Basket Maker at Colonial Williamsburg by Carrie Fancett Pagels

So how could Cynthia Howerter and I RESIST stopping when we came upon this young woman making baskets at Colonial Williamsburg this past autumn?  Of course--we couldn't!

Basket Maker at Colonial Williamsburg

So we came a little closer and asked if she minded if we asked a few questions. Like many of the other skilled craftspeople at CW, she said "of course" and we proceeded to draw closer yet!

You'll notice her clothing is made from natural fibers. We talked a little about how the clothing protected well from the elements outside. In late autumn, one never knows what the weather will be in Virginia.

Cynthia asked if we could have a picture of the back of the basket maker's hat, which was so pretty, and you can see her mob cap (by the way, not called that during colonial times but during the French Revolution and thereafter) and the pretty blue ribbon. Also notice to her left a closer view of the tools of her trade.

The top image is of a bottle wrapped in basket-woven material. This allowed it to be carried more easily and offered some insulation. Also looks nice!

At the bottom, you'll note water was kept on hand to keep material moist and supple for weaving. Unfortunately we weren't there during the weaving process, demonstrated earlier in the day. But we did enjoy seeing the results of all the efforts.

All kinds of products could be carried in baskets. And different additions were done to them dependent upon their need. For instance, the unusual looking basket at the right is equipped with a rope, which would have made it easier to carry over the shoulder.

Isn't this basket at the left pretty? I love the gingham, too. Different baskets would have been lined. Even today we benefit from similar containers. My laundry basket, for instance, is a rectangular woven basket with a canvas liner.  But there were no plastics back then! So all kinds of things needed to be placed in baskets.

Here's a close up of several of the pretty baskets, at the right. These are more typical types but still look very hard to make. I have a few hand-made baskets. I cherish these gifts from friends, knowing how hard those baskets are to weave!



Question: Do you have any hand-made baskets and/or do you have any favorites? Why? In my upcoming release, The Lumberjack's Ball, there is a basket on the cover. We're doing a Cover Reveal on 3-17 on this blog, Overcoming with God blog, and several others. Mark your calendars and you might win the basket of goodies if you leave a comment on each blog! Leave a comment today to win a copy of The Fruitcake Challenge, which is first in the Christy Lumberjack Series!

Carrie Fancett Pagels is the administrator of the Colonial Quills blog and founder of Colonial American Christian Writers group. She blogs here on CQ and on the Overcoming with God blog. She loves running around to colonial places with pals like authors Cynthia Howerter and Janet Grunst!