Coiled by Toni Best for Lynn Hoyt
I had just gotton back from a grueling day of shopping and lunch with
some friends (ha!),
to find a package from Toni Best waiting on the table for me.
There was
no time wasted
as I tore open the box. Inside was the coolest, most unusual and
beautiful gourd basket!
I am so thrilled-- all along I had secretly hoped for something funky
and my wish has come true!!
It starts from a small rounded but malformed gourd- kind of knarled and
knobby, and
puckered up with indentations. It looks like Toni applied a dark bluish
dye that darkened
the markings but left the brown shell visible as well. There are 7 coils
wonderfully V-stitched
with blue waxed linen thread (I think it's waxed linen.) She artfully
made some of the coils
float and dip down. Three limpet shells with matching blue interiors
cascade down the gourd
and she added 3 turquoise scarabs and beads of glass and bone(?), bound
with a squigly
blue thread. Inside loose there were some beautiful shells and stones.
When I took them out
I saw that this is one of those gourds that has a smooth pearly looking
interior, but feels like
suede to the touch! 
