Modern Basket Maker

HIGHLIGHT: CAITLIN PARSONS

By Karen T. Butler

As part of a new generation of full-time Nantucket lightship basket makers, Caitlin Parsons is young, energetic, and brimming with creative ideas to enhance the iconic Nantucket lightship basket genre, not losing sight of its antique origins dating back to the mid-1800s. Caitlin is not new to the Nantucket lightship basket world. She was raised in the environment of the basket world since her dad, Tim Parsons, has spent decades as a prominent basket maker on island. Caitlin remembers playing with the shavings in his workshop as a child and making her first basket when she was eight. Growing up on island, Caitlin felt restless and compelled to get away from Nantucket to see the world. Her mantra was to work at things that made other people’s worlds better, and she did that by spending time in Australia, New Zealand, and Africa working with various not-for-profit organizations. Once back in Boston, Caitlin broke her ankle. While recovering, her father brought her materials for weaving, so she experimented with different weaving materials and wood, which then reignited and energized her interest. She returned to Nantucket with her husband, who fell in love with the island. They decided to stay on Nantucket year-round, first getting a puppy and then having two children, now four and two. They built a home and reconnected with friends.

She has now committed to being a full-time Nantucket basket maker, wanting to create from scratch, making the entire basket from top to bottom, including parts like handles and bases. She also has learned how to make repairs: for baskets to endure, they need maintenance. In running her own basket-making business, her goal is to have a balance of creativity and profitability. For her, a handcrafted one-of-a-kind Nantucket lightship basket or bracelet is a great reminder that you can’t duplicate a basket and that one has to accept its flaws. In fact, the flaws are an intrinsic part of this art form, brimming with history and open to being modern and fresh in today’s world. It is exciting to see Caitlin Parsons, as part of the current generation, keeping alive this craft that resonates with Nantucket's history. See more of Caitlin’s work by following her at

@nantucketbreacelets