About Pinicon Farm Crafts

Pinicon Farm Crafts located outside of Milo, IA was started by Jeff & Marlys Sowers. Jeff makes shaker boxes, does coopering and makes a variety of basket molds and turned rims and bases for Nantucket style baskets. Marlys makes Nantucket, Shaker and Appalachian style baskets. She also makes rib and traditional style baskets from willow that she grows on their small farm.

Jeff Sowers’s fascination with early American History and growing up on a farm using hand tools, sparked his interest in working with primitive tools and the quality of work as a result of these tools and techniques. Jeff has worked with many types of wood, and has taught boxmaking, basketmaking, and coopering at many different conventions including Silver Dollar City, living history Farms in Des Moines, IA, and at his shop in Milo.

Marlys Sowers has been making baskets since 1985 . She raises 13 different kinds of basket willow to use in making rib style, traditional style, and many different shapes that are her own designs. She also makes several different kinds of Shaker and Appalachian style baskets. Marlys also makes several different styles of Nantuckets on molds made by Jeff. She has demonstrated and taught at various conventions.