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Loretta sits in a chair on the front porch of her home high in the mountains above Parrottsville, Tennessee. The majestic view before her stretches all the way to Cumberland Gap. In her lap is an assemblage of wooden splits, reed, some hemp, a strip of leather, even a piece of rabbit pelt. She's making a basket, but it's a basket unlike any you're likely to see elsewhere.
Years ago, I saw some beautiful baskets." Says Loretta Carns. "I really wanted some of them, but just couldn't afford them. So I decided to try making one. I bought books and taught myself the traditional techniques." Her first attempts turned out well, so she tried some different styles. Then began adding non traditional materials to get different textures, shapes and colors.
"I like Native American baskets too and decided to try bringing the two worlds together by using Native American embellishments on traditional baskets. Antler baskets intrigued me because each one is completely unique."
Originally from Jacksonville Florida, Loretta and her husband Max lived in Rome Georgia before coming to Tennessee. "The mountains brought us here."
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Says Loretta, "We went to Georgia to find mountains, but we came up his way once and fell in love with the countryside here. A bonus was the people. There are a lot of like-minded people here."
Like most people who take up a craft, Loretta finds basket making to be relaxing and gets a sense of satisfaction from each finished piece, but she also gets a unique benefit, "It's a good escape. Just like some people can lose themselves in a good book, I get all absorbed in making a basket."
Loretta will do custom orders. "The largest basket I've ever done was a Victorian flower stand," explains Loretta, "a custom order."
Aside from custom orders, Loretta's work is only available at the Treasures Of Appalachia gallery in Cosby, the gallery's web site, and the Smoky Mountain Marketplace website. She and Max are also regulars at the monthly T.O.A. Art & Craft Gatherings..
Loretta and Max have been married for 28 years. While Max doesn't weave baskets, he does get into a similar vein; he braids dog & horse leads. A talent he learned in the Navy, of all places.
Carns served aboard the flagship of his division. The captain of this ship would cover unsightly
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apparatus in the bulkheads with large hangings of MacNamara Lace. As any Navy man knows MacNamara lace, named after a former Secretary of the Navy, is made by pulling threads from the warp of canvas then hitching and knotting the remaining threads into an aesthetically-pleasing, lace-like design. It requires conscientious fingermanship and takes hours of handiwork.
Because he was good at it, Max would get taken off of standard work details to create lace for his Captain - which made him a little unpopular with his shipmates. From the lace, Max went to braiding epaulettes for dress uniforms, then leads as something to do in his off time. He still finds it a relaxing past time.
For more information about the Treasures Of Appalachia gallery or monthly art & craft shows, log onto their web site at www.TreasuresOfAppalachia.com, call the gallery at (423) 487-3111 or stop in at 3892 Hwy 321 in Cosby (right next to Holloway's Quilts)
9:00 am to 5:00 pm any day except Wednesday and Sunday.
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