Truly free art

One Christmas, I was so, so broke (oh what a unique experience for a starving almost-artist!). But that year was worse than most. A good friend of mine turned me on to this extraordinary craft which is truly free. All you need to buy is a large needle, some heavy thread of some sort, and an approximately three-inch piece of plastic tubing, about 1/2″ in diameter (which is optional but recommended). My friend loaned me a book on this subject I had never heard of, and I lived in a place absolutely loaded with long-leaf pine trees. I was set to go. This is not meant to be a “guide” or “instruction”, just my experience, because a lot of it I don’t remember, but I promise I’m going to research it and then fill you in with all the pertinent details. (UPDATE: 07/07/08: for complete instructions, see my post “pine needle art for the beginner”)

I went out into the yard and gathered up an armload of pine needles, and following the book’s directions, proceeded to go at it. You need long-leaf pine needles; the short ones won’t do. They’re about six to twelve inches long. When they fall off of the trees, they are in clusters of three needles bonded together. You soak those in a sink full of warm water (I can’t remember the length of time), and then you carefully scrape off the “stuff” that holds the cluster together. Let them dry. As I said, a lot I don’t remember (this was ten years ago), but once you get started, it is the easiest, most relaxing craft I think I have ever done. You cannot do it quickly. You will never mass produce them, but I swear, everyone that I gave one to was absolutely amazed that I just went out into my backyard and picked up some pine needles and made baskets out of them. Just one more thing I’d like to pursue further if I had the time!

The basic premise is you take your “cured” needles and use the plastic tube to maintain consistency (you sort of thread the pine needles into it, adding as you go along and the tube ensures that the rows are the same size. Or close. Going round and round, as you stitch the rows together, you create a circle. This becomes the bottom of the basket. Then you begin to build the layers upward for the sides. There’s a certain simple stitch used which I can’t remember at the moment, but it is very, very easy.

My first (and only) baskets were pretty clumsy and amateurish, but you just wouldn’t believe how the recipients loved them! The book that my friend loaned me had fantstic works or art made from pine needles; wall hangings, incredibly elaborate baskets, dyed needles, etc. As usual, I never carry anything far enough to get really good at it, I just go in spurts, then move on! Jack of many arts and crafts, master of none.

Since that time I have seen absolutely awesome works of art made from pine needles. The craft is extremely time-consuming, but it gives a great feeling of satisfaction to the artist. I met a man at a crafts fair who made the most beautiful baskets you could imagine. He was in his mid-eighties and legally blind. I believe it’s what keeps him alive. There was a newspaper lady there interviewing a man who was caning a chair. I was so frustrated that I ran after her and said, “you interviewed the wrong guy!” Not to say that re-caning a chair isn’t a nice thing to do, but what about an eighty-something year old man making the most beautiful baskets you’d ever seen, and 90% blind! Now, that’s a story worth writing. So she did. Okay, now don’t laugh, here are a couple of pics of my baskets, uneven stitches and all, but hey, they were my very first. I will be researching this craft a great deal more and keeping you posted….