Drake Baskets
Studio Name: Drake Baskets
Medium: Basketry
Email: drakebaskets@gmail.com
Website: DrakeBaskets.com
Facebook and Instagram: @DrakeBaskets
Drake Baskets is a basket weaving and chair caning family from the Genoa-Kingston area. We have been weaving baskets since 1986, when Ed Drake and his daughter Emily learned how to weave at a local class. We weave a variety of baskets by hand, and each of our baskets is unique! We currently demonstrate and sell our baskets at two annual local shows: The Sycamore Steam Power Show every August, and the Genoa-Kingston Christmas Craft Walk just after Thanksgiving. Drake Baskets now includes Ed's daughter Emily, his four grandchildren, their spouses, and his great-grandchildren.
How did you discover your talent/medium?
Our basket weaving legacy began in the 1960's, when Ed Drake bought some old caned chairs at an auction and decided to learn how to recane them. For almost 50 years, he recaned hundreds of chairs for his family and local people. In 1986, he and his daughter Emily took a basket weaving class at a local heritage museum. They began weaving baskets as a hobby and taught other family members the craft. The following year, they started making a few baskets to sell at local craft shows. As the family grew, they taught their children and grandchildren, and the family hobby grew into a family legacy. Our craft now encompasses four generations. All our baskets are made in memory of our loved ones who have passed, including Pat Astling (1947-1998), Ed Drake (1920-2010), Millie Drake (1923-2015), and George Astling (1946-2018).
What influences you to create?
Our father, grandfather, and the founder of Drake Baskets, Ed Drake, believed that our handwoven baskets should be loved and used. So, many of his basket creations were sturdy, simple, affordable, and useful. We have carried this philosophy through our work today, and have added one more quality: beauty. We love to hear that our baskets are being used and are adding everyday beauty to people's homes. We often get inspiration for individual basket patterns or designs from other baskets that we come across. For example, some of our basket designs were inspired by baskets seen at the Shaker Village in Kentucky or purchased at antique stores. We like to add different colors and patterns to common, classic basket designs like the Market Basket, Egg Basket, and Bushel Basket. Other designs were created for our younger generation of weavers as they learned how to weave and learn new techniques, such as Becca's Berry Baskets or Eva's Quilting Basket. We enjoy making each basket that we make unique.
What is the best thing about creating your unique artwork?
There are so many wonderful things about weaving! Because each basket is made by hand and free-form, each basket is unique. Even if you try to make several identical baskets, they will always turn out just slightly different! Also, once you have mastered a few basic weaving techniques, there is no limit to your creativity. You can make baskets in all shapes and sizes, and the possibilities are endless! Both chair caning and basket weaving are crafts that are not as common as they once were, so it's wonderful to continue to teach new generations an ancient craft.
What is the least exciting thing about creating your unique artwork or most challenging?
Finding the time to dedicate to it! We used to be able to easily get together in the summertime when Ed, Em, and Pat, and their children, were off of school. Now, we all have full-time and year-round jobs, and don't have as much time to get together to weave throughout the summer. We make time here and there to work on baskets when we have the time. We do, however, all take time to come together at the Sycamore Steam Power Show to show off our craft!
What else would you like to share about your studio?
We currently have a May Day sale on our Facebook page! Check out our last remaining baskets and rugs (made by our friend Dave Bell)! Our next sale will hopefully be in August at the Sycamore Steam Power Show.
Ed was our master chair caner, and he was one of a few people in the area who repaired and recaned chairs for people. Since his passing in 2010, we only do chair caning demonstrations, and due to space and time constraints, we are not able to recane any chairs for others.
What are your favorite memories of joining us at our Festival?
Being able to show our crafts to the next generation of artists!
How has COVID-19 affected your work?
Covid-19 has made 2020 quite a unique and challenging year. Both of our annual shows (The Sycamore Steam Power Show and the Genoa-Kingston Christmas Craft Walk) were cancelled in 2020, and we missed seeing our customers and having the opportunity to demonstrate our crafts in person. However, we were able to take advantage of some extra time while working from home to weave some baskets, and for the first time ever, launch an online shop on our website. We are currently selling a handful of baskets on our website, and they are available for local pickup or delivery only. We are also currently hosting a May Day sale on our Facebook page. This will probably be our last virtual sale until the fall. We are currently waiting to hear whether the Sycamore Steam Power Show and the Genoa-Kingston Christmas Craft Walk will be able to proceed this year.
