author

Anna A. Gill

A practical early-20th-century craft writer, she is remembered for a clear, hands-on guide to basket making that has stayed in circulation for more than a century. Her work speaks to readers who enjoy traditional skills, careful instruction, and making useful things by hand.

1 Audiobook

Practical Basketry

Practical Basketry

by Anna A. Gill

About the author

Anna A. Gill is known for Practical Basketry, a basket-making manual first published in 1916. The book was issued by David McKay in Philadelphia and was later preserved by libraries and Project Gutenberg, which has helped keep her work available to modern readers.

The original book identifies her as a teacher of an orthogenic class at Kenderton School in Philadelphia, and it also notes that the drawings were done by the author herself. That combination of classroom experience and illustration helps explain the book's friendly, practical style.

Although little biographical information about her seems easy to confirm from the sources available here, her surviving work shows a strong interest in teaching craft step by step. Practical Basketry covers materials, tools, and weaving methods in detail, making it a useful window into both traditional basket making and early 20th-century manual instruction.