The "People Basket"
by Shannon Uriona

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A wonderful pine needle basket coiled by 60 (yes, sixty!) people at the "Festival Of The American West" Wellsville, Utah

Shannon Uriona is a pine needle artist and instructor, also Pine Needle Group Member. She recently shared this idea with our Pine Needle Group Mailing list, and it was just too good to keep quiet!

Shannons people baskets at the Festival Hello everyone, I had another successful year at the Festival of the American West, in Wellsville, Utah. This was my seventh year and we have made 12 people baskets. "What is a people basket, you ask"?!

Well, I teach people how to coil pineneedles. Most people don't have time for a workshop, but still want to learn how. I have 3 baskets for people to work on and I have had up to 80 people stop by my booth to learn and take a few stitches. People from the ages of 6 years old to 70 years old. We really have a great time coiling these baskets. At the end of the festival (8 days) I have a drawing for the three baskets, and someone who has worked on the baskets get a chance to win one of them.

Seven years ago I taught a man, to do coiling and every year he comes back, to show me how he is doing. The last 4 years this man has been bring his two girls for me to teach (10 years old and 7 years old) This year the 7 year old really has taken off with basketry and the 10 year old won one of the people baskets this year.. See the photos of the work of a great bunch of budding coilers!!!

2001 People BasketThe baskets above are from the year 1999 and 80 people coiled on these.... As you can see, these people have done a really great job as first time coilers.. what a good job these first time coilers have accomplished! I'm so proud of all of them.. Can you believe these first time coilers?

It was so much fun working with all the different ages. Some people coiled for several minutes and some didn't want to leave my booth and we coiled together. The people who I had helped in previous years, brought their own pine needles and we sat and coiled together. So much fun....

2001 People Basket Above right, and at left, is the 2001 People basket coiled by 60 people. Blue material is wrapped around the pine needles to teach some solid wrap work. this idea came from a child finding this scrap on the ground. Worked out great

The people basket idea has really worked well for me. "Yes" you all are welcome to use my idea and adapt it to your festival..

You can make them any size. If you don't have a long time like I have 8 days, just do one basket and just give your self a half hour to finish it up before the drawing is to take place. 2001 People Basket

I have so many people and I have to mail these baskets at the end of the festival...But you can say you have to be present if it is a small group. Let me know your ideas, I need some fresh ideas from you all.

This is a very rewarding experience for everyone and people go see the rest of the festival and stop back to work some more or just to see how it is taking shape.

If you sell at your booth, like I do, be sure to take a helper because you are so busy helping people learn you don't have much time to sell. I also have a double booth and I have like a class room. A real hands-on booth. Don't forget to get peoples names for the drawing. This is a real fun experience......


Kaye Burlason's Adaptation of People Basket

Kaye Burlason's Adaptation of People Basket

Kaye Burlason's Adaptation of People Basket

Kaye Burlason tried out Shannon's People Basket idea at the Starke, FL. Festival on Oct 13, 2001. This was a 2-day show. Kaye says:

"The "People Basket" idea worked great. We had over 40 people make stitches in the basket and I mailed it to the winner yesterday."

Kaye Burlason's Adaptation of People Basket


Jeanne Williams with the winner of the People Basket, Connie Miller while she was working on it

Jeanne William's Adaptation of the "People Basket"

Jeanne Williams writes:

Finished basket " I did a People`s Basket yesterday at our local bazaar. It turned out super.

"Here are some pics...One picture is of the lady that worked on it that actually won the basket. Her name is Connie Miller (Dark hair) from ID and me showing her how to weave the basket. She loved weaving on it.

"The other pic is of the the finish product. As you see it has snowed this morning.:-)

finished basket "Come to find out the lady that was in charge of the women`s club bazaar, is going to put our picture in the front page of our local paper featuring what can be done at a bazaar.

"They loved the idea and all the women`s club ladies of the bazaar kept coming around to see how it was progressing.:-) "


Sue Cowell's Adaptation of the "People Basket"

Sue Cowell writes:

"During the Garlic Festival in June, and the July 4th festival, I had a people basket for everyone to try their hand at coiling.

"I started it, (around a CD - I glued two AOL CDs front to front, so no writing showed, then drilled them when dry. the sign at the table said 'this is a basket with memory, so it will remember everyone who worked on it.'), and finished it off, but they did all the rest of the work. I had about 5 dozen people work on it and it turned out great! Everyone who worked on it got to put their name in to win the finished product.

"It was won by a girl from Kent, Wa. who was visiting the area. Unfortunately, I didn't think to get a picture of the finished basket before I shipped it off, but I'm enclosing a few pictures of some of the workers. Had a great time with it!"

Sue Cowell



  


Working on the People basketwood chipcarved base basket

Pamela Zimmerman and Lynn Hoyt adaptation of The People Basket

Pamela writes: "We decided to have two baskets for people to coil on.

"The first was a plywood, hexagonal shape, which had been purchased from Woody Sitzer. Lynn chip carved a design into it, and stained it. This basket was coiled on from the inside, using the split stitch. (seen at above right)

"The second basket was based on Sue Cowell's CD basket, above. Two cd's were glued so the writing did not show, and then a dremel was used to drill around the edges. This basket was shaped from the outside, and the interlocking single stitch was used. (shown at left)

drawing for the baskets

"I must admit, I thought the wood one was by far the more attractive of the two. But we had 7 people coil the wood base one, and 12 people coil on the CD one. It was difficult to get people to participate. I believe we needed a large sign with "WIN this basket, take a few stitches", or something. It was not enough to have the materials and baskets sitting on the table. Even people who expressed interest when they saw me coiling did not often want to try it themselves. The winners were both little girls.

"We did the drawing at the entertainment stage at the end of the festival, and the people were interested...so I think if it had been an advertised event, there would have been more coilers. The photo at right shows basket #2 with the CD from a different angle."

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