This basket is priceless not only because of its handcrafted beauty but because of the amazing woman who made it.  Julie Shoush of Corvallis, MT created this basket using a found antler shed supplied by friend Peg Miskin.  Two weeks after delivering the basket to Peg for the Cast One for Hope, Julie passed unexpectedly from complications of heart surgery.  She had been a beloved volunteer with CfR's Central California/Nevada program for years before moving to Montana.  Julie was an avid fly fisher, loved to travel and ride her motorcycle on roadtrip adventures. 

The basket is 10"  in diameter.  The basket itself is approximately 3.5" high, and approximately 8" high from bottom of the basket to the top of the highest point on the antler. 

Every pine needle basket is made using the same simple technique, stitching a continuous coil of pine needles to itself.  In the beginning these baskets were made for practical purposes but have now turned into an art.  Julie used long pine needles from Carolina averaging about 12 inches in length.  They are wrapped with a Brazilian waxed polyester cord.  The stone center of this basket came from a woman in Cheyenne, Wyoming who collects rocks worldwide and cuts them into slices then sets them in resin.  Each basket takes about 40-50 hours to complete.  As Julie created her baskets she began by coiling the needles and as she said "the basket starts to talk to you".  This is truly a one of a kind piece of art.