Learning to Weave a Basket

I believe that everyone can benefit from connecting to natural materials through learning to weave a basket. As humans we have a long history of working with our hands and in the modern age the beautiful arts of our ancestors can easily be overlooked. Basketry is a meditative way to rekindle the ancient arts in a fun and rewarding way. I am happy to offer several ways for you to learn new skills and create a one of kind piece of art with your own hands. Happy weaving!

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WORKSHOP CALENDAR

For those who love to learn in community I’m teaching a several Hudson Valley venues this summer and fall. Visit my 2015 Workshop Calendar to see the wide variety of options— from random weaving with fabric and yarn to coiling and twining at the 2015 Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival.

PRIVATE BASKET WEAVING WORKSHOPS

I’m excited to introduce new Private Basketry Workshops for those who want to create a unique day for themselves and several friends at their home. These workshops are truly catered to you and are great for retreats, family gatherings, celebrations among friends, and as a gift to someone you know that has always wanted to learn how to make something with their hands but has never taken that next step.

Workshop Length: Most classes are 4-6 hours in length with plenty of opportunities to take breaks. Classes can be held at your home, a venue of your choice, or at my house in Rosendale NY. My usual prices for standard 4 hour classes with pre-gathered materials are listed below (material fees vary for each class and are listed in the class descriptions)

Pricing

Single: $135

Two Students: $105 each

Three Students: $85 each

Four or more students $65 each

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

Coiled Cattail Treasure Basket with Handles

Information: 5 hour workshop, $10 materials fee (includes cattails, sewing needle, and a variety of wrapping materials to choose from.)

Coiling is an ancient technique in which rows of material are layered and sewn together one row at a time in a spiral to create a basket. In this class we will use split cattails sewn with a variety of naturally dyed yarns as our primary materials to make a small to medium coiled treasure basket (4″-10″ in diameter). Several open work stitching techniques will be covered, including line stitch, v stitch, and core wrapping to create a lovely pattern over the cattails. The basket will be finished with plaited cattail handles. Coiling is a versatile and fun technique and each participant can choose the shape and size that they want for their own unique basket. We will also discuss how to harvest and prepare cattails for coiling at home.

Coiled Grass Vessel with Embellishments

$10 materials fee

4-5 hour class

Coiling is an ancient technique in which rows of material are layers and sewn together in a spiral to create baskets. In this class we will use a variety of locally harvested wild grasses to create a small to medium sized coiled vessel (4″-10″ in diameter). Participants can vary the shape and size to create either a beautiful sculpture or a functional basket. We’ll use a variety of open work stitching techniques including line stitch, v stitch, and core wrapping to . Then, participants can embellish their pieces with honeysuckle and other natural materials to add a unique twist. We will also cover how to harvest and prepare grasses and other natural materials for coiling at home.

Twining with Cattails and Daylily Leaves

$20 materials fee

4-5 hour class

Twining is technique in which two weavers are twined around splints to create a tightly woven and solid basket. Used by indigenous people all over the world, twining is a technique that can be adapted to use with many different long flexible materials. In this class we will use locally harvested cattails for weavers and white ash bark for splints. Participants will also have the opportunity to stripes of contrasting colored kudzu, red cedar, and other natural materials to their basket for color and variety. Both two and three strand twining will be used to create a lovely small sized basket.

Grapevine Random-weave Market Basket

$35 materials fee per person

4-5 hour class

Random weaving is a technique in which vines and other materials are woven over and under each other in no particular pattern over a frame. This is a fun, intuitive, and wild basket to create. Upon first look random weaving may seem chaotic, but in this class you will learn techniques for creating a structurally well made basket while creating a random woven texture that is balanced and beautiful. We will be making a round market basket using locally gathered grapevine with other natural materials included to add color and texture.

Coiled Pine Needle Jewelry

$15 materials fee

4 hour class

In this workshop the traditional basketry technique of coiling with pine needles will be adapted to create one-of-a-kind pendants. Participants will have the opportunity to make several pendants and then create earrings, necklaces, bracelets, or any other jewelry item of their choice. Materials fee includes all jewelry findings, beads, cords, and a bundle of pine needles to make several pieces.

OTHER PROGRAMS

School/Educational programs: I am available to do multi-day programs geared towards children in any type of school environment, including homeschool. We can work together to decide an appropriate curriculum for the age group. Great for Homeschool, Public, Private, Waldorf, Montessori, or any other school program.

Scholarships

I offer some work trades and scholarship options for those who are motivated to learn about basketry on a limited budget. Please email me if you are interested.