Mary Carty, 61, owner of Pinelands Folk Music and Basketry Center located in the Mill Race Village section of Mount Holly, will not tell anyone where she gets her materials for her award-winning pine needle baskets. But she will proudly tell you that the needles are handpicked from a longleaf pine tree that dates back to the 1920s. The tree, which is considered indigenous to North and South Carolina, is said to have been planted in the area by a family that had used it as a bald Christmas tree. Though no one expected it to survive, the tree has continued to flourish year after year, allowing the artist to make exceptional basketry with materials that are native to the area.(Kelley Anne Essinger)
http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com...ts-using-native-materials/1080359?cid=1262808
http://thesandpaper.villagesoup.com...ts-using-native-materials/1080359?cid=1262808