Great Basin Basketmakers February 2016 Page 1

Newsletter February 2016

Volume 30 Number 2

Edited by

Susan Lester

Thursday, February 4, 2015 Meeting

Join us at the 1st Congregational Church, Sunnyside Dr, Reno at 11:00 am for our business meeting, followed by lunch and show and tell (we haven’t had show and tell for a few months so don’t forget to bring the items you have been making lately.)

Our meeting program will begin at 1 pm, it’s going to be a hands-on activity decorating small tins (like Altoid tins) with hearts, fabric, woven paper, ribbons, buttons, etc…

These items will be donated to the Women & Children’s Center of the Sierra (WACCS) for their an-nual fund raising event, “Old Treasures, New Futures: Jewelry Estate Sale and Fund Raiser” to be held on March 10, 2016 at the Atlantis Hotel Casino. WACCS is a non-profit organization providing educa-tion, job training, resources and support to help women escape or avoid poverty and provide a better life for their families. Last year they raised over $6,000 from this event.

If you have any old jewelry (estate or costume) or jewelry cases and want to donate please bring to the meeting. The estate jewelry is appraised before the sale and may be placed in the silent auction or live auction.

Sooo… Come join us for an afternoon of fun—weaving, cut-ting, gluing (can you believe I said that, for those of you that know me.) Please feel free to bring small tins, fabric, ribbon, buttons, felt, etc...whatever you want to contribute or glue. Oh, and bring your favorite glue!!! Cheers, Karen O

Table of Contents Message from the President & Outreach Page 2

February Classes Page 3

March Class & Board Meeting Minutes Page 4

2016 Retreat & Meeting Minutes Page 5

Basket Weaving Tips and Terms Page 6

Upcoming Events Page 7

Please check our website at www.greatbasinbasketmakers.org for a

current list of 2016 classes and programs.

It's time to harvest Red

Osier Dogwood for basket

weaving. Cut in winter while

the plant is dormant and en-

joy bright red spokes and

weavers to use like willow.

Welcome to new members:

Michael Kukulski, Reno

Bhavani Palani, Reno

Great Basin Basketmakers February 2016 Page 2

Message from the President What did you think about the January tour of the Nevada Museum of Art’s Tahoe Exhibit? If

you weren’t able to take the tour I hope you got there to see the exhibit. It was an interesting

perspective of Lake Tahoe. I know I take so much of Tahoe’s natural beauty for granted and it

was interesting from a pre development perspective. The basket display was great also.

Well, here we are in February; Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. First, we have to get

through Ground Hog Day; will we have more winter or will we have an early spring. All this

cold and moisture has sure helped the drought conditions.

I have begun a monumental task in our basement – I ordered a wall of book cases and my goal

this year is go get organized and stay organized. Many times in the past I have had fleeting mo-

ments of organization but I have never managed to stay that way. This will be the year.

Stay warm,

Bonnie

Community Outreach

Jane Milner taught a Quatrefoil Tray in Grass Valley at the Foothills Fiber Guild in January.

Cornelia Kallerud has been very busy in Utah. Check out this link to see pictures from the

Red Rock Weavers Guild 2016 basket show RedRockBasketShow

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

We’re weaving baskets.

Snow prep kit contents: 1. Bring in extra ready-to-eat food

2. Have plenty of water 3. Order extra weaving supplies 4.

Double check batteries and flashlights 5. Charge up phones

and electronics 6. Cut Spokes and coil weavers

Great Basin Basketmakers February 2016 Page 3

Five Point Star Base Basket

Thursday, February 18, 2016

1st Congregational Church, Reno

9:30-3:30 Susan Lester will be teaching a 10 “ round reed five point star

based basket.

Class fee $25.00 members $30 non-members Material Fees: $15

The finished sides could be a variety of choices, i.e. ridge weave,

twined, 3 rod wale. You choose. No student experience needed, just

patience for the start. The star makes a beautiful base for any basket.

Tools: Soaking bucket, awl, scissors, spoke weight, towel, clamps

For more info contact Susan at fordtraveler@gmail.com

Hearth Basket Saturday, February 27, 2016

9:30 to 3:30 Washoe Zephyr Gardens Instructor: Karen Olson

This functional 12” x 18” hearth basket using 5/8” flat

reed can be used for wood, magazines, newspapers, etc.

The plain weave basket has a wooden handle and inter-

esting step sides, which are easy and fun to do.

