Online Courses
Free beginners course: 4 step instructions on how to make a small round basket. Making a round base, inserting uprights, weaving a 3-rod wale and finishing the border with a 4 behind 2 border.
Price: €75
NEW COURSE!
GROWING AND PREPARING BASKET WILLOW
A complete guide to planting, harvesting, and preparing your own willow for basket making.
Covering soil, site selection, varieties, how to plant a willow bed, harvesting, drying, storing, processing (grading, soaking, mellowing, aftercare, steaming, freezing), pests and diseases and a list of associations and growers.
We are fortunate that the ancient knowledge and techniques of willow basket making has been passed down to us through our ancestors. Their knowledge and willow varieties grown by them are still available to us, although not many people still carry that wisdom.
As I learned how to make baskets, I felt a deep need to pass my knowledge on to others. And not just the techniques, but also the joy of making with my own hands, making beautiful objects, and feeling that deep connection to our heritage, other makers, and the natural world around us. Making something with just a few tools, my own body and some sticks feels magical, grounding and is also very meditative and healing.
My students find that when they found basket making they were completely drawn in by the repetitive nature of weaving, the feeling of being connected to an ancestral way of being and also a deeper respect for our natural environment. Many love the meditative flow state weaving brings you into and find working with your own body to create something meaningful balances the stressors of our everyday life and is healing in many forms.
After many years of teaching workshops, I have put all my knowledge into an online format for you to have a clear path to follow, one that has been tested and refined over many years by me and my students.
This is a step-by-step prerecorded program that takes you from being a complete beginner to a fully-fledged basket maker. This program is open for enrollment all the time. You can step in whenever you feel ready, go through the course at your own pace and you have life-long access. To keep you on track I also do a monthly session via Zoom where you can connect with me directly and other students in the course and ask questions.
This program is designed to build up your skills and techniques like a stacking system, one builds onto the other. The free beginners course gives you a taster of what basket making with willow looks like. The course on Round work builds your foundation and the courses on oval and square work teach you how to create shapes other then round work in great detail.
Course 1 Round work:
In this course I teach 6 projects, increasing in difficulty and adding techniques as we go. The main aim is to build up fluency and confidence in foundational techniques like 3 and 4 rod wale, different ways of side weaving, a wide range of borders and different handles.
Projects: Simple round basket, Round shopping basket, small log basket, skibs (3 sizes), asymmetrical basket, belly basket. Extra techniques: rope coil, Irish weave, plaited border, zigzag weave.
Course 2 Oval work:
To make oval work the focus needs to change to shaping. I show 5 ways to make an oval base. Then 6 projects to practice those and get good at making the oval shape.
Projects: Oval shopping basket, Peg basket, frame base basket, fitched bag, picnic basket with lids, oval Catalan. Extra techniques: Oval tray and open form lampshade.
Course 3 Square work:
New course on how to make square bases, different ways to add uprights, make corners square and how to do square borders, stop and start borders and more.
Projects: Square garden trug, square shopping basket, storage basket.
Pricing
Round work
BECOMING A BASKET MAKER 1- You learn foundational weaving techniques like borders, different side weaves, handles and how to shape a basket.
Oval work
BECOMING A BASKET MAKER 2- You will learn four ways to construct an oval base, advanced weaving skills like scalloming, fitching and making lids.
Square work
BECOMING A BASKET MAKER 3- Square work techniques are shown. 3 ways to make square corners, square borders, stop and start border and different ways to attach uprights.
Payment plans
Round work
BECOMING A BASKET MAKER 1- You learn foundational weaving techniques like borders, different side weaves, handles and how to shape a basket.
Oval Work
BECOMING A BASKET MAKER 2- You will learn four ways to construct an oval base, advanced weaving skills like scalloming, fitching and making lids.
Square work
BECOMING A BASKET MAKER 3- Square work techniques are shown. 3 ways to make square corners, square borders, stop and start border and different ways to attach uprights.
What you get
Unlimited Access
Unlimited access to all video’s forever so you can go back and look at a certain technique over and over again.
Access to Me
Unlimited access to me as tutor through email and Facebook
Live Sessions
Monthly live Zoom sessions where you can ask questions and interact with me or where I will show extra information and techniques.
Private Facebook Groups
A private Facebook group only for participants in the course where you can share your work, interact with other participants, ask questions and lots more.
Worksheets
A printable worksheet with the ‘recipe’ for each project.
