Basket Weaving 101 ........

Hmmmmm.......I seem to recall a lot of jokes about basket-weaving somewhere along the line....implying it was for "simple" people. Well...I didn't find it simple. Class was set from 10 a.m. until 3, but we didn't finish until 5.....were told they NEVER get out on time!!! It was fun (after awhile) and I love how mine turned out, but I'd not call it simple! Sherry, whose idea it was to take the class, is more inclined to go back than I am. I'd go again, but not anytime soon....didn't thrill me THAT much. LOL Here are a few photos from our day.

First, the basket Sherry and I were making. It's called the Quilter's Companion as it can hold a spool or two of thread as shown on the little dowel and has 6 sections to hold essential tools. (Patterns are in the pockets of this basket as the LQS is using it as a holder for tiny, laminated pattern cards.)
Here we have Sherry in the early stages of working on the basket in the upstairs classroom of our LQS. Look at how hard she is concentrating!
This is the instructor, Gail, ( on the right) showing another gal, Lynn, how to proceed on her basket. She was making a chairside basket and did a very nice job with it.This is another photo in which you can see Sherry working very hard in the background and also Mary working on her basket.....called something like the Everyday Basket (can't recall the exact name). She also did a very nice job. (Except for Sherry and me, the other 4 gals there had experience in making baskets and have all made several others already.)This is how my basket turned out......I really like it. (You should be able to click on the photos to enlarge them.) And below this photo, is one of the inside so you can see the 6 sections.....very nice construction with a solid wood bottom. I intend to use it to keep (and tote) things like my rotary cutter, scissors, spools of thread, seam ripper, fabric markers, etc. I have a small pretty "ornament" from the class to attach to the outside but will wait until the spray stain (that the teacher puts on all the baskets) has thoroughly dried. Will wait until then to attach a spool or two of thread to the dowel in the heart-handle, too. Hope you enjoy seeing my attempt at basket-weaving!