Featured Artist: Scott Gilbert

Scott Gilbert and his wife, Beth Hester are in the business of making and selling white oak and honeysuckle baskets at local and regional craft shows as well as having an extensive catalog called The Basket Maker’s Catalog that offers basket kits, chair seating materials, handcrafted ash and white oak handles, books, tools, Nantucket lightship supplies and more.  Their main focus now is their shop called GH Productions Inc. located in Scottsville, KY.  There you can roam through the aisles or come by and take one of their classes.

Beth and Scott moved from Nashville in 1979 and in 1981 while in between jobs Scott began making baskets after seeing many different basket styles at the Nashville Flea Market.  He said, “I thought that I could make them and they would be fun”.  Soon Scott had hooked up with Ollie and Lestel Childress, the locally renowned fifth generation white oak basket makers from Park City, Kentucky. “Beth and I studied with them right up until they passed away.  We worked under the apple tree in the summer and in their kitchen in the winter”, stated Scott.

In 1984 Scott began teaching basket workshops and classes in Allen and surrounding counties. He also offered classes at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, TN, the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, and many conventions all over.

In 1986 Mike Sims joined them, making handmade white oak handles for shops and other basket makers. Their largest project to date was an order for 17,000 white oak handles that were used in a Cover Girl Cosmetics display.

Beth Hester, Scott’s wife, joined the company in 1987 making baskets and concentrating on making their catalog.  The Basket Maker’s Catalog is now one of the nation’s finest basket making and chair caning supply shops and online buying center.

Beth said, “We reuse cardboard boxes for shipping, use end-run paper from a local newspaper print shop for packaging and recycle our office paper to do a small part for the earth as well.

Beth and Scott continue to teach basket making across the country including the Kentucky Museum on Western’s campus where Beth has taught many times. Her next class is scheduled for August 14th. Their award-winning baskets have been featured in regional and national exhibits. 

You can call GH Productions Inc. to reach Scott and Beth at 1-800-447-7008 during their business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday or leave a message on their answering machine.  You can look them up on the web at  www.basketmakerscatalog.com where you can also email them. Try your hand with one of their basket kits.

Scott said, “Our mission is to provide great service and great products for basket makers and chair caners and to offer first quality baskets and classes to help you achieve success”.