Gourd Crazy

I admit it readily--I'm gourd crazy.  Once bitten by gourds, there's no turning back.  And yes, I have hundreds of gourds in my house, my shed and in a storage unit.  At one point I even bought a small, used travel trailer and turned it into my gourd house.  The trailer was perfect for storing all my gourds in the many cupboards.  All the built in furniture had been removed, so I built work tables.  It was perfect!  Unfortunately, through many moves, the trailer didn't make it.  Happily the gourds did!

Many, many years ago I taught at the Basketry School in Seattle  They sold gourds.  I was intrigued by the organic, sensual shapes and bought a few.  I didn't have a clue how to work with gourds or what I'd make.  I stared at that first gourd for a long time.

I finally got up the courage to cut into the surface and start making something.  I figured the worst that could happen would be to ruin a gourd.  Having been a basket weaver for many years, I decided to use some of my gathered basketry materials with the gourd.

I was shocked at the result...

I still can't find the part of my brain where this creation came from, but I was totally delighted.  I thought, "Not bad for a first try!".  That was many gourds ago, and I'm still infected with "gourd fever"!

Stay tuned for more gourds,

Deborah