Anne Bowers Square Rib Baskets - Stowe

Set of four nesting rib baskets: 10”, 8”, 6”, 4”
Cane and dyed reed with oak square hoops
Stowe Basketry Festival, Stowe, VT
(Basket design by Anne Bowers)

I made these two of the four baskets shown here (6” & 8”) in a class taught by Anne Bowers at the 2022 Stowe Basketry Festival. They are all of her design and made from kits she sells. The 10” and 4” versions I made from her kits once I returned home to Maine. Making square rib baskets has been a long-time desire of mine, and while I have made many round versions, I had attempted only one square (and failed) on my own. In the gallery to the right are images from Stowe, showing Anne’s teaching and some of my work in progress.

To the left are the four finished baskets, shown nested and individually. As you can see, Ann’s designs are exquisite, as is her teaching. She is calm, helpful, full of good humor, and genuinely excited for you to be successful. The Stowe festival was a joy. I learned so much from a wonderful variety of instructors. You can see other work examples done at the festival in these pages.