It is a very large basket—good beginner to

intermediate level.

Cost $25.00 members, $30.00 non-member

Materials Fees: $20

Tools: Soaking bucket, scissors, spray bottle, basket

awl, clothespins, lock-ties, pencil, ruler, cutting mat

(helps for measuring.)

For more info or to sign-up contact Karen Olson at

kvolson@charter.net or 775-843-1361.

Great Basin Basketmakers February 2016 Page 4

Jan 7, 2016 Board Meeting Minutes

Meeting called to order 1345 hours

Board members Present: Anne Bacon, Julia Richardson, Bonnie Kennedy, Cat Wahrenbrock, Trisha Work, Pam

Wilcox, Nancy Strickland.

Others Present: Sandy Zoerner, Diane Reinstra, Gloria Gayton-Robles, Kristy Dial, Karen Olson, Susan Lester.

Julia Richardson continues as board secretary

Decision: Trish was nominated as board director, movement passed. Cat Wahrenbrock is co-chair.

Agenda items

Karen Olson reported for the 2016 Program and Classes. Programs are held during GBB first Thursday meet-

ings, classes refer to the monthly Thursday and Saturday classes.

Meeting programs are set except for September.

Monthly classes – there are class openings in April, July, September and November. July is a low priority month,

fill the others first.

Nancy Strickland and Gloria Gayton-Robles reported on the 2016 GBB retreat. Instructors will probably be

lined up by month end. A discussion followed, should GBB cover the instructor’s room and board ($250/person)

up front? The post-retreat surveys in 2015 indicated that people would rather pay additional money up front,

rather than try to raise money to cover retreat expenses through raffles and jump in the lake challenges.

Decision: A motion was made to cover instructor’s room and board by increasing as appropriate, all retreat stu-

dent’s room and board costs. It was acknowledged that the number of instructors in any given year could vary.

The motion was seconded and passed. If an instructor brings a helper, GBB does not cover the room and board of

the helper(s).

Note, instructors get paid $300/day from the GBB general funds.

Future Library Storage: the library will be moved to Washoe gardens (the jailhouse) in February. Also, items

which need locked storage will probably be moved to this location too.

Exhibit items from Carson City museum? Nancy will check on Zephyr cove.

Other items:

We need to turn in the list of officers to the Secretary of State. Bonnie will do this.

Who will write checks? Bonnie, Julia and Anne. The three will meet at Heritage bank on Double R Blvd. on

January 13 at 1300 hrs.

Next meeting agenda items-

2016 Budget

Q. is $50 too much to pay GBB members for presenting a program at one of the monthly meetings?

Bonnie and Julia will present a budget at March meeting, but will send out earlier.

Who will take care of incoming emails, email inquiries? i.e. forwarding emails, filing as appropriate,

maintaining order in the GBB inbox. Generally, the president forwards emails as appropriate.

A board meeting will be held before the February general meeting since several members could not at-

tend a March board meeting. Usually, Board meetings are held six times a year, every two months.

Choctaw Pouch March 26, 2016 at the Washoe Zephyr Gardens.

This is an easy twill basket to make, suitable for all weaving lev-

els. We will be using flat natural and smoked reed; you will need

all your regular basket making tools. The basket is about 11” wide,

x 17” tall and about 8” from handle to handle.

Class will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will go until around 3. The cost is

$25.00 for members, $30.00 for non-members and the materials

fee is $20.00. If you are interested in signing up, I will have the

sign-up sheet at the February and March meetings, or you can call

me at 775 762-6583, or e-mail me at bbkennedy@charter.net.

Hope to see you there!

