"I consider this a family project. The inspiration to make baskets and to keep on trying came from my youngest daughter, Melanie who ooo’d and aahh’ed over every basket and wanted them all. The pine needles came from Louisiana, where my son, Greg and daughter in law, Heidi raked and shipped the needles to me. I found the bowl in a thrift store in American Fork, Utah, while visiting my oldest daughter, Lori. My husband Bill, trimmed the bowl and drilled the holes. The knob on the lid came from a necklace at a flea market. And of course, last but not least, I coiled the pine needles into a basket and lid."
Earl wrote:
"What a surprise! ... Kathy Awbrey and her husband were coming to town to see their old college town. Little did I know that Kathy was my exchange partner and that she was delivering her basket to me. It is a wonderfully creative piece that has a distinctive lid. The base is a recycled bowl that looks like a salad bowl made of koa (that's just a guess)... It is beautifully coiled. I can't describe the way the lid fits. Without the lid, the basket looks like a finished basket with a small raised lip. But the lid fits into the lip and then the lid coiling goes all the way to the edge of the basket making it look like it has a wide opening... It is beautiful and is a treasure I will look at often."