Large Checkerboard Shaker Cat’s Head Wall Basket

The Large Checkerboard Shaker Cat’s Head Wall Basket is a hand woven plaited basket made to sit on a shelf or hang on the wall. The design is a checkerboard pattern. It is a cat’s head shape where the ears and face of the cat (upside down) become the feet and the body of the basket. It is hand shaped without the use of a mold, as are all of my baskets.

The red color is from my henna, madder, and mineral rich well water which produces the brilliant red color. The black is iron oxide dye that I also make. They are as light fast and color fast as a dye can be. The over dye is crushed walnut hull dye. It takes two weeks to achieve the depth of color, a week in the dye pot and a week in a salt, vinegar, and water bath to set the color.

The handle is spit oak which I carve on my shave horse with a draw knife then steam bend to form the handle’s shape. It is notched at the rim and woven into the basket.

This basket is ready to ship and comes signed, dated, and numbered.

I am in my 34th year of basket making, having left a career as a school psychologist. Many of my baskets are in museum collections including the Smithsonian and the Museum of Art and Design. You can visit my website brsbasket.com to learn more about me and my work.

The basket measures 11 inches high, including the handle, by 13 inches wide by 8 inches deep.

 

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