Over a decade ago my mother-in-law and her sister traveled up the east coast while my mother-in-law had ALS. The two of them made quite a pair, and their love for each other was demonstrated daily. They were world travelers, and continued to travel together even after the ALS diagnosis.
On this last trip they stopped in Charleston, South Carolina where my mother-in-law purchased a Sweetgrass basket for me. It was quite unique, and came with information about the artisans. Apparently they were descendants of slaves who were originally from West Africa. These handwoven baskets are made from a variety of grasses and were originally used to separate rice seed from the chaff, and to hold household goods.
After the emancipation of the slaves the baskets became highly sought after by collectors. These baskets can be found in the Smithsonian, and even King Charles owns one. The technique used to create these beautiful baskets is a coiled weaving technique. The grasses used are sweetgrass, palmetto, pine needles and bulrush. The weaving is done with dry grasses, and the technique can be very hard on the hands of the artisan.
Earlier this week I stopped by my favorite resale shop in Dublin, Tx. I came across a basket that caught my eye. After closer examination I was pretty sure it had to be a Sweetgrass Basket. I purchased it for $4.00 and when I got home I compared it to my original basket. Although, there are no markings on either basket they are definitely related.
I was more than thrilled to find this gem. After a search on Etsy I found that these baskets can sell well into the hundreds, although to me mine was priceless in value. I guess now that I officially own two I’m considered a collector!
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