The Amish are a simple people with simple values. The Amish baskets sold here reflect those values with their plain, understated, functional forms and colors. If you are looking for fancy, elegant baskets with intricate weaving patterns, you'll not find them here. Neither will you find here baskets made by machine, or by underpaid workers in Asian sweatshops. The baskets sold here are American made by one rural Amish craftsman and his family. The family has a workshop/store at their home just off a rural Kentucky lane. While visiting the workshop one can occasionally here the rhythmic clip-clop of a horse's hooves as it passes by on the lane below, pulling a buggy of a neighboring Amish family to town.
While the baskets all have commonly used, individual names relating to their purpose, most baskets have many uses other than just what is indicated by the name. Alternate uses are limited only by one's imagination.
Baskets make great gifts for many occasions. Easter, Christmas, birthdays, and baby showers are great times to give gift baskets. And baskets are the type of gift that keeps on giving. A basket makes a perfect presentation for wine and cheese or other gifts. Once the initial gift is gone, the basket can be used for display, for dried flowers, or for another gift!
The construction of all our baskets is pretty much the same. Materials include plywood base, plywood lids, vertical pine staves, solid bent oak handles, hemp rope, bamboo, brass nails, solid copper rivets and leather hinges and handles. All baskets are thoroughly coated with linseed oil and a light stain to protect the wood and give it a warm glow.
Handles vary on the baskets, so study the pictures carefully. Some baskets have stationary oak or leather handles that do not move because they are nailed or woven into the basket. Others have oak handles that swivel on copper rivet hinges. The oak handles may vary slightly in shape because they are all individually hand cut, steamed and bent on drying racks. This handmade process causes slight variations due to individual grain patterns in each piece of wood.
Although nearly all the baskets shown here have the distinctive blue/green and burgundy colored stripes, they can also be made without the colored stripes if that is preferred. A few representative samples are shown without the colored stripes. Take care when ordering to be sure you have selected the basket you really wanted - with or without the colored stripes.
Click here to see a basket in the progress of being made.
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Bun Medium Item #: MH12 Click on picture to enlarge  | This little basket is perfect on the dining table for buns, biscuits, muffins and bread. Just wrap the baked goods in a nice linen cloth to keep them warm. Small leather handles woven into basket. Diameter: 9", Height: 3"
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Cake or Serving Tray Item #: MH13 Click on picture to enlarge  | Versatile basket is sized just right for a cake pan. Can also be used as a general purpose serving tray. Small leather handles woven into basekt. Length: 16", Height: 4", Width: 11"
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Candy Item #: MH14 Click on picture to enlarge  | Great little basket to hold candy. Perfect for Christmas, Easter or birthdays. Sturdy handle with copper hinged swivels. Length: 6", Height: 6" not including handle, Width: 6"
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Cracker Item #: MH15 Click on picture to enlarge  | Long and narrow to store and serve crackers. Small leather handles are woven into basket. Length: 11", Height: 4", Width: 5"
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Counter Item #: MH16 Click on picture to enlarge | General purpose counter storage. Use for mail, pens, pencils, checkbook or whatever. Small leather handles are woven into basket. Length: 12", Height: 5", Width: 6"
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Candle Large Item #: MH18 Click on picture to enlarge  | Lay candles lengthwise. Be sure to have some for those pesky power outages. Small leather handles are woven into basket. Length: 9", Height: 3", Width: 3"
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Candle Small Item #: MH19 Click on picture to enlarge  | This little basket is just the right size for small candles or other small items. Small leather handles are woven into basket. Length: 7", Height: 3", Width: 3"
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Candle Small square Item #: MH20 Click on picture to enlarge  | This little basket is just the right size for small candles or other small items. Small leather handles are woven into basket. Shown here without color stripes. Length: 5", Height: 4", Width: 5"
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Darning Item #: MH21 Click on picture to enlarge  | This basket is just the right size for small sewing items such as pin cushions, spools of thread and other odds and ends. Diameter: 11", Height: 5"
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