received w ord he was being
transferred back to Pennsylva-
nia. But her Southern hom e’s
influence w ill be everlasting,
she says.
M uhl’s only frustration
w hile living in the South, other
than being aw ay from her three
grandchildren, w as that people
constantly confused her sweet-
grass w ith the type native to
South Carolina and used in
Gullah baskets.
“I get asked about it all the
time. W h at I use has no relation
to that,” she says. “ Gullah grass
grow s in marshes, it’s hollow
and hard to bend.”
H er sweetgrass,
Hierochloe
odorata,
grow s in the northern
U nited States and Canada and
is considered a sacred plant by
N ative Am ericans. M uhl appre-
ciates its strength and pliability
and its aromas reminiscent o f
tobacco and vanilla. Like so
many natural materials, sweet-
grass supplies are threatened by
overeager harvesting, invasive
species, and human intrusion.
“It’s been such a toil to get,”
she says. “ People hound me for
the name o f m y supplier. I don’t
even k n ow w here he gets the
grass from ; he just tells me if
he has it.”
H er material o f choice comes
with other hazards - one o f Muhl’s
tw o cats racked up formidable
vet bills after snacking on the
2-foot-long strands. N ow the
door to her studio stays closed.
Above top:
Muhl created baskets,
including this one with
magenta ribbon high-
lights, as prizes for
the 2008 Pennsylvania
Governor’s Awards.
Recipients included
actor Michael Keaton,
a Pittsburgh-area native.
Above bottom:
Glow, 2005
sweetgrass, ribbon,
waxed linen
6 x 15 x 14 in.
068 american craft feb/mari2
