Books by Jim Widess

Gourd and fiber containers have been essential for making human migration and commerce possible for thousands of years. This new DIY book takes a step back in time to show how different forms of fiber have been used to tie a loop around the neck or waist of a gourd or to weave an intricate basket structure to hold the handle. With more than 350 color images and step-by-step instructions, seven projects are based on water containers from around the world: a palm wine bottle from Cameroon, a canoe bottle from Borneo, a saki flask and a spiral woven bottle from Japan, a bule from Mexico, an intricately woven bottle from Indonesia, and a netted Hawaiian water bottle. These projects show the universality of the gourd in the human settlement of the earth, and make great projects for advanced gourd artists.