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 I
live and weave in the family home where I was born and raised, in Marion County, West Virginia. The house is
nestled in a small valley, surrounded by gently sloping hills.
As a child,
I loved the outdoors and gathered flowers, nuts, berries, roots, and bark for food and
teas.
Today
I still scan these same foothills, gathering many of the same things: from which
I make the dyes and stains for my baskets. While still quite young,
I found pleasure in creating and working with my hands: over the years
I became involved in various Arts and Crafts; of these Quilting was
my favorite, I loved creating new designs specific to the individual for which
I was making the Quilt. In 1996
I made my first basket [a twill weave market basket] after that everything else went
"on the back burner" including the velvet crazy patch quilt that was to be
my daughters Christmas present; it was as though I
couldn't get enough! I bought reed and searched the local libraries for
information on basket weaving: during the next few months
I "learned by doing" every time someone would call, they
would find me weaving.
Baskets by Helen are both functional and decorative, they are tightly woven using only high quality reed [thick and heavy] for a
sturdier basket. Many designs are
one of a kind creations. I love the challenge of creating new and unusual
baskets for the Special needs of my customers. Each
"Basket by Helen" is created with the thought in mind that it will last through
many generations. The final touch to each
basket, is a bath in the all natural antiquing stain, made
by the artisan from the hulls of the West Virginia Black Walnuts, and
a dated signature. 
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