A Life Made by Hand

Salt & Weave Studio didn't begin with a business plan.  It began a long time ago, in a family where making things was simply part of life.  My Mother and both of my Grandmother's were creative women.  We sewed.  We baked.  We crocheted.  We dried flowers.  We made things for our homes, for people we loved, and sometimes simply because creating something with our hands brought us joy.

That creativity has followed me throughout my life.

Then I Found Basket Weaving

More than forty years ago, I discovered basket weaving and fell in love with it-especially traditional ribbed basketry.

There is something wonderful about beginning with a few simple materials and watching a basket slowly take shape beneath your hands.

The frame.  The ribs.  The weaving.  

The God's eye that holds it all together.

No two are ever exactly alike.

and perhaps that's part of what I love most.

Inspired by the Coast

Today, I live on Hatteras Island on the North Carolina's Outer Banks, where the sea has found its way into almost everything I make.

Weathered shells.  Driftwood.  Sea glass. Sun-faded colors.  Dunes and sea oats.  The changing seasons.  The rhythm of the tide.

They have all become part of Salt & Weave Studio.

Here you'll find my handwoven baskets alongside coastal-inspired pieces made from materials I've gathered, found, repurposed or simply couldn't resist bringing back to the studio.

Some pieces are useful.    Some are whimsical.  

Some exist simply because I thought they would be beautiful.

All of them are made to feel as though they belong in a home where the windows are open, people gather around the table, lots of food, and there's probably a little sand somewhere on the floor.

Made Slowly. Meant to Stay Awhile.

Salt & Weave isn't about making more things.

It's about making meaningful things.

Things made by hand.

Things with texture and character.

Things that don't need to be perfect to be beautiful.

Things you use, display, give away, bring out every season and perhaps someday pass along to someone else.

That's what I hope to make here.

And that's what I call The Salt & Weave Way.

Welcome to the studio.

I'm so glad you've found your way here.

— Fran

Until the next tide.