Bonnie Kennedy

Upcoming March

Great Basin Basketmakers February 2016 Page 5

Jan 7, 2016 GBB general meeting minutes at the Arts for all NV Lake Mansion submitted by Diane Rienstra Meeting called to order by Bonnie Kennedy 10:33 am No minutes from Dec. Nov meeting minutes approved Treasures report by Julia Richardson $11,434.27 cash on hand in checking and savings Membership report by Karen Olson: apx 36 people have not renewed yet for 2016 Meetings report: Karen Olson February’s program will be at 1st Con Church Karen will be leading us in making heart themed jewelry boxes to donate to WACCS (women and Children Center of Sierra) Please bring Altoid boxes if you have them, glue, scissors. Monthly classes report by Karen Olson: January Karen Olson will be teaching paper heart basket, Feb classes are Karen Olson a reed hearth basket Sat Feb 22 and Susan Lester a reed 5 point star base basket. Thurs Feb 18. March Bonnie Kennedy will teach a twill Choctaw pouch Sat. Mar 26. Exhibits/shows report: Nancy Strickland volunteered to coordinate the 2016 exhibits and shows, Don Kennedy will assist her. Special Projects/Events: Susan Lester Peeta Tinay March workshop final payments (material fees) of either $70 or $85 is due Jan 15 and can be paid today. Publicity report nothing to report Library Report by Pam: The Library will be available in Feb.at the Church Location It will be moved to the Washoe for the March meeting there and will be available during our meetings held in Washoe from then on. Announcements: Jane Milner will be teaching a class in Grass Valley Wed Jan 13 and Sat Jan 16. Don and Bon-nie mentioned booth events in Graeagle this summer a 2 day event booth costs $300. They will try to obtain a current list of local events GBB members may want to participate in. Bonnie announced the GBB banner has been located and in good hands. Billie Walker and Molly Gardner are both feeling better. A 4th grade parent has contacted GBB about volunteering to help teach a kids project or come to class to help teach the students a bas-ket project. Susan agreed to resend an email with the info for those interested in helping her. Susan Lester is the Feb newsletter editor please send in articles by Jan 12. Number in attendance: 19

Adjournment time: 11:18 am

Mark your calendars and pull out your checkbook, here comes the

retreat! The theme this year is "all things native American". Mel

Silva, our own Navajo weaving expert, is on board to teach us a

miniature woven Navajo horse cinch. Its a beautiful red, black

and white pattern. Margaret Mathewson, the world renowned

scholar on native material weaving has agreed to teach on two

days. Another instructor will be announced. We will have all the

classes and sign up sheets at the February meeting. Hold the

dates, May 17th thru 20th. We will be meeting at the palatial

Zephyr Point conference center on the shores of our beautiful

Lake Tahoe. $275.00 is all it costs for the room, meals and

classes. Can't beat that with a flat reed! Gloria Gaytan-Robles,

Kaylee Mayne and Nancy Strickland are the organizers so direct

any questions to them. See you at the Feb meeting.

Meeting Raffles Please remember to do-nate items for our monthly raffles. The items donated last year were great and generated a good amount of $$ for your guild. See Lorrie Moore at the meetings to donate. Speaking of Lorrie Moore did you know she won the end of the year volunteer bonus drawing? Then she did an amazing thing and donated it right back to GBB.

Great Basin Basketmakers February 2016 Page 6

Basketry Tips and Terms In the world of basketry there are many tips and terms we hear all the time. When those that are more experi-enced talk about "Scarfing a rim" or "An oblique weave?" We beginners ask "What do they mean?" These are the questions we hope to answer here. Just a few tips and terms to help you understand the "basketry" talk. Beginners Kit Sharp shears Straight tip awl Short bent tip awl Spoke weight Clothespins Sharp knife Pencil Bucket Small sanding pad Needlenose pliers Plastic electrical tie wraps (zip-ties) Tape measure Old towel Reed Gauge These were items suggested to get you started. A great book for a beginner to learn with is The Basket Book by Lyn Siler, 1988 Lyn explains basic weaving, with patterns and more. Two more things to help your weaving experience to be a great one.....time and patience!

Tips....

1. When cutting off the inside spokes on your basket, place the scissors behind the adjacent spoke to the right of the spoke you are cutting. This will allow you to cut the spoke off even with the last row of weaving so the rim filler will lie flat between the rims. 2. For easier lashing of your rims: place the clothespins that hold the rim pieces on your basket, directly on the spokes. This will allow you to lace with your lashing piece between the spokes without removing the clothes pins. 3. Keep a piece of sandpaper with your basket tools. You can easily remove the pencil marks from your spokes with it and use it to sand the handles of your baskets before you weave. 4. Use a teaspoon of lemon oil in the bucket while soaking your reed. It smells great, keeps your hands from getting too dry and helps keep the reed damp and pliable longer. This is a great substitute for glyc-erin and it costs less. Submitted by Leesa Tipton 5.Use pony tail holders (the kind with two balls) to secure the end of a coil of reed. This really works! Place it on the end of the coil right after opening it. This works better than rubber bands. Submitted by Diana Dorsey

Terms….

