Have you ever wondered about the difference between a $100 basket and one that costs $10? The crew of HGTV's The Carol Duvall Show found some answers at the Stowe Craft Show, where they watched basket-maker Irene Ames meticulously hand-weave one of her beautiful creations. Irene's unique hand-crafted baskets are made from strips of wood from a brown-ash tree. After the log is trimmed and its bark stripped, it's pounded with overlapping blows to loosen the growth rings (figure A). The wood is then peeled from the log in strips called splints (figure B). The splints are shaved to remove the cambium, the fuzzy layer of cells between growth rings (figure C), then cut into strips of the right width for basket uprights and woven sides. Basket uprights are held in place on a form (figure D) and then locked in place with woven strips, which form the basket's base and sides (figure E). The rims, ears and handles are steamed and carved from thicker strips of ash and gently bent to the correct shape. A lashing strip is then used to bind them into a solid, durable and beautiful work of craftsmanship (figure F).
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