A special wedding gift

Some dear friends of mine got married in June...so I wanted to make them something really special. Here's what I came up with.

I had a special scrimshaw design made for the center, with their names and wedding date. The orchids are the type of flower they had at the ceremony.

I tried to take an up-close shot of the scrimshaw, but in my hurry to get it wrapped up I didn't do a very good job. It's still sort of fuzzy, but you'll get the idea.

I had the scrimshaw made at DELS Nantucket Baskets. They do an absolutely fantastic job - anything you want, they can make for you! (Literally, anything. Check out the samples!)

Happy wedding, Karen and Greg!

Basket update

Here's what I've been working on in the basket studio:

This is one of a set of three glass canisters I'm making for the kitchen in the house I hope to shortly own (fingers crossed!!!)

And, because tinier is always cuter:

Happy crafting!

One Happy Year

For our first anniversary this year, hubby and I decided to return to the scene of our honeymoon - Nantucket!

Last year when we went, it was in the off season, so we weren't able to check out one of the places I most wanted to see - the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum. Since I've been learning to make these myself, it was really interesting to learn about the history behind this particular art form. Because Nantucket is surrounded by dangerous shoals, over the course of its history hundreds of ships have been shipwrecked in the area. Because some of these shoals are miles off shore, it wasn't feasible to build a lighthouse to protect passing ships. Instead, Nantucket was protected by lightships, which were moored in strategic spots near the shoals. Men were out on these ships for months at a time with very little to do, so they started making baskets as a way to pass the time, and would give them as gifts or sell them when they returned home.

A Sailor's Life

The last lightship returned home in 1973 (I can't believe it lasted that long!) but the making of Nantucket baskets didn't stop then. They have become an art form particular to the island, and the Lighthouse Basket Museum showcases a wide variety of styles, from the very basic to the more...abstract...like this one below, which depicts a scene from Moby Dick!

Moby Dick

Lightship baskets are often decorated with ivory (or, these days, imitation ivory) which is sometimes engraved with scrimshaw images like "A Sailor's Life" above.

Some baskets are really tiny - these were made to be "Tooth Fairy" baskets!

 This one was from a local gallery - a project I would like to try sometime! This basket below was my favorite:

It was made by one of my Nana's students!

I came back with loads of ideas for projects, some of which I will hopefully be sharing here soon....but we will be moving (again) in the next few weeks, so it's hard to say when that will happen for sure!

Happy Halloween!!!

Basket Progress!

A sweet little basket...

With a tinier basket inside!

~sorry this one is a little blurry...~

I think I'm getting the hang of this!

Creative Space

One thing that I do not have in my current living arrangements...creative space. Hubby and I live in a one-bedroom condo, and my sewing machine sits in a corner, all alone.

I need a space like this one.
With a cute little dog!
This is my nana's studio. She lets me share sometimes.
Look at all the cool stuff she has made!
Feeling inspired...here's what I'm working on :)Doesn't look like much yet, I know...but I have high hopes!

Today, I want to share a little bit about my crafty roots!

This is my nana in her studio.
Since 1984, she has been making and selling Nantucket baskets, as well as offering classes through her home studio, known as Peg Hall Studios. The name of her studio comes from her mother-in-law, Margaret (Peg) Hall, an accomplished author and artist in her own right (I'll have to blog about her another time).

Nantucket lightship baskets originated in the 1860s, when "light ships" were commissioned to warn ships of the dangerous shoals off the southern coast of Nantucket. Life on a lightship was tedious, so the men on the ships took up basketmaking to relieve the boredom. The resulting baskets are strong and beautiful, and are now made in a wide variety of styles and colors, including purses, often known as "friendship" purses. Nantucket baskets last so long that they are often described by the rhyme:

"I was made on Nantucket, I'm strong and I'm stout, don't lose me or burn me and I'll never wear out!"

I recently decided that I wanted to learn how to make baskets like my grandmother, and have been impressed by how detailed the work is and how strong the finished product is. I just finished my first basket! (Actually, I made one when I was a kid...I started it when I was 8, and finished when I was 18...so I don't really count that one :)

Here are some of my Nana's designs:


And here's the plug: Peg Hall Studios has joined the 21st century by setting up an Etsy shop! Please check it out here - Nantucket baskets make beautiful, timeless gifts for the holiday season!