Sandy Jefferis Baskets Jericho VT
Sandy Jefferis may often be found sitting in the brook near her house soaking her reeds and creating baskets. Her studio location in Jericho Center, Vermont provides unlimited inspiration from the surrounding fields, woods, and mountains. Sandy's curved contemporary vessel designs also draw on her anthropology and obstetric nursing backgrounds. Sandy’s newest work, shown above, was Featured at Art on Main in September, 2005.
Sandy was born and raised in northwestern New Mexico. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. In 1982 she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Vermont, with a focus on maternal-child nursing. In partnership with two other nurses, a research group formed with a focus on diabetes, pregnancy, and newborns. Several publications and presentations are included in her resume. In 1997 she started her basketmaking business. Current professional memberships include Handweavers Guild of America, National Basketry Organization, Northeast Basketmakers Guild, Vermont Hand Crafters, Vermont Crafts Council, and American Crafts Council.
My baskets are woven with reed, which is the interior core of the rattan palm (Calamus Rotang). This is a climbing palm native to the East Indies. Rattan is cut about four feet from the ground to insure future growth and is commercially harvested in Indonesia. I hand-dye my colored reed using fiber-reactive dyes. These dyes have excellent light and water fastness. Some baskets are finished with a non-toxic tung oil and urethane mix. Some baskets incorporate driftwood, which I collect from Lake Champlain after the spring thaws. My basket designs come from traditional basket designs as well as my own free-form designs. Specific basket techniques used in my work include plain weave, twining, rib construction, 3-, 4-, and 5-rod Wales, and wrapping. All work is done in my home studio in Jericho Center, Vermont. To learn more about Sandy and her painting, please visit her Web site www.sandyjefferis.com