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My featured Merit Badge Awardee of the Week is Jill Lokke!
Jill Lokke (#6707) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a Beginner Level Basketry Merit Badge!
“I have been making baskets for many years, and even taught beginning basketry classes, so for this merit badge, I researched plaited, coiled, ribbed, and wicker basket techniques, and discovered that there is a lot of overlap, and my basketry books don’t always agree with the Wikipedia article. The baskets I have made are mostly plaited, with the materials woven over and under each other at right angles. I have also made some that are more of a wicker style, with very flexible weavers over spokes of a more rigid material. For both types, I usually begin by twining the base of the basket with a small diameter round reed. One of my earlier baskets is wicker-style on the bottom and ribbed at the top, with a braided rim, but I didn’t know that until I did the research.
For my ‘first’ basket for this merit badge, I chose to make my first coiled basket. It is sea grass cording wrapped with my hand-spun, hand dyed wool yarn. I dyed it with indigo after spinning. The sea grass is entirely covered by the yarn.
In all, I spent at least four hours on the basket, and a couple of hours researching. I’ve already started looking into Native American basketry for the next level.
It was a lot of work for a tiny basket, but it’s very cute! The diameter is 4 1/2 inches and it’s 2 inches high. It will hold three eggs, which is about all I get in one day right now (6 hens).”
I used to spend hours watching my uncle make baskets and I very much admire a person who has the skill to make them.