Chris Tuthill’s passion for baskets actually started with dollhouses.

When Tuthill, now 70, was a little girl, she dreamed of owning a dollhouse. She improvised by using small toys and bookshelves in her room and playing with her cousin Susan’s dollhouse. Tragically, her cousin’s dollhouse was discarded during a divorce. Together, they searched for years to try and replace it. Even though Tuthill never ended up getting a real dollhouse, her search led her to a new passion nearly 50 years ago: miniature baskets.

A fascination with baskets

Tuthill’s interest in baskets began in the late ’70s when she was traveling with her cousin who frequented import stores for miniature art and baskets.

After hearing stories of Native American women who mastered the ancient craft and the intricate handwork required to weave a basket, Tuthill felt the need to honor these native women and their work and began collecting baskets herself.

“In ancient times, they used whatever natural products they had around them to make baskets—things such as grass, twigs, reeds, horsehair, willow branches, pine needles, shaved wood, etc. And the smaller the basket, the more difficult the weaving is,” she said. “It was like a treasure hunt from then on to find good deals.”

In Native American culture, baskets were made to be mats or containers for grain, babies, firewood, eggs and more. Baskets of shells greet you as you approach Tutlhill’s front door, serving as a sign of what’s inside.

Through the years, her appreciation of the anthropological history of basket weaving has grown, as has her collection of baskets big and small. She has baskets in every nook and cranny of her home—some the size of a thimble or smaller. She has baskets from New Mexico and Arizona, as well as Florida, Alaska and Tennessee. Some are from as far away as Bali and Africa.

“I like living in a dollhouse art gallery,” Tuthill said.

Continuing the tradition

Recently, Tuthill has been learning to basket weave and owns baskets that she has made herself. She takes classes taught by Julie Kleinrath at Woven Designs, 2829 North Ave. in Grand Junction.

Tuthill said Kleinrath simplifies the weaving process to make it doable for beginners. She loves teaching people who are new to the craft and experiments with new materials and designs.

“There is no machine that can make a basket. It’s all by hand,” Kleinrath said.

Basket weaving is a hobby that can be easily learned and mastered with practice. Plus, baskets add charm to your home and make great gifts.

For those interested in keeping the ancient craft of basket weaving alive, call Kleinrath at 683-8500 or visit www.wovendesigns.com

Did you know?

• The oldest examples of Native American basket weaving has been found in the American Southwest, including one that is estimated to be 8,000 years old!
• Each basket created by Native Americans was designed for a particular purpose, such as food preparation, storage, and carrying large loads.
• There are four different types of basket weaving: coiling, plaiting, twining and wicker weaving.