2021 Wild Basketry Workshop Series with Katie Grove

Wild Basketry Workshop Series

An 8 Class Exploration of Natural Basketry with Katie Grove from April - December

Knotless Netted Bags With Dogbane, Basswood, And Milkweed Fiber

Demonstrating The Processing Of Dogbane Stalks

04207 291A1724 Stefan.lisowski@warui.com

Gathering Grapevine For Basket Weaving Tree 03

Folded Birch Bark Baskets With Katie Grove

Harvesting Dogbane And Milkweed In The Field

I am not offering the Wild Basketry Series in 2024, but am so excited to return to it in the future.

Are you inspired to develop a deep connection to the art of basketry and the abundant plant materials in our natural landscape? Do you want to learn how to go out into the forests and fields, identify and gather materials, and weave baskets? Join this 9 class program to connect to your creative self and the natural world while learning the ancient skill of basketry.

SATURDAY CLASS - Wild Basketry 1 2023

Location: Private residences in Stone Ridge NY 12484. and surrounding locations. Addresses upon registration.

Time: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Cost: $700.00 – $800.00 sliding scale.

Dates: 8 SATURDAY workshops from April to December 2022

April 15th
May 20th
June 10th
July 8th
August 12th
October 14th
November 11th
December 2nd

2023 Payment Information

Payment:

$700.00 – $800.00 sliding scale.

– Includes 8 full day workshops, materials, digital handouts on the techniques covered, and guidance on projects outside of workshops.

Details on payment dates and deposits will be in the welcome email you will receive after registering. More info on Payment schedules, Cancellation Policies, and more is below on this page.

In this 8 month journey you will...

Gain a well rounded understanding of the basic basketry techniques: twining, plaiting, coiling, ribbed basketry, twined bags, cordage, and more.

Work with a variety of materials, including grapevines, honeysuckle, wisteria, white pine bark, inner tree bark (ash, tulip tree, red maple, elm, etc.), cattails, grasses, iris leaves, dogbane, nettle, basswood fiber, willow, red osier dogwood, spruce root, and more depending on availability.

Get hands on experience identifying, finding, harvesting, preparing, and processing these local plant materials out in the field.

Receive expert guidance as you make a multitude of baskets.

Explore the deeper meanings of working with plants and basketry through readings and discussion

Be a part of a community as we walk in the footsteps of our ancestors and harvest gratefully from the earth to make one of the most culturally meaningful objects in history: the basket.

Example Course Schedule

Creating this program was a dream of mine for so long that it is hard to believe it is in its fifth year! Seeing the community of basket makers that has formed around it and blossomed has been absolutely incredible. It is clear to me at this point in my life that introducing people to the plants of my region and guiding them in making beautiful baskets with those plants is my soul’s work. I love teaching single day workshops and am always impressed with my student’s enthusiasm and desire to learn more about the plants and the process. I often leave those workshops with a longing to go deeper into the art of basketry with those students — to go out together and harvest plants, process materials, and really dedicate time to the process. That is the seed from which this program grew.

**One of the beautiful things about using natural materials is that we must follow the ebb and flow of the seasons and work with what is available. The below layout is tentative and subject to change depending on material availability and what our group is interested in working on. No matter what the exact schedule, participants can expect to complete 5 – 10 baskets in many different styles of baskets and techniques**

Day 1, April – Intro to Basketry and Pine Bark Baskets- Harvest red osier dogwood, process a white pine tree, make folded white pine bark baskets.

Day 2, May – Inner Bark Harvesting – Learn to remove inner bark from a respectfully harvested tree, process materials, learn cordage making, begin weaving a bark basket

Day 3, June – Woven Bark Basket – Cut and split bark strips from what we harvested on day 2, continue weaving our first project: a medium size bark basket using regular weave, twill and twining

Day 4, July – All About Vines and Weaving Ribbed Baskets- Harvest bittersweet, grapevine, and more to create a frame for ribbed baskets. Begin putting the basket together and weaving this two day project

Day 5, August – Continue Ribbed Baskets – Continue weaving ribbed baskets using the vines, bark, and other materials we have harvested so far.

Day 6, September – Coiled Basketry and Harvest – Harvest and process cattails, grasses, and other seasonally available materials. Make a coiled basket.

Day 7, October- Diagonal Plaited Cattail Basket – learn the versatile technique of diagonal plaiting using cattails.

Day 8, November – Individual Projects – Choose a technique you felt drawn to, or a new technique, and deepen your relationship to it through a guided individual project. You can also work on unfinished projects from days you may have missed.

