Basketry Botanica

I started buying pastry blenders about 10 years ago. I knew there was a basket in there, but I couldn't quite figure out how to get it started.

Well, recently I saw another basket weaver do this very same thing. She weaves  a lot of these cuties. At first I thought that I'd only sell them locally at farmer's markets, because I have an ethical code = don't steal the designs of others unless you can make significant changes in the design in order to make the style yours. If you must steal a design directly don't sell it in the same city.

By the time I had finished a dozen of them, I realized that it was unique enough to call my own. The shape is unique and the stabilizing ring on the bottom works better for me than sewing beads in strategic places.

It's fun to shop for the pastry blenders and there is no shortage. I find them at antique and junk shops, online @ eBay and occasionally on Etsy, but they usually are overpriced there. There is a fascinating array of handle shapes and colors available and I try to match the reed to the handle.

Available on Etsy - basketrybotanica.etsy.com