Hand-Coiled Pine Needle Basket - 6 3/4 inches

Ancient peoples used plant fibers to weave containers for the storage of food and as a means for transporting goods. Although the materials varied, depending on the availability of plants growing in a particular area, the end result was a tightly woven, long-lasting, lightweight, practical container. Some baskets that are hundreds of years old are still useable today. Many are artistic in design as well as being quite serviceable.

This hand-coiled basket was made by Charlotte Smith, a Fort Laramie, Wyoming artist, using pine needles gathered in the area. The binding is from a raffia palm tree. Charlotte has basketry in permanent collections of the Meridian Museum of Art (MMA) in Mississippi and the Jacqueline Casey Hudgens Center for the Arts in Georgia. Her work has been published in the Crafts Report Magazine and "500 Baskets: A Celebration of the Basketmaker's Art" (Lark Books, 2006).

These baskets are one-of-a-kind. Approximate size - widest diameter 6 3/4 inches, depth
2 1/2 inches.

USA made, Local made - Fort Laramie, WY, Non-Native American made.