Work at Your Own Pace
You can work through the course at your own pace. There is no time limit. You can go as fast or as slow as you want.
No Overwhelm
No overwhelm. New techniques are added slowly with each project so you get time to practice them before moving on to the next one.
What You Will Need
Tools
Secateurs, measuring tape at least. Maybe a bodkin, wrapping iron, knife.
Willow
Material is not included in the course. You will either have access to your own grown willow (or friends, ditches,..!) or find your local supplier. (if this is an issue, please get in touch as I might be able to help you out with that. Also see list of suppliers at the bottom of this page).
A Place to Soak Your Willow
This can be a bath, stream, tub, pipes, watering trough for animals, a hole in the ground lined with plastic, …. (anything that will hold willow that is between 3 and 6ft (120cm-180cm) long for about a week at the time).
Time
Time to practice. Each project can take several hours (depending on each persons weaving stride) and will need to be repeated to gain full muscle memory knowledge.
Laptop/Tablet
A laptop/tablet with internet connection to watch the video’s on.
Are you struggling to find information on basket making?
Would you like to learn from your own home? At your own pace?
You have been feeling this for a while now….
It has been pulling you, nudging you, pushing you,….
And now you are here.
You want to learn how to make a basket.
You want to learn how to gather your materials,
how to sit down with them and let your hands touch the willow
you want to learn how to weave with confidence, assurance and style.
You want to sit and feel connected.
To your past, your ancestors who were also basket making
your ancestors who knew this craft, who mastered it.
You want to sit and feel connected to the natural world around you.
Use her plentiful harvest.
and use it to create objects of great beauty and use.
You came to the right place….
How much willow do I need?
Keep in mind that the amount of willow needed is an estimate. Length and thickness will vary according to your own supply. It is recommended to do each project at least 4 times (so multiply the amount by 4 to get at the total amount needed)
COURSE 1
- 3 ft/90 cm x 280 rods
- 4 ft/120 cm x 270 rods
- 5 ft/150 cm x 265 rods
- 6 ft/180 cm x 145 rods
- 7 ft/210 cm x 17 rods
COURSE 2
- 3 ft/90 cm x 325 rods
- 4 ft/120 cm x 410 rods
- 5 ft/150 cm x 135 rods
- 6-7ft/180-210 cm x 10 rods
Where To Get Willow For Cuttings (Planting) And Weaving
Most basket makers would have some willow growing or know someone who does. If you know a basket maker local to you ask for advice.
Ireland
Barry Noyce Tipperary, his number is 086 824 1393. He has a wide variety of willow varieties available and sells cuttings in the winter months.
Future forests in co. Cork have basket making willow varieties for sale as cuttings. They are not great at labelling and named varieties. Their website is here
The Organic Centre in Leitrim has some willow varieties for sale as cuttings. Their website is here
United Kingdom
Musgrove willow growers in Somerset, UK. https://www.musgrovewillows.co.uk/
Somerset Willow Growers UK http://www.willowgrowers.co.uk/
Coates English Willow, UK https://www.englishwillowbaskets.co.uk/
West Wales willows, Wales. http://westwaleswillows.co.uk/
Redstone Willows, Cheshire, http://redstonewillows.co.uk/
Blencogo Willow, Scotland: http://blencogowillow.com/
The willow bank, Gloucestershire, UK : https://www.thewillowbank.com/
World of willow, Dorset, UK: https://www.worldofwillow.co.uk/
Windrush willows near Exeter UK: https://windrushwillow.com/
France
L’osier de Guedrod, France: https://www.osierprod.com/
Belgium
De Vos. Belgium. http://devossalix.be/nl/ shipping all over Europe
Germany
Hans Ender, Germany: http://hans-ender.de/
Andreas Schardt KG, Germany: http://hans-ender.de/
USA
Living Willow Farm, Roseville, Ohio, USA: https://livingwillowfarm.com/
Dunbar Gardens, Washington, USA (for cuttings only): http://www.dunbargardens.com/
Vermont willow Nursery, Vermont, USA: https://vermontwillownursery.com/
Canada
The Branch Ranch, Warkworth, Ontario, Canada: https://thebranchranch.ca/ SHIPPING TO USA and they have willow available!
Lakeshore willows, Wainfleet, Ontario, Canada: http://www.lakeshorewillows.com/
Willow Wood Farm, 1459 Mt. Newton Cross Road, Saanichton, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada V8M 1S1
New Zealand
Go Willow, New Zealand: https://www.gowillow.co.nz