1/2 Day, Full Day, or Two Day Workshop

Have you ever looked outside at the abundance of plants in your yard and wondered what you could make with them? If you are interested in making beautiful and useful objects out of natural materials then coiled basketry is perfect for you. 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 and grasses as the core of our baskets and natural colored yarns as our sewing material. Several open work stitching techniques will be covered, including line stitch, v stitch, and core wrapping to create a lovely pattern over the cattails and grasses. 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 and grasses for coiling so that you are prepared to continue making one-of-a-kind coiled baskets at home.

Full Day

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 a variety of local inner tree barks for splints. Participants will also learn either a basic or twill weave to add a stripe of bark weaving in the middle or top of the basket. The final size of the basket will vary depending on student’s choices, but will be around 5″ x 5″ x 6″

This basket can also be offered as a 2-3 day course with more in depth material processing and a larger basket. See the description at the bottom of the page for that one.

1/2 Day or Full Day Workshop

In this workshop you will learn the ancient art of making folded baskets out of white pine bark. From actually peeling the bark from a log to sewing the container, this is a hands-on workshop where you will really get to know the material. Each participant will choose a piece of bark from those we have peeled and learn how to make a pattern to fold this flexible square piece of bark into a vessel. Different sewing materials, including twine, hemp, and basswood fiber, will be used to sew the vessel and attach a rim. Each person’s project will turn out to be completely unique. Everyone will leave with a completed basket, handouts on everything covered during the workshop and a new appreciation for the beautiful and abundant white pine tree. 

If this is offered as a half day please note that we will omit the process of peeling the bark from the logs and I will come with pieces already prepared.

Full Day Workshop / Two Day Workshop

During this one day workshop you will learn the art of creating coiled baskets  using long-leaf pine needles. In addition to making a small to medium pine needle basket, you will also learn the history of this art form, spend a day in good company creating a one of a kind piece of art, and come away with the knowledge to make many more baskets. You will have the opportunity to learn several different decorative stitches and create a unique basket using a variety of different wrapping materials and embellishments in addition to pine needles. This class is good for either someone that has some basketry/sewing experience or enjoys working with their hands on a small scale project. 

Full Day Workshop

In this basket you will get an introduction to the fascinating and fun technique of diagonal plaiting as well as to the world of working with wild harvested cattails. Throughout the day I will go over everything involved in harvesting and preparing cattails for weaving. The basket will be approximately 7″ x 7″ x 7″ and everyone’s basket will turn out a slightly different shape and size. This class is open to all levels of crafters and weavers and is great for those who are interested in learning about making baskets with plants found all around us in the local landscape.

Full Day Workshop

This basket is a fiber lover’s dream! You will make a traditional Appalachian egg basket with a twist– fabric and yarn will be incorporated amongst natural materials to create a fun and colorful look. We will start with a grapevine frame with 3-point lashing and then use random weave techniques to give the basket a soft but sturdy construction. I will share techniques for creating well-woven random weave while also maintaining a balanced look. There is a lot of room for your individuality to shine in this basket and I encourage you to bring fabrics and yarn that you love to incorporate into the basket.  This is great for quilters, spinners, knitters, and other fiber loving folks.

This workshop is great also when offered with a ‘upcycled material’ spin. Participants can bring old clothing, fabric, yarn, roving, etc. to weave the basket with. 

1/2 Day Workshop

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.

2-3 Full Days

Want to really go deep into learning to work with natural materials using several different basketry techniques? In this class you get it all: hands on experience harvesting and processing materials to make either two small baskets or one larger one (approx 7″ x 7″ x 12″) With a base of prepared bark stakes participants will learn two essential basketry techniques: twining with cattails, iris leaves, and vines, and a beautiful twill pattern using bark splints.  We will also cover cordage, a variety of different rim types, and add decorations to your baskets. During the course of the workshop participants will get hands on experience splitting bark, processing vines, and other seasonally available materials. You will leave both knowing basic basketry techniques with an introduction to a great variety of wonderful plant species that can be used to weave. Beginners and experience weavers welcome.

2-3 Full Days

$75 – $115 materials fee

In the coiling technique a bundle of material is built up through sewing a spiral until it becomes a vessel. The shape and size is completely up the maker and when one allows themselves to relax and just create the basket becomes a very personal expression of oneself. In this meditative and reflecting workshop participants will work with a variety of natural materials to create a large basket (approx 20″ x 20″ x 10″. Both line stitch and more advanced wrapping techniques will be covered as well as adding handles to the basket. Cattails, grasses, sedges, iris leaves, and other locally abundant materials will be used, making this a great class for someone who wants to go home and harvest their own material. We will discuss different plant species, how to harvest and store them, and if location permits, even harvest some materials ourselves. This is a great class for beginners or those who want to make a larger project.