Meet the Makers

The Borntrager Family

Six daughters and a 13-acre homestead with fruit trees and a garden full of surprises

Alton & Dorothy Borntrager

Alton and Dorothy Borntrager have been married for over seventeen years, raising a family and building a workshop that reflects everything they value: patience, quality, and care. Alton grew up in Minnesota. Dorothy came from Delaware. Both families moved to the same community when they were young, and the two grew up just close enough to cross paths at the right time.

Dorothy brings a meticulous eye to every basket she weaves, a trait she credits to her upbringing and to the women who taught her. Alton handles the heavier work and the business side, but when it comes to the craft itself, the two are equal partners.

Together they have created a home where the craft of basketmaking is woven into every part of daily life.

A Family Tradition

Alton and Dorothy are raising six daughters with names as beautiful as the baskets they make: Regina Fern, Rosanna, Verna Mae, Verda Kay, Emma Sue, and Savilla Luella. The girls are growing up surrounded by the craft, learning the same skills their mother learned, carrying forward a tradition that stretches back generations.

Dorothy’s sister lives nearby and helps with weaving, adding another set of skilled hands to the family’s output. It is a small operation by design. Quality over quantity, always.

Life on the Farm

The Borntrager homestead is a cozy thirteen acres with pasture for the animals and fruit trees that bloom beautifully in spring. Dorothy’s garden produces tomatoes, squash, green beans, and (the girls’ favorite) popcorn, which becomes a treat on cool autumn evenings.

Summer is the family’s favorite season. The garden is at its peak, the fruit trees are heavy, and the long warm days mean more time outdoors. It is also when the picnic baskets they are known for feel most at home, packed full and carried to a shady spot under the trees.

Borntrager Family Baskets

The Borntrager family is known for their picnic baskets and pie carriers: the baskets that show up at family reunions, church dinners, and neighborhood gatherings.