Times Gone By - Bedminster Traditional Artisan Show Doylestown PA

When I discovered basketry more than 50 years ago, I found my passion that artistically combined my love of weaving and woodworking. As a child I was always drawn to things that were woven. I have fond memories of a white wicker purse that I used when going to church each Sunday. I received a Masters Degree in Art Education from Penn State and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Widener University.

Working over wooden molds, in the method of the Shakers, my baskets are traditional in shape and materials. I weave both Shaker reproductions in ash and traditional, utilitarian baskets of reed. Native hardwoods such as ash and oak are used to make the rims and handles.

Appealing to the eye and sense of touch, my baskets are traditional in shape and materials. I weave both Shaker reproductions in ash and traditional, utilitarian baskets of reed. Hardwoods such as ash and oak are used to make the rims and handles.

My passion of basketry has been a hobby that has sustained me all of my life. By day I was an art teacher in the Neshaminy School District for 22 years and then a middle school principal in the Neshaminy School District and the Central Bucks School District for the next 15 years. By night and on the weekends, I played the role of a weaver. Now retired, I devote most of my time to my basketry. I have never lost my need to create.

I am a member of the Bucks County Craftsmen’s Guild, the Bucks County Hand Weaver’s Guild and the PA Guild of Craftsmen. I have sold my work at various shows throughout the Mid -Atlantic region including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Virginia, and Ohio. You can find my work in the Philadelphia Museum of Art Artisan Shop.

Aside from teaching at my studio, I teach at the Tyler Center of the Arts, the Mennonite Heritage Center in Harleysville, PA and the Schwenkfelder Library & Heritage Center in Schwenksville, PA.

I teach regularly at the Waterford Craft School in Waterford, Virginia.

I am…
1. a Master Artisan in the PA Guild of Craftsmen.
2. a member of the Bucks County Guild of Craftsmen
3. a member of the Handweavers of Bucks County.
4. President of the Penn-Jersey Basket Weavers Guild (www.pennjerseybasketryguild.org). As a group, we offer our members classes, workshops, and trips centered around our love of basketry.