Sweetgrass Oval Basket

Ivie Barnwell is a Charleston native and has been making handcrafted baskets for more than 30 years. She was taught the craft by her mother-in-law, and now brings her signature style to each piece of work. 

Low Country coil basketry is one of the oldest crafts of African origin in America. Today baskets are purchased by museums and collectors throughout the world. Each basket reflects the artist's skill as both a designer and technician. Even for the most experienced basket maker, a simple design can take as long as 12 hours to complete. A larger more complex design may take as long as 2-3 months to finish. 

A baskets value increases with age, and with proper care it will last indefinitely.  Ivie is blessed to have learned the art of basket making and now shares her gifts with you.