About Pine Needle Baskets and How to Use Them in Your Home Decor

Did you enjoy taking a walk in the forest covered with fragrant pine needles? Can you imagine these pine needles being crafted into baskets, trays, or sculptures? In this article, you will learn a brief history of Matsuba and how to use these beautiful and fragrant artworks for home decoration.

As long as pine trees and people share the earth, there is a high probability that pine needlework exists. Historical references do not indicate when pine needles were first used in baskets. However, because of the availability of pine needles in the area, Seminole Indians in South Florida are known to be the first pine needle basket manufacturers. Seminole Indians used bone or shell needles to sew bunch of pine needles along with fern root, sisal, or wetland grass. Some of the baskets were used for feed baskets, for carrying water and for seeding.

It is known that modern crutches began in the Civil War era [1861-1865], when Mrs. MJ McAfee in South Georgia exchanged her father's hat using pine needles tied with cotton thread. As we know today, she claimed to be the founder of crutches.

Currently, pine needle baskets are most often created using coil technology, which is one of the oldest and most universal basket-making methods. A basket is created by wrapping and sewing one continuous bundle of pine needles around and above the lower row. The base of the basket is formed by a bundle of pine needles tied with various fibers such as raffia, split root, birch paper, yucca, streaks, sewing thread, embroidery thread, thread, or flax thread. Decorative stitching and wrapping techniques are often used to not only make the basket sturdy, but also add attractive elements. The most common stitches used are straight wheat stitch, spiral wheat stitch, fern stitch, popcorn stitch, diamond stitch, Indian wrap, and numerous knot stitches.

Pine leaves come from a variety of pine trees, including Jeffrey Pine, Long Needle Pine, Monterey Pine, Ponderosa Pine, Bill Pine, and Gray Pine. Pine needles are collected from the newly fallen top layer of the forest floor, or selected from fallen trees and limbs, and are selected based on flexibility and length. Once the pine needles are collected, they are carefully washed, cured and stored until use.

You can use the natural color of pine needles or you can dye the needles themselves. Decorations such as colored threads, buttons, beads, nut slices and cones are often used to enhance pine needle baskets and projects.

Pine needle baskets make an attractive statement for home decor. Below is a small list of ideas on how to decorate your home with a pine needle basket.

o Create an eye-catching display by displaying one or a group on the bookshelf.

o Used like a basket to create an attractive arrangement of silk and accent a special small table or chest.

o Attach groups of two or more baskets to the wall for interesting wall decoration.

o Place the dried flowers in a ur-shaped pine needle basket and place them on a nightstand for an attractive look next to the bed.

o Use a round tall version as a pen and pencil desk organizer, and a short version to hold clips, rubber bands, etc.

o Put fake fruit in a pine nut basket tray to make it an attractive centerpiece in a dining room or kitchen table.

As you can see, the possibilities are endless on how to use crutches in your home decor. Today, professional basket makers and enthusiasts around the world make these beautiful pine needle baskets. Many matsutake mushrooms can be found in art galleries, art fairs, craft fairs, home decoration shops, and the Internet.

Matsuba is considered a lost art and has been revived by today's craftsmen and artists. The interesting background and exciting future will ensure that the crutches and projects will exist for years to come.