The Basketmaker’s Month: October
Wednesday October 5th, 6:00 – 7:30 pm EST
Which plants are available to harvest for basketry in our backyards during the early fall? In this webinar I’ll be talking about VINES. These are a generally winter harvest plant so this talk will be applicable for anytime between October and the beginning of spring. (Why? I’ll talk about this along with with plenty of exceptions!) I’ll cover the vine category in general, plus specifics about grapevines, bittersweet, wisteria, akebia, kudzu, and a bunch of others.
The focus will be on ID, ecology, harvesting, processing, and everything else you need to know to get these plants ready for making baskets. If you can’t make it you can always pay and get access to the recording for 3 weeks afterwards.
The format of this webinar/online class will be 1 hour of lecture and slideshow followed by up to 30 minutes of Q and A. It will be an educational and helpful experience for those of you who are out there eager to open your hearts and get your hands dirty with harvesting!
Why create this webinar series?
Some of the most common questions I get asked as a basketry teacher revolve around which basketry plants are season at any given time. What are the best ways to identify these plants? How are they harvested, processed, and stored? If you do have a basketry plant growing near you how can you tell if it is good quality for weaving? How can we approach harvesting with an open heart and keen mind in service of being respectful of the land? These questions and more were the impetus for starting this series on how to harvest basketry plants. I look forward to continuing it this fall with several more monthly classes!
