Basket-Makers Bring Back A Lost Art

Basket-Makers Bring Back A Lost Art 28-2-8 Floyd Hrupsa's hobby is considered a lost art. He produces hand-made wooden baskets made from red cedar. Since the 70-year-old retired farmer started making them in 1997, the round bushel baskets have become very popular. The baskets taper out from the bottom to the top. For example, a 1 bu. basket is 14 in. in diameter at the bottom and 17 1/2 in. at the top. Hrupsa's baskets are extremely strong and can be used for transporting freshly picked fruit or produce, or simply as home dÚcor, which is the most common reason people buy them. The Felton, Delaware man learned his basket making skills as a boy and one of the tools he still uses today - a form from his grandfather's basket factory - is older than he is. Hrupsa harvests red cedar trees himself and uses a bandsaw mill to slice off 1/8-in. thick "staves," which are used to make the sides of the baskets. The bottoms of the baskets are also made of red cedar, but are 5/8 in. thick. Sticking to old time tradition, he nails the pieces together using steel wire nails, and then puts hickory bands and cross-braces around the sides. These hickory bands and cross braces are white because they are made of sapwood from the outside of young hickory trees that are no more than 12 in. in diameter at the butt. He also adds a wire around the middle for extra strength. He says Delaware state red cedar is a deeper red than most other state cedars, so the contrasting color of the bands on the baskets is very attractive. "Everything is feather-edged and sanded," he says. "I saw all the wood myself. I'm the only basket maker I know of in the U.S. who makes slatted baskets, instead of weaving them, which makes them strong." Hrupsa says one bushel basket has two brass-plated handles. The 5/8th bu. size has no handles, and the 2-quart size has a foldable handle. His sister, Clara Melvin, makes padded, upholstered lids and "garters" for the baskets, using a variety of fabrics, usually with a farm or animal theme. The lids have a wood base and a wooden knob in the middle. Matching garters are placed around the sides of the baskets. Hrupsa sells baskets with and without the lids/garters. Hrupsa sells his baskets "topless" for $30 (1 bu.), $20 (5/8 bu.) and $12 (2 quart). The padded lids sell for $20, $17 and $10, respectively. He adds a shipping charge for mail orders. Annual sales, according to Hrupsa, have been about 300 of the smallest size, 75 of the middle size, and 120 of the bushel baskets. The red cedar baskets will give off a smell for at least two years. Once that smell starts to dissipate, he says it can be refreshed by applying sandpaper to the inside of the basket. Contact: Floyd Hrupsa, 4453 Sandtown Rd., Felton, Delaware 19943 (ph 302 284-4783).

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