When you pick up an Easter basket prepared to fill with candies, eggs, toys, or books, you might take for granted the craftsmanship that it takes to weave those fibers together.
‘Round the Mountain artisan Amanda Sprinkle says basket weaving takes her anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days of work. She dyes and stains reed, which takes an additional five to seven days to dry. It has become her hobby to create and sell these unique products across Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee.
“It’s just about the time you put into them,” she said.
Her introduction to basket-weaving came at the invitation of her future mother-in-law. Amanda says she attended that class in 1999 where she discovered her love of weaving.
“I just like the process,” Amanda said.
Although she rarely keeps any of the baskets she creates now, she shared with us that she kept the first three. She has now created hundreds of baskets.
“I stopped counting at 400 and something,” she said, laughing and noting she used to number sign, and date her baskets. You will no longer find a number, but she still makes sure to mark each product with her signature and date of creation.
Her products range from simple, utilitarian baskets for those who may be gathering vegetables from a garden or farmers market to more decorative pieces for the home. As an artisan, she wants to make sure that anyone has a chance to buy her handmade art. She often provides her family members with handmade baskets for the Easter holiday or when they need to piece together a gift.
“I like the freedom to create what I like that day,” Amanda shared.
A close-up of a basket-weaving project by ‘Round the Mountain artisan Amanda Sprinkle.
Amanda also ventures into other mediums as well, teaching herself how to make jewelry from woven paper after a broken leg sidelined her from much activity in 2010. She uses canvas paper and origami paper to create those accessories.
She uses her talent to help engage other artisans, serving as a judge at art fairs in the region, and now passing her artistic expression down to the next generation. Amanda says she can already see her daughter’s creativity.
While she does spend a lot of her time preparing her next basket collection, Amanda does enjoy playing games with her family.
Amanda is scheduled to attend several craft events this year:
March 25: Hop into Spring Craft Fair | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center
May 6: Blue Ridge Artisan Days | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. |
October 21: 5th Annual Holiday Haven Bazaar | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. | Freedom Hall, Johnson City
Her products are also sold year-round at the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace.
Barbara Holbrook can recall the very first item she ever crocheted. The piece is a round white and red rug, using a single-stitch crochet. It is made from nylon material. As she laughs, she says it is ‘a little puckered.’
Barbara still has that 58-year-old rug that holds a special meaning to her. The bright rug was her first creation as an artisan, but it was created with her grandmother. Barbara estimates she was around 13, but it would be nearly a decade later before she truly picked up the craft regularly.
She recalls having her tonsils taken out around age 21, a time she describes a stressful. It was during this time, she picked up crocheting a bit more seriously and created a bedspread. This project would lead to her lifelong passion of creating crocheted items.
“I crochet everything that looks like it can be crocheted,” Barbara said.
She continued to pick up projects more regularly at lunch and in between breaks at her job at a factory, and later, a call center.
“Those girls loved scarves and hats,” Barbara said, while laughing and recalling her first sells to her co-workers.
Barbara said she learned how to read patterns during this time from her former mother-in-law. She learned stitches like the triple-crochet and around-the-post to add to her style. These techniques allowed her work to blossom.
In addition to items she sells, Barbara is a routine creator for her family and loved ones. She creates afghans to welcome new additions to families, and her grandchildren are gifted quilts covered with designs of hobbies they love. Barbara says her granddaughter was already stocked with 10-15 afghan blankets before she was even born.
Her hobby has developed so much that she said family members have been known to drop off yarn and other materials in trash bag-sized loads. It is also an activity she can enjoy with other members of her family. Barbara says she and her sister frequent craft shows for fun, and often finding inspiration there.
She says her projects often start by seeing something she believes she can create, through magazines or even just the materials she has on hand.
As a Russell County native, Barbara is often crafting new items to enter in the county fair.
“I win a blue-ribbon every time I put one of those in the fair,” she said, referring to a woven hat with a crocheted ribbon.
Her hobby that brought her stress relief fifty years ago is still doing the trick. She says her work often allows her to beat the anxieties in life. Just do not expect her to complete any sewing projects soon.
“Crocheting is fun. Sewing is work,” Barbara said. “I also admire anyone who can quilt.”
You can find Barbara Holbrook’s work for sale at the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center in Abingdon.
Tim Burke has nearly three decades of experience honing his craft of hand-sculpted glass sculptures.
This fall, one of those designs that might be more prominent is his hand-blown pumpkin collection. “Glass is a perfect medium for rendering organic forms,” Burke said. “It flows.”
Burke said the collection began nearly 30 years ago after graduating from Virginia Tech as he began blowing glass at the New Orleans School of Glassworks in Louisiana. Burke also recalls a time where he delivered up to 500 pieces at a time to the Corning Museum of Glass Gift Shop in New York. “We did it until we started dreaming about pumpkins, then it was time,” Burke said. “We switched to snowmen.”
Burke returned to the region to continue his passion in his home community of Floyd. He said this work is sentimental because it is an activity that he is now passing down to his son, Liam. His designs vary beyond seasonal offerings. He also handcrafts beautiful vases and high-end sculptures.
Glass-blowing has become Burke’s full-time endeavor. Burke previously managed the public access glass studio ‘Urban Glass’ in Brooklyn, New York. He was given his first studio to operate and develop a product line by the Lunt Family in 1995. Five years later, he opened The Vitroyoyo Glass Studio at home in Floyd until it was sold to Crenshaw Lighting. It is now referred to as ‘The Glassworks at Crenshaw Lighting’ where he works on custom blown and molded glass pieces for lighting elements. Burke also designs and produces commissioned restoration work for state and federal governments, as well as large open public space including theaters, opera houses, universities, houses of worship, and restaurants. It is an art that links him to previous generations of craftsmen. “It is a real connection to the past,” he said.
Burke says his process with each glass sculpture begins with gathering the molten glass, which comes out of the furnace at 2,150 degrees to create his masterpieces through methods of sculpting, design, and fabrication.
Burke’s pumpkins vary in price point, ranging often in prices from $50 – $175 to match the unique design of each product. He said there are all kinds of characteristics to consider, including the size and style. Burke describes the representation of shapes as “realistic, plump, healthy, and fresh.”
Burke offers products at many locations across the country. You can find his items at the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center and Marketplace in Abingdon, the Floyd Center for the Arts, and various gift shops across the east coast.
