Pine Needle Basket Weaving

I subbed today for an Art teacher, whose students were making pine needle baskets, and as a part of the lesson I skimmed over a book he left there for me, and learned more or less the basics. I was impressed by the variety and sophistication  of the projects that were given in the gallery of the book, that was accomplished with such common materials like dry pine needles and raffia or some kind of strong thread. Since I fall for folk crafts, and live on a hill that has nothing but pines, I figure this is one more craft I can add as a hobby. So, here I'm researching the history of pine needle basket weaving.

So far what I found is that pine needle weaving is one of the oldest known, possibly dating back to 9000 ago, before pottery  http://www.canoscreations.com/ .The Seminole Native Americans were noted the first to use it, sowing the needles with fern roots of swamp grasses; those baskets were so tight that women carried water in them. The Lakota Native Americans in South Dakota use pine needle basket weaving, but I didn't find from how long, and what exactly techniques they use.
"...Modern pine needle basketry is noted to have begun during the Civil war times (1861-1865).  M.J. McAfee of Southern Georgia began using pine needles that she bound together using cotton thread to replace a worn hat for her father. ..." Ibid.

Here some examples of pine needle pottery I found on the net:




Some parts of the basket here are done only in thread - weaving in a pattern over a ring - you can see this in the center, and the both half-moons on the left and right side


Here the upper part of the needles are completely covered with yarn or raffia, to make a decorative pattern, and a leather piece is used as a bottom.


Here the needles are painted blue and a pine-cone is sown as a handle


Some kind of wooden disk is used here as a bottom




Here the natural pocket the needles are connected in is used as a decoration, sticking out, and beads are sown on the top of the basket on the left






A lamp and  a box, a picnic basket, and a lacy basket were woven here, I'd never guess this is made of needles


Here a gourd was used as a base in this case


A cute eagle


A Cherokee artist made this one


A breadbasket

A can go like this like forever, the fantasy is the limit of what one cane make with needles, thread and  spare time.


Edited by Don Quixote - 17-Apr-2012 at 23:17