Longleaf Pine Needle Basket - Christmas Cross Stitch

North Carolina has long been known for its pine trees.  It is a local tradition to use the needles from the longleaf variety to make baskets.  This basket is made with a universal basket-making technique called coiling. I use a continuous stitch to sew together small bundles of pine needles using dyed cotton or linen cords in colors that coordinate with the base. Then I stack the coils to form the basket. The base of this basket is a counted cross stitch piece done by fellow WomanCraft member, Janie Galloway. The coiled rows of each basket are sewn together with cranberry cotton perle thread, kelly green nylon cording and natural raffia. The center section of the basket measures 7 inches in diameter (edge to edge) and it has an inside diameter of 5 inches.  including the handles, the piece measures 9 inches wide.  It is 2 inches deep. The longleaf pine needles used in this basket come from my home in North Carolina. Pine needle baskets are lovely when displayed, but they are also usefu