SHARON DUGAN
BASKETMAKER

MEDIA

One of her most unique creations is a Puzzlemold Cathead Basket, about six inches in diameter. This traditional Shaker shape follows the contour of a cat’s head, rounded in the center but tapering at the bottom and top. The mold is made with a grooved section that slides out, making it possible to pull the wooden form through the narrow mouth of the basket.

Sharon Dugan’s list of offerings includes useful fruit baskets, ranging from 6 to 10 inches in diameter; a quadrifoil tub basket with birch ear handles; a Canterbury cathead with birch handles and cane rims; and a variety of cathead baskets, 4, 5, and 6 inches diameter, and a 3 inch Kittenhead.

Of special interest to collectors are Sharon’s miniatures. They include a Kittenhead that is only seven-eighths of an inch in diameter, and also comes in one and on-eighth, one and one-half and two inch sizes. Although they are very difficult and time consuming to make, they are woven in exact Shaker patterns from ash-wood strands as narrow as one-sixty-fourth of an inch and have tiny wooden handles and rims.