Make a Pine Needle Basket
(Page 3 of 4)
August/September 1997
By Judy Mofield Mallow
BACK STITCHING AROUND LAST COIL
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As you take the last stitch, leave the needle and thread attached. Now stitch backward, to the right, crossing the thread over the last stitch, forming an "X" on top of the coil. Insert needle into the same hole as the stitch below, going in from the back of the work and coming out the same hole as underneath stitch on front of the work.
To end off thread, run sewing needle through the coil a few inches, cut, and tuck ends back into coil. Fold back the single layer of pine needles in the last coil and trim off excess close to stitch.
ADDING FOOTER (OPTIONAL)
This is a new coil added to the bottom of the basket that gives your basket a finished look. Start footer coil the same way you started the beginning coil, with three pine needles, tied together, and trimmed close to knot. Place the footer coil on top of the last outside coil on the bottom of basket. Use the overlapping stitch, keeping the same 1/4." stitching pattern. Insert sewing needle underneath the last coil of bottom. As you come around the beginning of this coil, tuck the knot and trimmed ends into the middle coil. At this point, cut needles from middle of coil as before, ending with a single layer of pine needles. Back stitch around footer coil.
THE FINISHED TOUCH
Before you add any finish to your basket, look it over carefully. Cut off any loose ends of thread or needles, tuck any white ends of needles or knots into the middle of coil.
SHELLAC (OPTIONAL)
Applying a thin coat of shellac will brighten, protect, and harden your basket. If your first basket seems a little out of shape, prop it up with bricks or any heavy objects after shellacking; once the finish has dried the basket will hold this shape. Apply shellac with a small 2" paint brush. Cover entire basket with a thin coat and allow to dry. Shellac is a natural product so you can clean the brush with household ammonia. Clear or orange shellac may be purchased at your local paint or hardware store.
CARE OF YOUR PINE NEEDLE BASKET
After years of use, if your basket seems dull and dusty, use a small damp brush to dean between the coils. Allow to dry. You can brighten your basket by applying a fresh coat of shellac.
Whenever you see a pine needle basket, use a pine needle basket, or talk about a pine needle basket, remember its humble beginnings. Appreciate its strength and endurance, enjoy its natural beauty and purity, and take pride in becoming a part of its legacy to our cultural history and the future. Pass it on...
Some information and illustrations in this article also appear inPine Needle Basketry, From Forest Floor to Finished Project (Lark Books, 1996), by Judy Mofield Mallow. You can order Pine Needle Basketry through MOTHER'S Bookshelf by calling 1-800-888-9098. Or send check or money order for $18.95 to Mother Earth News, PO Box 10941, Des Moines, IA 50340. Please use product number MEB246 when ordering.
