If you have ever traveled along Highway 17 in Mt. Pleasant or visited the market in downtown Charleston, you have undoubtedly noticed the plenitude of sweetgrass baskets. An art form brought over from slaves in West Africa over 300 hundred years ago, this tradition of basket making has since been passed down from generation to generation. Originally these graceful baskets were used as working baskets on the plantations but now they are mainly coveted souvenirs for tourists.
Once a plentiful grass of the coastal dunes, sweetgrass is now difficult to cultivate due in part to the urbanization of Mt. Pleasant as well as the development of the barrier islands into resort destinations. Sadly, artisans now have to travel to Georgia or Florida to find an ample supply. Technically, sweetgrass baskets are made of several materials including pine needles to provide a contrasting color, black rush to add strength and strips of palm leaves to sew all these materials together.
Buyers Tip: The tightness in the design of the basket equates to the quality. (i.e. the tighter the pattern reflects a higher amount of workmanship involved and thus equals a higher quality basket.)
I try to support this local industry by using sweetgrass baskets when designing for my clients or as house warming gifts for friends and family. I especially like the idea of hanging them on the wall in a graphic pattern as I did here in my own home. Now I will say this is not for everyone as I tried it for a client once and she told me they looked like either dryers from a hair salon or inverted breasts hanging on her wall. Ha! Proof that clients can't always see your vision!
