp.  The weaving is hemp thread, wisteria fiber, cedar bark strips, and ni'au blanc leaves.

I made a woven circle out of vine rattan, willow bark, and dracena leaves, with the thought of leaving it at the lodge.  However, it didn't live up to my expectations, so I brought it home.  Here it is in the Golden Deer exhibit room (my front door entryway), along with my pine needle bag.

And outside the door, you'll find a random weave leaf that I made.  It's made of dyed bamboo strips that I bought from Jiro Y.

On Thurs. I was starting to panic a little, because I didn't know what I was going to make for the lodge.  I had willow and cedar bark, and bits and pieces of other weaving materials.  So I decided perhaps I would weave a willow bark basket after my walk on the beach.

Well that basket never happened because I made a marvelous beach find.  I walked on the path near Long Beach, and when I got out onto the beach, I found several large slabs of bark.  I believe it was maple.  I pulled the frayed edges, and was able to retrieve quite a bit of  bark strips.  The rest I can make into cordage.  So I ended up making a wall hanging.  I didn't size the maple strips; I just used them in their original forms.

close up of kelp beads

 I had a day to work on paper.  Earlier in the month, I had prepared a small paper mache dish. 

I prepared the rest of the paper for spinning.

I was able to sew the warp threads (hemp) onto the bowl, and started twining the upper portion, which I will show you when I'm done, probably next week.

 I had 8 students for my workshop on Sat.  The pavilion was set up quite nicely for us.  Heat lamps, which we needed since it was rainy and a little cold, tea and coffee, citronella candles for the mosquitoes.  I was worried that it might be too cold for weaving, but the temperature was just fine.

The participants wove some fantastic baskets, made of paper cord and waxed linen, in buttonhole stitch.  I was very proud of them.

 

I made all of the center circles except for the upper right one. They are bisque fired clay. I like to use rocks with holes, but I just couldn't find the right ones for this workshop.

 

 We also spent about an hour adding some Japanese basketry knots to rocks, which is quite popular here in the Northwest.

Did you know that I wrote a little booklet on how to do these embellishments on baskets? (If you'd like to order one, please contact me at d2crispin@aol.com for more details.  Otherwise, if you "leave a comment" on the page, I never get to see your email address, and cannot reply to you.