Sweet Grass Baskets

I picked up SIL Maryann Enright, arriving on a flight from Boston, Monday morning. This trip was my first to the Charleston airport on my own, and with Waze it was all very easy. This airport is very new and modern and beautifully laid out in so many ways. Parking was so easy.

While waiting for Maryann to meet me in the main lobby, I admired the display of Mary Jackson’s stunning sweetgrass baskets.

I’ve long been an admirer of these woven baskets–we had northern versions in Maine. But the sweetgrass makers and their baskets have a REALLY a big presence in the Low Country. The makers have many display sheds lining roads in Charleston so people can stop and buy their baskets.

There were two display cases of Mary Jackson’s baskets, and I took pictures of everything so you could all see how special they are.

What makes the low country baskets different from any I’ve seen in Maine is the use of pine straw in places. The dark decoration on many of the baskets tops is pine straw.

Here’s the second case.

Many of the local baskets are much plainer than Mary Jackson’s work as she uses light and dark materials to create her patterns. Most sweetgrass creations here are much plainer and just use the lighter-colored sweetgrass. They are ALL so special, however.

Maryann arrived and also admired this gorgeous work.

And then we went home and after she settled in, we went for a long walk at the Palmetto Islands park I blogged about recently. Yes, we climbed to the top of the observation tower.