Willow Basketry Beginners Course

Join master basket weaver Anna Liebmann for two fun and sociable days of willow basketry and create an oval willow trug basket that will be ideal for foraging and gathering. We’ll start with a dried hoop onto which you’ll attach wooden ribs to create a basket or tray form, using soaked flexible willow. We’ll build up our baskets using successive weaving, adding and shaping of more ribs to create the right shape.

Choose whether to add one central handle or two side handles to create the basket of your choice. Select from the warm and varied hues of willow provided to create banded patterns within your weaving. The frame basketry technique is a vernacular style, a great heritage skill that we are proud to continue.

If you complete your oval trug you’ll be free to explore further small projects which will hopefully inspire you to make ethical and regenerative decorations and meaningful gifts. Anna will bring a variety of samples such as nut baskets, decorative stars and bird feeders, to inspire your creative weaving.

Once you’ve mastered the basic principals in this beginners willow weaving workshop you’ll be equipped to tackle making baskets under your own steam. We will be working with specially grown basketry willow but Anna will pass on a wealth of valuable information about other suitable plants, and where to find them. If you have any flexible material you would like to incorporate into your basket please feel free to bring them along to week one and we’ll work on incorporating them into your basket. One year old pruning of most woods should be suitable, dog wood is a big favourite.