Appalachian Basketcase

03/24/2026

🌿The Gift That Became a Story🌿

Last summer on set filming scenes for The New Film , the Songstress placed an unusual piece of driftwood into the Weaver’s hands—a river‑shaped relic, softened by time and current.

The moment she touched it, the Weaver felt its intention. Some materials don’t wait to be chosen; they choose their maker.

What looked like a simple stick became the heart of a new creation, a handle for a basket woven with memory, color, and quiet magic.

A small gift, a shared moment, and a reminder that art often begins with what finds us first.

03/16/2026

My friends at Street Dreams Inc. will be raffling off one of my handcrafted baskets this weekend at the 2026 Women’s Expo at the Raleigh County Civic Center!

If you’re local to southern WV and planning to attend, be sure to stop by their booth—located right in the center of the Civic Center—and enter for your chance to win this beautiful piece.

The Women’s Expo is always a wonderful way to spend the weekend, connect with friends, and celebrate the incredible women-owned businesses that make our community shine.

Come out, enjoy the day, and show some love to the makers, dreamers, and doers of our region. 💛

Come visit our booth at the women’s expo and be sure to register for one of our giveaway. Register to win this beautiful handmade basket from Appalachian Basketcase that is truly a work of art. I enjoy the beauty of having Ashleigh’s baskets in my home and pictures can’t do them justice.

About the basket

This "Flying Geese" basket featuring a rich eggplant‑dyed ash band where maple geese glide in graceful formation across the horizon. Finished with sturdy wooden bushel handles, this piece brings a touch of rustic charm and quiet elegance to any home.

03/13/2026

❤️🇺🇸 Looking forward to celebrating 250 years of the red, white, and blue in Kernersville—and what better way to honor this milestone than with a good old‑fashioned American picnic?

Imagine marking a quarter‑millennium of the USA with an Americana‑inspired heirloom basket, handcrafted to carry every picnic essential with beauty and pride. This sturdy piece features a poplar lid that opens from either end, adorned with fox fur and feather pom pulls that add a touch of rustic elegance to your summer outings.

Whether you’re spreading a blanket under the fireworks, gathering with friends, or strolling through a festival, show off your patriotism by carrying a basket that celebrates tradition, craftsmanship, and the spirit of the American story.

Because wherever the stars, stripes, and eagles fly, this basket belongs right there with them. 🇺🇸🦅

02/04/2026

A heartfelt thank you to WV Living Magazine for shining such a beautiful spotlight on my small business. I’m truly honored to be featured in your publication and so grateful that you shared my story with your online community as well. Your support means the world to artisans like me who pour our hearts into our craft.

Thank you for helping keep West Virginia’s creative spirit alive and thriving.

Appalachian Basketcase founder Ashleigh Smithson honors her West Virginia ancestry through ancient basket-weaving techniques.

01/17/2026

🌿 Life has a way of shifting our seasons… 🌿

I’ve been quiet on here for several weeks, as my 2025 season came to an abrupt close when my dear mother suffered a serious fall—fracturing her pelvis in four places. In the blink of an eye, I stepped from artisan to caregiver, and my days have been devoted to her healing and comfort ever since.

But even in the stillness, blessings continue to unfold.

✨ A huge shoutout to WV Living magazine for the beautiful feature in their Winter 2025 edition! I’m deeply honored to have my handcrafted heirloom baskets showcased in such a meaningful way in one of West Virginia’s most beloved publications. ✨

2025 was truly a landmark year for this basketcase:
- My work was published in the West Virginia Travel Guide
- I stepped into a supporting role in a new mythic film project (filming continues this year!)
- I traveled to events across the region, reconnecting with faithful customers and collectors
- And I rounded out the year with this incredible WV Living feature

💫 You can read more and explore my work at appalachianbasketcase.com, where I’ll be posting upcoming events soon!

Looking ahead, I’m excited to return to the rhythm of creation and community at:
- Appalachian Fly Fishing Festival (May)
- Honeybee Festival (August)
- Carolina Bible Camp (September)
- Thunder in the Mountains (October)
…plus a few more to be announced!

And remember, you can always find my baskets at Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia—a place that continues to uplift and celebrate our state’s finest artisans.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who supports handcrafted. Without you, none of this would be possible. Your love, your stories, your presence—it all weaves into the work.

With gratitude and thankfulness,

Ashleigh
The Appalachian Basketcase

12/06/2025

🎄✨ LIVE from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture in Richmond, VA! ✨🎄

Come soak in the festive spirit and do a little holiday shopping surrounded by incredible artistry. I'm here among a vibrant gathering of local artisans—each offering handcrafted treasures that celebrate tradition, creativity, and heart.

From woven baskets to pottery, textiles, jewelry, and more, this is a beautiful chance to support makers and find meaningful gifts for your loved ones. The gallery is glowing with holiday charm—poinsettias, twinkling lights, and even a little Christmas tree to welcome you in.