Day 9, December – Wild Fibers and Celebration- Harvest dogbane, and other fiber and learn knotless netted bag making. Celebrate our time together with a potluck lunch.

Additional Payment/Cancellation Policies

Payment Schedule

I do my best to be supportive on payment policies and refunds if someone decides to drop out, but also need to be sure that I am able to continue to do this work. The policies below are what I have settled on to maintain a balance. In the spirit of transparency I want to say that it is difficult for me to write these- my instinct is to do whatever it takes to support someone in coming to my classes, but it is important that I have policies in place in case anything comes up. I really do try to be flexible so please reach out if you have any concerns about signing up or if anything comes up, such as a family emergency or illness, that is going to impact your ability to participate after you sign up.

Signup – January 30th – due date for $200 deposit or full payment if you are able/want to get it out of the way. (unless you are paying cash, then we can connect when I’m back home at the end of march)

February 20th– Due date for remainder of payment or an installment in payment plan

March 20th- Last day for refunds of deposit or full class fee if you decide to drop out

Cancellation Policies
Below are my cancellation policies. It is important for me to have them, but please know that I try my best to be flexible, Just reach out to me if anything comes up.

-If you decide you are not able to attend the class before March 20th you will receive a full refund.

-If you decide you are not able to attend the class between March 20th and April 7th (1 week before the start of the series) please check in with me. If there is someone on the waitlist that wants your spot or if you are able to find someone to replace you then you will receive a full refund. If there is not someone on the waitlist I am not able to provide a refund. (Please note it is not highly likely that someone will be on the waitlist at this point, but it is worth a try)

-If you decide you are unable to participate after April 7th (1 week before the series begins) I am not able to provide a refund. This goes as well if you decide to drop out after the series begins. In this case if we are only 1-3 classes in you can still try to find a friend to take your spot.

Payment Plans

If you would like to request a payment plan please reach out to me and I am happy to accommodate. Typically people will do the deposit, an installment by the March due date, and then one or two more payments over the summer. We can discuss to decide what works for you.

Please note if you are on a payment plan and decide to drop out you will still be responsible for the remainder of payments. Thank you so much for your understanding on these policies. I do my best to be flexible and supportive so please reach out to me if you have any questions or want to talk before registering.
Missed classes

If you need to miss a day please let me know in advance. We will harvest extra materials for you if you miss a harvest day and have materials prepared for you if necessary. My policy is to do my best to accommodate a makeup day when you miss a class, but I can’t absolutely guarantee it. The makeup days that are available are during the Sunday Baskets 2 class, which is typically the day right after our class. How much space there is on those classes on any particular day is what determines if you’ll be able to come and use it as a makeup day.

If I need to cancel a class due to personal illness I’ll either arrange a makeup day or refund you the amount of the missed class.

Is this program right for you?

Every year there is at least one person who signs up for this program and finds that they need to drop out. It is a big commitment both time-wise and financially to dedicate one day a month to basketry and I want to be sure those who sign up have a good idea of how it will fit into their schedule. Take a look at the dates and your life and ask yourself if you really will have the time and energy to make it to class. In the past most folks that drop out have done so because they over-scheduled, or perhaps underestimated the drive if they are coming from a distance. However, I also have had many people driving from over 3 or 4 hours away and not missing a class! Also- this is the only class I am teaching this year to new students and I’m sure I’ll have a waitlist to get in- if you suspect you may have to drop out please consider waiting until next year so another student can take your spot.

If you read this and want to talk to me about your situation then please don’t hesitate to reach out. I am only writing this message because I don’t offer refunds after a certain point and want to support folks in their decision to join the class.

Getting out in nature: hands on harvesting

During this workshop you will learn how to weave baskets. But equally as important and rewarding you will get experience actually harvesting and processing plants. Most of our focus will be on weaving, but on a few class days we will be in the field processing materials. This means we will be spending time out in nature pulling vines out of trees and walking in marshes to harvest cattails. There may be hot weather, mosquitos, and walking in the forest. If you have any physical restrictions, injuries or anticipate any difficulty in the more physically demanding aspects of the experience then let me know before signing up. There are many aspect to harvesting and if you are unable to wrestle grapevines out of trees then it is equally as valuable to help coil and process them. However, you should be prepared to spend the entire day outside. Feel free to contact me with any questions about this part of the workshop.

What does it look like to spend a day weaving?

To see some examples of baskets and student experiences from the 2017 and 2018 programs check out the blog posts below or visit my current/past workshops page. There is such an amazing array of students that take my classes and I’m always impressed with the creativity and individuality that comes out when a person sits down and allows themselves the time to make something beautiful with their hands.