Dear Readers,

I was recently exchanging correspondence with one of my out-of-state customers who learned how to basketweave using my DVDs.  She said she wanted to insert the basket into a gourd and was wondering if I had any tips.   I tried to visualize what she had in mind and thought perhaps she was thinking of inserting the finished basket inside of a gourd of comparable size and shape.  Then I received her photos!  Lesley Orr of Buford, Georgia had come up with a delightful and innovative way to incorporate her partially woven basket into a gourd, and then to extend the weaving above the gourd.  

I was very impressed with her imaginative solution and asked if she minded if I shared her clever idea with my readers.  Lesley was kind enough to agree and I know my readers will enjoy seeing what she came up with!

Lesley was surprised and pleased by my enthusiasm over her piece and sent me her comments to include in this newsletter:

Being a fairly new gourd artist, I am always looking for something new and different to do with gourds. I have seen them decorated with pine needle rims and some with large portions of the gourd woven and coiled using an array of fibers. My interest was piqued by what I saw. 

On what I now consider to be a very fortunate day, I did a search and found Nadine Spier's Fiber Artist website www.nadinespier.com  The minute I saw Nadine's gallery and saw she had instructional DVDs I knew my search was over. The control and cohesion of her work is impressive to say the least. 

I purchased "Basket Weaving Essentials" and was mesmerized. Shortly after I purchased "Advanced Basket Weaving" .  I am thrilled with the clarity and the amount of information the DVDs provide. Nadine has produced concise and invaluable DVDs that are also easy on the eye and ear.

So... Thank you Nadine!  Sincerely, Lesley

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SALE ! ! !

Lavender should be pruned back twice per year, in the late summer and early spring to keep the plant healthy and to encourage full growth. 

"Creating with Fresh Lavender - Wreaths and Basketmaking" DVD
at a 40% discount!!!  Regular price $29.99, sale price $17.99. 

Now you can learn how to use all those beautiful, fragrant lavender cuttings to make lovely craft projects. You can see a clip from the video here  

Here's a short but very informative video on how to trim lavender......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5pJs99MV28

You can order my DVD through Amazon  here 

Sale price effective 7/1/15 - 8/15/15

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I'll be teaching at the Pacific Northwest Art School on Whidbey Island, Washington from October 23-25.

 The workshop is held in the picturesque town of Coupeville 

In this 3-day workshop I will be individualizing my instruction to each student's skill level and interest, so the class is appropriate for both beginners and experienced basketmakers. Students will learn how to create beautiful and expressive coiled baskets.  

After learning how to start  a basket around a polished stone and weaving so stitches line up on both sides of the vessel, then many techniques will be covered such as contemporary sculptural work, fancy stitches, making handles and lids, mastering shaping, starting a basket around anything with holes such as costume jewelry or walnut slices and much, much more! This is an opportunity to explore YOUR interests and passion in coiling.  

I hope to see some of my readers there! $425 plus $52 materials.  

click here for more information

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Interesting Tidbit

I always find it amazing what people come up with from observation and a little imagination. A naturalist named Reaumur observed in the 1700's that wasps make paper nests from wood fiber and saliva. That gave him the idea to make paper from wood pulp rather than cloth which paper manufacturers had been doing.   That epiphany changed the entire future of papermaking !

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Have you ever heard of a Twigloo? Well, I hadn't either.  Came across this website and it makes me wish I were a kid again so I could play inside these very unusual baskets!

Wishing my readers a wonderful Summer.

Happy weaving,

Nadine