Baskets Prayerfully Made By Hand
Womb woven baskets are handmade baskets created using natural fibers and dyes from the plains of the Texas panhandle. Woven within the womb of prayer, each basket is made as a little offering of love and gratitude to God and a vehicle of intercession for the world.
Making the Baskets
Each basket is made entirely by hand from start to finish. I use a common prairie grass, Sand Dropseed, and husks from a black walnut tree in my own backyard to create designs inspired by Georgia sweetgrass baskets and Armenian needlelace. After all materials are collected and prepared, one basket requires at least twenty hours of creativity time to make and I enjoy playing with new ideas, shapes, and patterns with each little piece of artwork. It is wonderful to give a “new life” to such simple, and apparently useless, materials by drawing each piece of grass together into a cooperative unity; resulting in something truly beautiful. Much of my prayer while working is centered around this reality of new life in Christ and the time and work is offered for those whom the Lord knows are in greatest need. I hope you enjoy them and that they add a spark of beauty in your home! God bless!
-Catherine Guilbeau
wombwovenbasketry@gmail.com
Step 1
A common prairie grass called Sand Dropseed, is gathered from the local area during the late summer and early fall.
Step 2
In preparation for weaving, the sturdy, yet flexible, fibers of the grass are separated from the stalk, which is hard and brittle. (compare the two images above for before and after separation)
Step 3
Black walnuts are gathered from the tree and it’s husks are used to dye a portion of the fibers a darker brown, adding some color contrast to the baskets.
Step 4
The fibers are then twined into a piece of string for a stronger basket and more consistent coil.
Step 5
The coil method is used to weave the basket and various patterns are created, beginning from the center of the basket’s base and moving outwards and upwards as the weaving progresses.
Step 6
The basket is run through a small flame to burn off the extra frays and loose fibers.
Step 7
Finally, a coat of thinned paste is applied to keep moisture out and secure the basket’s shape. It is left out to dry and the basket is then complete!
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When you have entered the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the Lord your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to the priest in office at the time, “I declare today to the Lord your God that I have come to the land the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us.” The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 26:1-4