Blooms are shooting up everywhere at Dresden & Company with the 2021 Easter Blooms Basket and the cute Little Blooms Baskets that come in coordinating colors.
We’re getting ready for spring.
When we say, “shooting up everywhere,” we’re talking about the unique diagonal weave that Andy Wolfe, D&Co.’s Director of Product Development and Manufacturing, created for this year’s Easter Basket.
The splints stick up in every direction as the extremely talented Basketmakers work from corner to corner around the weaving form.
“We wanted a basket with a somewhat traditional shape and look, but very untraditional when it came to the weave pattern,” Andy explained to the sales field when the campaign was unveiled.
The traditional look hides just how much tougher it is to weave. Along with the diagonal weave, Andy and his team wanted to embrace the open space. “It’s a lot easier to just push splints right up against each other and you can get the lines straight,” Andy said. “When you start to put open spaces in it, it really makes it more of a challenge to put it together.”While we all may just see the Soft Blue and Soft Pink as well as the corresponding pastels of Pale Yellow, Pale Green, Light Purple and Peach, Andy and his team saw math in that diagonal weave.
“It took us a while to get our arms around how to make it work. We tried lots of things and for this to work, it became a math problem. The size of the weave, the number of splints and the dimensions of the shape … it has to all fit and hit the corners right or nothing would bend and weave up together.” The same math problem plays out for the much smaller Little Blooms Basket.
After a basket-to-be is removed from the new forming form and attached at an angle to the weaving form, the Basketmakers start at the bottom corner and weave splints together to create the sides of the basket, working all the way around the basket. They straighten and adjust the weave as needed to make sure the open spaces match. Then they trim the splints at the top. Even this step is harder because the extra weaving isn’t the same height as is usually the case.
Once the handle and top band are added, you have a very tightly woven basket that will hold lots of eggs, candy and treats for years to come.
Speaking of treats, the Little Blooms Baskets each come with a treat to start you out. A 4-ounce bag of Jordan Almonds from family-owned growers in California is included, with the almonds matching the variety of colors our Easter Baskets deliver.
Andy says you may need two or three or all six of the Little Easter Blooms to go with your Easter Blooms Baskets. We couldn’t agree more. Think about all the “littles” in your life, or even a few special big people when making your Easter basket list this year. New babies, grandbabies, in-laws and sweethearts — everyone deserves a special handwoven basket.
The Easter Baskets are available throughout the month of February. See your D&Co. Pro for more details.
