Tote Basket with Shaker Tape Handles

This is a beautiful, useful 10x6x10” basket woven with a combination of reeds of varied sizes as well as Shaker tape handle straps to carry over the shoulder or a shorter version to tote on your elbow by your side. We will add coordinated colors of your choosing to match the strap handles. After completion, the basket can be dipped in a black walnut stain for preservation, beauty and durability. This basket is sturdy with a myriad of uses at market, in the garden, book club, knitting, even grocery supplies.

 Students usually find that basket weaving has shown a positive effect on their ability to maintain manual dexterity, and also as a means of warding off the stiffness of arthritis. Persons with even major sight impairment can weave baskets.  Mentally, basket weaving can also help to keep senses sharp in the same way that puzzle-making, crossword puzzles and balancing the checkbook without a calculator all require more active brain manipulation than the passive use of calculators. With basket weaving, measurements are taken as supplies are cut; decisions are made as the weaving progresses, and most of all, a deep sense of satisfaction comes with the finished basketry! I also think that the relatively short amount of time that's required to weave a basket is a good incentive for pursuing this craft. Good, clean, fun!

Karen Zukas and Annette Kelley each have several years of experience making reed and stave rimmed baskets with either reed or wooden bottoms, handles or no handles in several shapes, sizes and functions.  As students of Patty Batson, they've apprenticed and produced a variety of baskets, understanding the skills and tecniques of making these attractive little wonders out of thin air.  You'll be amazed that a little instruction and an ability to follow the mantra with "over, under, over, under" will guide you on your way to producing a variety of sweet, functional treasures to keep or to share as heirlooms.  You'll want to make the next one, and the next and the next. 

Have your GPS take you to 101 West Rodney French Blvd. in New Bedford.  Once there, please park on the end of the building AWAY from the main entrance.  You'll see an ORANGE framed door with our YELLOW NBACE sign over the door...enter there and go up the stairs.  At the top of the stairs...follow small yellow signs for NBACE.  We're right around the corner behind the mural  !! 

If you prefer to enter at door 4, go up the stairs and through the door on the right, then around to the right into the Artisan Center...we're the last door on the right !