Orleans Carpenters Shaker Cherry Oval Box Basket with Handles & Embroidered Top

Orleans Carpenters Shaker Cherry Oval Box Basket with handles and embroidered top. This estraordinary, lovely and collectible Shaker oval box measures 10" x 7" x 4.5". It has a floral embroidered cushioned top with metallic rope ribbon around the edge. The Shakers, in making oval boxes, improved on the wooden "pantry box" design by adding the distinctive "swallowtail" joint. That improvement allowed for the expansion and contraction of the wood at the overlap without splitting. Shaker Oval Box makint is a true American craft. The oval box is widely recognized as quintessential "Shaker", encompassing both simple form and clear function. Orleans Carpenters was started in 1976 by Dick and Phoebe Soule as a carpenter's shop with a focus on teaching troubled youths a trade. By 1978 their work in Orleans, MA consisted almost exclusively of Shaker inspired woodworking, particularly oval box making. In 1986 they bought the business and with an eclectic mix of workers began shifting the focus entirely toward oval box making. With the advent of the internet, Orleans Carpenters morphed to include ShakerBoxes.com to more accurately reflect their box making focus. Orleans Carpenters boxes were chosen as favorites on one of Oprah Winfrey's earliest "Oprah's Favorite Things" shows. In October 2012 they retired from making Shaker Boxes, and they have become highly collectible.