Willow skeins, edges with double crossovers. Sides and the lid are of éclisses sur champ (ribbon like skeins woven flat and very tight) Welcome to our 2024 willow weaving programme. From January through to October 2024 we will be providing one, two and three day basketry workshops. This is the last year we will be offering sculpture workshops using metal frames. Leaves such as iris, crocosmia, daffodil, daylily, gladiolus, flax, cordyline are all suitable – cut them long and hang them up in bunches by the tip ends somewhere airy to dry.

Here in the UK we have the traditional use of a number of plants for basketmaking: willow rods; woods such as ash, oak, hazel, chestnut, which are split and woven; rush; grasses; roots; bark. Over time many of these plants have been cultivated and managed, to provide a reliable and steady supply of materials, resulting in coppiced woodland, rush bed management, osier beds. A traditional hen’s nest was used to provide free range hens with a comfortable place to lay their eggs. This reduced the chances of the hen going off and laying her eggs in a place of her own choosing.People with experience will be given the chance to refresh their knowledge, work on their own projects and, if wanted, try out more experimental work, perhaps using Rush with other materials.

Learn how to build a framework over a metal armature and weave using the interlace technique. Practice using willow effectively to build form and fluid surface textures. Advanced and intermediate students only. Please note: the underfoot base in both workshops requires students to work stood up in a 'touch your toes' position and then a kneeling position for some time. Please also note that the heavy rods used in these baskets make the courses unsuitable for those with weaker hands.Before the first frosts I forage horseradish in the lane by the river, for its long, creamy-white fibres, perfect for making cordage. Separating out the fibres, my fingers become damp and have a faint whiff of the fiery horseradish. In winter I visit the old clematis on the deeply-cut, chalky drovers’ road on the Downs, for its shedding bark, precious tinder for wild fire-making.

Rush seems to grow in few rivers in Britain now and I have been told that modern river management means that most beds have been cleared out rather than harvested. This keeps rivers flowing faster, perhaps faster than Mother Nature intended. Some people think that many of the problems we have with flooding are caused because we have done away with natural sponges like rush and moss which once mopped up surplus water. Thursday 13th and Friday 14th June. Decorative Trays with Kirk and Multi-Strand Weave Baskets with Sue By demonstrations, practical work, hand outs, looking at sample baskets and fellow students' work. Individual and group tuition. You will be encouraged to continue at home during the week as it will support your progress. Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring? Clothes are draped over the top and a pot of incense placed in the middle to fumigate them; a perfect dry cleaning process and the clothes must smell wonderful afterwards. Incense burner from neighbouring Salalah in Dohar.

Rush Basketry Workshops

We are delighted to once again be hosting professional basketmakers from UK and France, they are fabulous teachers and top quality craftspeople, it is a highlight of our job to welcome them to our workshop venue. Francois Desplanches, Benjamin Nauleau, Fabrice Serafino, Jenny Crisp, Clair Murphy, Peter Dibble and Nadine Anderson and Leather Craftsman Justin Capp. They all work with a glorious palette of sustainable materials and generously share their techniques and practice with students here at our venue. What a privilege! A great course for everyone interested in gardening and wild fibres or the cross over between textile and basketry. You should take home at least one basket. Weave two large structures each day using willow from the Somerset Levels and grown organically here in King's Cliffe. Learn how to select and prepare willow when making these structures. About the Artist.Rachel works in a variety of mediums and disciplines, focusing on the reproduction of historic and traditional crafts. She specialises in the making of traditionally felted hats and the weaving of baskets. Her work can be found in museums and private collections worldwide. In 2009 she received the Janet Arnold Award for costume study and has twice received the South of Scotland VACMA award for her hat business. She is a member of the Incorporation of hat makers and dyers in Edinburgh. These are lovely 'hands on and very tactile' courses using natural rush which is harvested by hand from the various special waterways of England such as the Fenns that are slow moving and perfect as a rush habitat. Each is carefully cut and gathered to bolts that are dried in the sunshine and air alongside hedges by the river. The process is an entirely natural one and there are no chemicals used in the rush harvesting process.