For me, weaving is an art. My business, Baskets By Gin, has provided hand-woven baskets to stores throughout New England since 1981. I have had 27 years of experience making baskets, and have taught classes to both children and adults.

My aim is to teach people how to create their own baskets using age-old methods and techniques. When I go into a classroom, what I want to show the kids is that people make things; it's not just machines. Not everything comes from a mall store.

The Basket Weaving 101 kit was born out of requests for a simple and functional basket for first time weavers. I wrote these easy, photo illustrated instructions, myself with editing by Zoom, a middle school teacher with 40 years of experience, and tested by Jo Judd, a retired professor of recreation at Springfield College in Springfield Mass.

MARC, Inc. of Manchester CT, a local not-for-profit agency which supports people with disabilities, assembles and packages several of our weaving kits. Look for their special sticker on our packages and read about them on their website MARCCT.org                            

Basket Weaving 101 kits can be found at art museums, living history museums, bookstores, Scout and craft stores. I also sell to parks, recreational centers, and campgrounds. A complete list of retail locaions can be found on this website.