Kath Leonard takes her DIY literally when it comes to the phrase “do it yourself.”
Leonard’s interest is to weave pine needle baskets, which is a simple but time-consuming activity.
Leonard, of the Village of Dunedin, makes her craft from long needles that fall from pine trees. She usually uses needles that are 4 to 5 inches long, but the longer the better, she says.
Most pine needle basket crafters get their needles from craft stores or online, but Leonard says it’s so much more satisfying to make something from scratch.
“That includes foraging,” she said.
Most people take a long walk in the forest and look around, but Leonard keeps her focus fixed on the forest floor, ready to pick up flawless bundles of needles.
“You have to soak and dye them if you want them to be the right color and texture,” she said, “and they need to be in season. It’s not often you can go out and just find them ready to use.”
Utilizing pine needles that are just too green can alter the appearance of the basket.
“It’s also really calming to just go out in nature and use what you can find,” Leonard said. “I feel a lot more connected to my pieces when I know where they started.”
Ariel Hobson, who runs the Sea Breeze Recreation Complex’s Pine Needle Basket Group, said she and other pine needle makers share her feelings.
“It’s certainly easier to buy them,” she said, “but there are those who not only forage their own pine needles but make their own bases as well, whether they use wood or clay.”
Beginning with a flat foundation with little holes drilled at even frequencies along the edge, the pine needles are attached to the basket. After that, the pine needles are bundled and set on the edge, with a binding looped through the holes and all around the bundles.
“You spiral it around itself and stop once it’s the height and width you want,” Hobson said.