Our featured artist this week is Rose Clawson of Baskets By Rose.
Rose is married and a proud military mom. She has two grown sons and one daughter-in-law. Her oldest son and daughter-in-law are in the Army and her youngest son is out of the Army and going to school.
Rose has always been busy with her hands, sewing and painting. She took an adult education class in basket weaving in 1992 and was hooked by the time she made her fourth basket. She started her basket business doing craft shows in 1994.
Since then has added some other things she makes, like quilts, to go along with the baskets. She has been selling online for a couple of years now.
Basket weaving involves lots of time. First you cut the reed, soak it, weave the bottom of the basket. Upset it to form the bottom, then weave the side, lace the rim. Reshape it, let it dry, then stain it, and reshape it. A small basket can be woven in 30 minutes, and the larger one can have 5 hours in it.
Because of the soaking and forming the basket, she works on them off and on during the day. This way she can still take care of her home, and yard.
She favors the large baskets as they are easier to work on than the small ones. She also loves to change the weaving pattern on the side for a different look. My favorites are her colorful baskets with the unusual side like this corn basket
and these tulip baskets.
Rose’s work may be found at various places online.
http://basketsbyrose.com
http://basketsbyrose.etsy.com
http://basketsbyrose.artfire.com
http://basketsbyrosebasketsbyrose.blogspot.com
On weekends you can find Rose at the local Farmers Markets and you may even catch her weaving a basket.
The Sunday Artisan Market – Ann Arbor, Michigan
Farmington Farm Market - Farmington, Michigan
