They are constructed of woven wood sides and wood bottoms except for egg baskets which are fully woven. Interestingly the fellow who weaves the egg baskets is the same one that cuts the wood bottoms for all the other baskets. Lids and all internal dividers are also made of wood.
In addition to being very attractive Miller baskets are built to last under actual use unlike the expensive "collector" baskets made by those hoity toity "Art Basket" companies who shall remain nameless here. Try stuffing one of "their" baskets full of 50 pounds of potatoes from the garden and see if they make it back to the kitchen every time.
The rims of most basket models are piped with rope and wrapped by a single strand of trim which is the same as the trim used to "stripe" most baskets.
Piping with uncolored trim strip wrapping
You have your choice of 3 trim colors on any basket. They are Blue, Maroon and Green. Uncolored trim is also available. Please specify what trim colors you prefer on your stripes and piping from these in whatever combinations you like.
Trim "Stripe"of Blue and Maroon
Trim "Stripe"of Maroon and Green
Uncolored Trim "Stripe"
If there is not a basket meeting your trim specifications currently ready to ship, my Amish Neighbors will be more than happy to make one to meet your preferences and I'll be happy to keep you on backorder for it until it's ready;-) Keep in mind that there are not really any "rush" services available from the Amish. When the horses need shoeing and the oats need threshing that must be done right away and weaving may have to wait a day or two at times.
All the baskets pictured here are stain finished but my Amish Neighbors are also happy to provide them unfinished or "in the white" which are also quite attractive.
At Left is a Normally Stained Wine basket with
an Unstained or "In The White" Example at Right
If you have special stain color needs for a decorating project I recommend ordering your baskets "in the white" so you can control the exact color you wish to achieve by staining them yourself.
Handles on certain models are described as Stationary Wood, Leather or Swiveling Wood.
Stationary wood handles are integrated completely into the construction of those baskets employing them so there is no chance of the handle "slipping off". They actually extend completely through the walls of the basket to the base and are secured directly to the base itself.
Leather handles are affixed to sturdy ribs in the basket wall by copper rivets. The ribs, in turn, are affixed directly to the basket base for strength.
Swiveling wood handles are also mounted directly to sturdy ribs that are affixed directly to the base as well.
The Personal Touch The Amish Community Member who makes your basket signs their name to it and usually the date it was completed. Some of them like to include a comment or two like "sunny day today" or perhaps "cloudy weather" as the mood takes them so you never know exactly what may be written on the bottom of your baskets.
Here is the bottom of one of my own Step Baskets
made by Mary Ann last June.
See the Step baskets in use here
Each and every Miller Basket is a hand made individual. The Amish do keep the measurements close and quality consistent but posted measurements will vary slightly as a result of the individual hand crafting process used.
Measurements are provided in the description for each basket. There will be a base measurement and a height so you will be able to ascertain the actual size of each model.
Each description also includes the weight of each basket
so you can get an idea of the actual shipping cost you will pay.
These are NOT packed weights so a bit more must be added for adequate packaging.