From left, Karey Karam, June Ford, Charleen Tipps and Rosalie Frazier pick out strands of beargrass at the start of their basketry class at the Oracle Community Center.

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From basketry to watercolor painting, the Oracle Community Center offers a slew of activities that keep people busy and entertained.

Ten women recently gathered at the center in the unincorporated community of about 4,000 to make baskets with beargrass that grows in the area. Most of the women live in Oracle, which is northwest of Tucson off Arizona 77.

At the community center, Susie Cochran teaches the intricacies of using beargrass to create baskets in the tradition of Tohono O'odham weavers.

The first two-hour class tested the women's endurance as fingers again and again forced needles through dry, tough beargrass sticks wrapped in strands of raffia palms grown in places such as Madagascar.

"We need pliers, seriously," said Mary Schopper, struggling to stitch into shape what would become the core of her basket.

Cochran strolled around the table, offering guidance to her pupils.

"We're going to keep moving along and putting in the next stitch and the next stitch and the next stitch."

The baskets the women in Cochran's class are learning to make resemble but aren't exactly like those made by the O'odham.

"The stitching is the same, but the materials are different. They use beargrass and yucca," said Cochran, who taught herself the art of basketry years ago. Her class will last two months, and anyone can join the group during that time. The only requirement is that they pay a $25 membership fee to the community center.

Laura Valade thought stitching fiber was hard on her hands, but she's poised to return to class each Tuesday and finish her basket.

"I know it'll be entertaining and productive," she said.

Rosalie Frazier also wants to keep working on her basket, she said. "It's interesting and fun to do."

Charleen Tipps, who happens to be president of the community center's board of directors, also will be back.

"It's great," she said. "I've always wanted to do this."