He had shown his neighbor that he could do it, and then the orders started coming in. Two of his brothers had also made baskets. For his great variety of basket types, Azzie used oak trees up to the size of a stovepipe. The sap part was used for the body of the basket and the heartwood could be used for trim. You only lay down thirty two, but then you have to add another.
Square baskets can have more or less according to their size.
D.C. He was also frequently invited to the Louisiana Folklife Festival and the Natchitoches Folk Festival. Azzie was delighted to have the opportunity before his death to teach his art to his daughter, Alice, who came back to Marion from Chicago in 1969. Following a divorce, in 1980, she moved into her parents' home. Alice has two children of her own and one stepson. She also has a Master's degree in special education plus additional post-graduate work and at that time taught special education at the Marion High School.