Organizing My Basket House
I love baskets - baskets of all different kinds. Baskets are generally woven by hand - some fitted with a lid, others are left open. Over the years, I've collected a number of them from auctions, antiques fairs, and tag sales, or from the talented basket-making artisans themselves.
When I moved to my Bedford, New York farm, I built a small structure to house my basket collection. Every so often, I like to clean and organize this basket house, so the beautifully hand-made containers remain in good condition.
Here are some photos - enjoy.
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- This is the little house where I store my basket collection. It is located near my grove of bald cypress trees across from my clematis pergola.
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- Inside, I have many, many baskets. A good number of these baskets were used during my catering days. Here they are all taken out of the structure and carefully placed on the lawn, so they can be dusted and reorganized.
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- Some of my baskets are antique, some more contemporary. The oldest known baskets have been carbon dated to between 10-thousand and 12-thousand years old.
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- Baskets were needed as containers for everything imaginable – food, clothing, storage and transport. Fruit, nuts, seeds and dried meats were often collected and stored in these hand-made containers.
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- The oddly-shaped basket in the center was originally used for holding fish after they were caught.
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- This is used for gathering roses or other flowers from the garden.
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- Basket weaving is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into two or three dimensional objects – anything that will bend and form a shape can be made into basket. Baskets are made using different techniques, such as “plaiting”, which uses materials that are wide and braid like,”twining”, which uses materials from roots and tree bark. Twining refers to a weaving technique where two or more flexible elements cross each other as they weave through the stiffer spokes.”Wicker” basketry uses reed, cane, willow, oak. “Coiled” basketry uses grasses and rushes.
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- Here is Joanie helping with our basket organizing project. This day was a bit humid; however, this was okay for the baskets as it keeps them from drying out and cracking.
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- Many of the baskets had cobwebs.
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- Enma dusts each basket with a cloth. If needed, a soft brush can also be used to remove dirt and debris from the weave. Never immerse a basket in water – this risks removing some of the patina. Soaking a basket can also result in swelling and popping of the weave.
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- Slowly, the baskets are returned to the house. Many of these baskets can actually be hung from the rafters – to save shelf space for baskets without handles.
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- The baskets look great hanging above – now the shelves are clear for more baskets. I had “S” hooks made out of a heavy gauge copper wire to suspend them inside.
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- These baskets in the front are called buttocks baskets, so named for their shape. They are also called melon baskets, egg baskets, and gathering baskets.
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- Here is another buttocks basket with embellishments.
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- Early basketmakers selected materials from nature, such as stems, animal hair, hide, grasses, thread, wood, and pinstraw. Baskets vary not only across geographies and cultures, but also within the regions in which they are made.
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- These are berry baskets. They are now lined up neatly on the shelf – and without stacking.
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- This basket was originally used on wash days to carry clean, damp laundry outdoors to dry. Today, this can still be used as a laundry basket or a container to hold towels or blankets.
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- Here is a row of picnic baskets. During the earliest days of my “Living” television show, we would pack light meals in picnic baskets for my on-air guests that came to town.
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- I’ve collected so many baskets over the years. It’s amazing how many can fit in this enclosure when they are all well-organized. I must have hundreds and hundreds of baskets in my collection.
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- All my baskets are now tucked away neatly in their shelter – protected from all the elements. What fall cleaning chores are on your “to do” list? Share your comments with me below.
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