Swirling Prosperity

Green jasper cabochon and beads,  amethyst, chrysoprase, turquoise, and some glass beads with bees waxed irish linen thread. Florida Long leaf pine needles#merittisland #melissaabbottdesigns took one year for me to make 14”x14” by 3” high with an asymmetrical shape. “Swirling Prosperity”

Basket started winter 2017 in Merritt Island, FL and was worked on sporadically for 1 year. Finished on Feb 1, 2018 at Cocoa Beach, FL

Forest Sky Bowl - completed Oct 2014 Gloucester, MA

"Forest Sky Bowl" 

Begun in July 2014 in Mirror Lake N.H. and finished October 2014 in Gloucester, MA using a green turquoise cabashon with malachite, yellow jade, copper beads, carnelian and glass beads with Crawfords Irish Linen thread waxed with beeswax Needles were sourced on Merritt Island, Fl and preserved in a glycerin bath.

The Start

note: copper spacer beads in plastic package

Close up of start on
Dyed Green Turquoise Cabashon - I love the flecks of gold in it!

Close Up of Copper Spacer Beads used

Working at this at Mirror Lake, N.H. and putting on a row of green glass beads 

Supplies you need to make Pine Needle Baskets!

I gather all my supplies on a tray to make my work are "mobile". The reason I do this is because I often take this work outdoors to do it on the patio. Natural Light is the best for this kind of handwork. If you can't get bright natural light, make sure you have a nice bright lamp in the house at your work table. Let to right clockwise Bundle of Pine Needles, Basket I am working on with plastic straw on the bundle, sorted gemstone beads, flat jewelry pliers, crawfords linen thread, scissors, plastic bucket for refuse, collections of beads in plastic cases, small wallet with all my needles

Look for Pine Trees, underneath, you will find Pine Needles

Pine Needles collected and washed in Hot Water and Dawn, drying on newspapers on the patio. I put the knife across them so if a gust of wind comes up, they don't blow away.

List of Melissa Abbott's Pine Needle Basket Supplies

1. Crawfords Irish Linen 4 ply Thread http://www.royalwoodltd.com

2. Darning Needles

3. Gemstone Beads and large hole Glass Beads

4. Block of Beeswax

5. E-6000 glue

6. Gemstone Cabashons

7. Long Leaf Pine Needles, washed and dried in sun and then dehulled

8. cookie sheets and newspapers to dry the Pine Needles on after washing

9. 1 Quart Glycerin (optional) if you wish to preserve and darken the Pine Nedles by Baking them in Glycerin and Water in the oven at 225 degrees for 3+hours, then rinsing and drying in sun

10. piece of plastic straw to use as a guide. I like the type from MacDonalds but you can use any size you wish. I have experimented with several types and the larger straws are good for a larger basket.

11. Sissors (don't use good ones they are going to get wax on them)

12. Flat Jewelry Pliers

13. Piece of Fabric to wrap your needles in while you work

14. Tray

14. plastic bobbins for wrapping work

Collection of Caboshons Glued to Leather swatches to Use for Pine Needle Basket Starts
left to right: Malachite, Labradorite, Green Turqoise, Amethyst, Jaspar, Lapis Lazuli, Pink and Gold Turquoise,  and Paua Shell

15. Container for refuse or trash. I use a blue plastic pail I bought at the $1 store 

A Typical Looking Tray
 it changes depending on what I am working on

I use Crawford's 4 ply Waxed Irish Linen Thread

Gemstone Beads

Collect Straws at Restaurants and
cut 1+ inch pieces a bundle guides

Adding Beads to a Basket

The Beginning of a Basket 

The Evolution of a Turquoise Pine Needle Basket "Endless Worlds"

"Endless Worlds" 
The Evolution of a Turquoise Pine Needle Basket "Endless Worlds" in a photo journal by Melissa Abbott - I started this basket in March 2013 in Merritt Island, FL and finished it on August 15, 2013 in Gloucester, MA. The Materials are Turquoise, Beeswaxed Linen Thread, and Long Leaf Yellow Pine Needles gathered by me after a windstorm in Merritt Island FL. The needles were washed and treated with a Glycerin bath to 
preserve and darken them, giving them a glossy look.

The Start of Endless Worlds in 

Merritt Island, FL March 2013

Adding a second row of 

Turquoise Beads

Turquoise Beads

The Bottom

Starting to go up the Sides

Creating the Sides
of the Basket

Resumed working on Basket 

in Gloucester, MA August 2013

Here I am adding third row 

of Solid for the top binding

after a third row of Turquoise Beads

"Endless Worlds"

finished Gloucester, MA

August 15, 2013

by Melissa Abbott