Black Ash baskets were made in ancient times here in North America. There are indigenous stories and designs predating the coming of Europeans and the baskets, or vessels, were used for storing many of the things that were used in day to day living including food gathering and preparation. Although the technique of weaving with "splint" (flat material) was done world wide, black ash "splint" is unique to north America. In Europe, splint style baskets were made out of oak, in Scandinavia they were woven out of pine and birch bark, and in the far east bamboo and certain split reeds were used. There are many different materials woven in the "splint style" and it can be dependant upon where you live in the world and what is available to the weaver. The technique varies slightly with each type of material. 
Black ash differs from many other materials in how it is processed. The logs are found in the swamps and selected for their quality. Trees that are best suited are straight, knot free and healthy with large crowns. The trees also have to be growing in a place that allows them to grow fairly fast, which means medium to thick growth rings. The tree begins to grow each spring and packs on a loose fibrous ring that some refer to as the "early spring" or "late winter" ring which is visibly porous compared to the thick dense "summer" ring which the tree grows at peak weather. The harvested tree is peeled and hammered with a blunt heavy object which could be a wooden club or the back of a steel axe that has its sharp edges filed down. After a few hard blows on every square inch of the log, the spring ring is crushed which consequently destroys the bond between the summer rings. These summer rings would then be peeled off the log in long strips. These are the splints that April weaves her baskets with. Each ring is of a different thickness; some can be over a 1/4 inch and some are paper thin. The splints are then sorted by thickness, coiled up, and stored in a dry space until she is ready to use them. Pounding an Ash log is a very laborious task, but is worth the effort because the material is very tough and flexible. These baskets are truly born of the forest.
April likes to weave a variety of baskets, but mainly weaves utilitarian baskets or "baskets that work". Some of the styles she prefers to weave are the classic trappers baskets, bushel baskets, and handled baskets for market and the like. When it's time to weave, April chooses her material from the stored coils and soaks them in water until pliable. This can take 15 minutes to 2 hours depending upon the thickness of the coils she chooses. After potential further processing, by splitting splints down their centers (like splitting root), she then cuts each piece for the basket, by hand, with scissors. She judges the widths by "eye" and when she has enough material prepared she begins the weaving process. She says she likes to "let the basket weave itself", meaning she has a rough idea of its size and shape, but lets the materials influence the final shape or height. And although she tends to weave mostly by "eye", meaning not using forms or molds to achieve the shape of the basket, she has enjoyed weaving on a form every now and again.
Please look in the photo gallery for pictures of her work.