Pine Needle Basketry
Instructor Melanie Walter
Friday, Sept. 7, 2012

4 hour workshop ~ 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
$65
 

Top of basket.


Bottom of basket.


In this four-hour session, students will learn how to make a pine needle basket, focusing on how to start, coil, and shape the wall of the piece. One small project will be completed. After completing this class, students will possess the ability to make many pine needle baskets. 

Students will learn how to locate long leaf pine needles, prepare them for use, and will learn how to seal the finished basket. 

All supplies needed for this project will be provided. Students are asked to bring a towel to use as a work surface, as well as sharp scissors for cutting thread. Participants will need to be able to see well enough to thread a needle and distinguish individual stitches. This is a basic class, suitable for those persons with no previous experience.  Call to register: 910-575-5999.

Instructor Bio

Melanie Walter discovered the lost art of pine needle basketry in the early 1990’s, when she bought a house that had over 100 long leaf pine trees on its property. She soon developed her own pine needle basket making style, incorporating many natural materials into her work including sliced black walnuts, hickory nuts, and bamboo. In 2001 she created her own business, Pine Garden Baskets to share her work.

Since 2006, Melanie has begun adding clay components to her pine needle baskets, taking her work into a new and exciting direction. She won two Regional Artist Grants from the Cumberland County/Fayetteville Arts Council in 2009 and 2011, was featured in Our State Magazine’s Oct. 2009 issue entitled, “The Beauty of the Pines,” by Liz Biro. She also is a recent winner of a Merit Award from the Buyers Market of American Craft, and a Finalist for the prominent Niche Award in February 2011 and again in 2012. Her work is currently located in 50+ galleries and shops throughout the country.