Fancy Strawberry Basket by Molly Neptune Parker, Passamaquoddy, about 1985

Strawberry Basket Block
by Richard Love, Penobscot, 2000

Basket: 14 cm high, 11 cm diameter
Block: 16 cm high, 12.5 cm diameter

Most fancy baskets are woven around blocks. Basketmakers use the molds to make tightly woven baskets of uniform sizes.

Blocks like this strawberry basket come in several pieces. During the weaving process, the block is held together by string. Once the basket is completed, the maker can remove the block by first removing the core piece.