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WE WRAP, PACK, AND SHIP!
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ALASKAN NATIVE MADE BASKETS Birch Bark Baskets: Athabascan women pick the bark in June, when the color is like golden honey. If picked in winter, a tweedy textured look appears and the bark is thicker and more difficult to work with. Spruce root and willow are used to sew the basket. The corners are folded and sewn first, keeping all materials wet until the basket is finished. These baskets are made to be used. Excellent for rolls, mail, sewing supplies or dried flowers. Grass Coil Baskets: Wild rye grass grows on the beaches of southwestern Alaska and is gathered at various times of the season for different functions. It is the basis of coil basket making among Yupik Eskimos of the region. Construction begins with a rigid foundation of grass fiber wrapped with flexible weft grass. The baskets are built spirally, each coil sewn to the next. Dyed grasses, dyed seal gut, bird feathers and bird feet are all used for decoration. Patterns and textures vary from basket maker to basket maker and between regions. Grass baskets take anywhere from 3 to 7 days to make depending on size. Very time and labor intensive.
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