🛍️ Shop small. Gift big. Celebrate art.
📍 Virginia Museum of History & Culture
📅 Happening now!

12/06/2025

The winter storm didn't keep us away. Thankful for a wonderful evening at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Looking forward to meeting everyone again tomorrow.

Join us next weekend (Dec. 5-6) for the Holiday Maker Market! This new event will feature unique, handcrafted gifts from artists & artisans inspired by the Revolutionary era. Enjoy live craft demos, food trucks, music, family fun, & FREE museum admission on Friday evening and all-day shopping on Saturday.

Featured vendors include: ⁠
AGrayArtwork⁠
A Lady's Slipper Studio - Baskets, Jewlery⁠
Appalachian Basketcase - Baskets⁠
At the Sign of the Peacock - Bandboxes & 18thc.Trunks⁠
Autumn Custalow Alfaro⁠
Caeleigh Griffin Art - Paintings⁠
Half CrownBakehouse - Baked Goods⁠
Herbetarian LLC - Health & Wellness Products⁠
LV glass - Glass Art⁠
Join Or Die Knives - Metalwork⁠
Kiyay Studios - Stained Glass⁠
Lin Hall Jewelry
Sullivan Press - Bookbinding⁠
The Home Farm - Soaps, Foodstuff⁠
Thrasher_Knits - Knitted Items⁠
White Historic Art - Paintings⁠
⁠
Details at https://VirginiaHistory.org/MakerMarket

Details at VirginiaHistory.org/MakerMarket

11/17/2025

We had an incredibly beautiful weekend of filming new scenes for The New Film .
The " Weaver" is filmed gathering grasses and medicinal plants to gift to the "Songstress" in exchange for pieces of driftwood gathered from the New River.

Working with Nina Assimakopoulos —a true visionary whose creative process is nothing short of genius—has been a profound honor. Through her masterful use of texture, color, and song, she breathes life into the resilient people of the New River Gorge, weaving their spirit into every frame. It’s a sacred act of storytelling, and I’m deeply grateful to help carry it forward.

11/06/2025

🧺Continuing the Journey: Native American Basketry and the Double Chief’s Daughter 🌿

Each basket I weave is a prayer, a story, a step deeper into the sacred traditions that have shaped generations. This piece—Double Chief’s Daughter—is part of my ongoing study of Native American basketry, where form and meaning are inseparable.

The design features interlocking squares, each holding two small crosses—symbols of the daughters. They are the heart of the story, the carriers of legacy, the quiet strength behind the Chief. These crosses speak of lineage, of honor, of the sacred feminine woven into tribal memory.

Crafted with reverence and precision, this basket blends natural and dyed materials, echoing the balance between earth and spirit. The purple hues represent royalty and wisdom; the beige, humility and tradition. Together, they form a geometric dance that honors both ancestry and artistry.

This is more than a basket. It’s a tribute.
To the daughters who walk in grace.
To the stories that refuse to be forgotten.
To the hands that remember how to weave meaning into every strand.

I’m grateful to continue learning, listening, and creating in this space where heritage meets heart. Thank you for walking this path with me.

10/29/2025

🤎🦌 The Woodland Watcher 🦌🤎

🍂 In the woven world, I’ve found my niche—and my heart—in Native American basketry. Each piece I create is more than craft; it’s legacy enduring.

This autumn beauty came to life with antler washers I handcrafted to anchor the bolts—giving it the whimsical look of a forest creature peeking through the leaves. Eyes full of mystery, nestled in a body of woven glory. It’s a bridge between the wild and the intentional, where tradition meets modern artistry.

The bold brown, orange, and green accents dance across the tan base like fallen leaves on forest floor—capturing the vibrancy of the season itself. The handles, wrapped in color, invite touch and tell tales of hands that gather, give, and guide.

Nothing makes me happier than producing these works of art. They carry the pulse of the land, the rhythm of faith, and the joy of creation. 🍁

10/27/2025

🍁✨ Woven in the Light of Fall ✨🍁

Nestled in a quiet forest clearing, surrounded by the fiery brilliance of fall leaves, this basket glows like the season itself. Rich reds, warm browns, and soft beiges mirror the palette of the Appalachian hills this time of year—where every tree seems to sing in color and every breeze carries the scent of woodsmoke and memory.

This piece is called Noonday Sun, though some know it as Evening Star—a name that speaks to its dual nature: radiant in the light, quietly luminous as the day fades. It’s a reflection of the land that shaped it, woven with reverence for tradition and the divine rhythm of creation.

There’s a reason they call West Virginia Almost Heaven. In autumn, it’s not just a phrase—it’s a feeling. The mountains wear their glory like a crown, and the quiet beauty of this season reminds us to pause, reflect, and give thanks.

🧺 Handwoven with love, faith, and the colors of fall

📍 Inspired by the hills and hollows of the Mountain State

🍂 A tribute to light, legacy, and the turning of time in a
forest-fringed field, carpeted in seasonal splendor”