1. Aging....the process that occurs when a basket turns dark from natural environmental elements. 2. Dyeing....coloring reed with any number of or commercial dyes. 3. Reed...the inner core of rattan that has been cut into flat, round, flat oval, half round, or oval shapes; used for baskets and furniture. 4. Scarfing....to join by cutting the two end pieces, usually beveled or on a slant, so they fit together smoothly. 5. Oblique Weaving….diagonal plaiting

Shape...Comes from manipulation of the spokes as you weave. Strength...Comes from the size and strength of the material used, the tightness of the weave, the type of weave used and the distance between the weave and the spokes. Quality...Comes from repetition and care with your craftsmanship. Design...Comes from stopping and looking often at your work. These tips come from the Tidewater Basketry Guild Website www.tidewaterbasketryguild.org

Great Basin Basketmakers February 2016 Page 7

Great Basin Basketmakers Membership Application/Renewal Annual Membership Dues: $25year ($10 additional per yr. for family membership)

Date Amount: $________New _____ Renewal _____

Name Address

City State Zip

Telephone Email

Send this completed form and check payable to Great Basin Basketmakers and mail to: Great Basin Basketmakers * P. O. Box 11844 * Reno, NV 89510-1844

Next Month’s Newsletter Editor is: Karen Olson

kvolson@charter.net

Please submit articles for March

newsletter by February 12.

2016 Officers and Committee Members

President: Bonnie Kennedy Board Co-chair: Trisha Work Vice President : Gloria Gayton-Robles Board Co-chair: Catherine Wahrenbrock Guild Secretary: Diane Rienstra Board At Large: Pam Wilcox Treasurer/Mem : Julia Richardson Board At Large: Anne Bacon Board At Large: Nancy Strickland Board Secretary: Julia Richardson Programs & Classes: Kristy Dial, Susan Lester, Karen Olson; Library: Pam Wilcox; Special Workshops: Lorrie Moore, Susan Lester; Outreach: Nancy Strickland, Don Kennedy; Retreat: Gloria Gaytan-Robles, Kaylee Mayne, Nancy Strickland; Grants: Julia Richardson, Betty Hulse, Carol Thomas; Raffle: Lorrie Moore; Website: Karen Olson; Newsletter Editors: Susan Lester, Karen Olson, Kristy Dial.

If you are able to volunteer your service to help out GBB in any way, please contact Bonnie Kennedy at bbkennedy@charter.net or (775)323-8554

2016 membership

fees were due January 1, if

you haven’t renewed yet

2016 Upcoming Events Mar 18-20 Peeta Tinay special workshop Twined 4 Inset Handle Wicker Basket, Reno

Apr 22-24 California Gourd Society Bi-annual Conference, Visalia CA

May 5-8 Jill Choate Western Pleasures Basket Retreat, Sandpoint ID

May17-20 GBB Retreat, Zephyr Cove Lake Tahoe

Jul 30-Aug 6 HGA Convergence 2016 Conference, Milwaukee WI

Jul 10-16 Traditional Cherokee Basketry, Taos NM

Great Basin Basketmakers February 2016 Page 8

Our Mission Statement

The main focus of the Great Basin Basketmakers

is to make baskets, to learn everything possible about the tradition and techniques of basketry

and to pass this knowledge along

to others.

Great Basin Basketmakers Post Office Box 11844

Reno, Nevada 89510-1844

Great Basin Basketmakers Established January 1987 Meetings the first Thursday of each month alternating between First Congregational Church of Reno, located at 627 Sunnyside Dr Reno and Washoe Zephyr Gardens, Washoe Valley Open business meeting at 11:00 AM. All are welcome. Bring a sack lunch. Show & Tell/Lunch 12-1 PM. Program starts at 1:00 PM. Membership dues for Great Basin Basketmakers are $25/yr, $10 extra per household member per yr. Dues are to be paid annually in January. Membership includes monthly newsletter, access to large library and reduced workshop rates. Please direct address, email changes, membership dues, and re-quests for membership to PO Box 11844, Reno, NV 89510-1844. Questions regarding workshops, events, etc. may be directed to GBB president, Bonnie Kennedy at bbkennedy@charter.net or check our website at: www.greatbasinbasketmakers.org. Information to be exchanged among GBB members may be di-rected to: gbbreno@gmail.com