Learn some basics of Willow Basketry in a 2-day workshop with Bozena out of Minneapolis. Make your own foraging or harvest basket to take home, alongside new skills to make more!
Please plan to be present for both sessions: Saturday Nov 16 from 9-5 and Sunday Nov 17 from 9-5, at the North Shore AgroEcology Center barn.
Skill level: hand dexterity, patience, creativity are important skills for this work. Adults welcome to register, mature 16+ with some hand skills welcome to register.
“I will be teaching european stake and strand willow basketry. This method is centuries old, shoutout to basketmakers of all time. The goal this weekend is to equip you with the knowledge to weave a basket, and another and another. I want to leave you with the skills to develop a practice of your own as desired, so class will include discussions around willow harvest, materials, and tools as a group (we also know a few songs about willows…).
We are going to be working with a fairly simple basket in mind, building up from a d ring base, also called a creel! (There may also be space to start another basket during our time together!) Weaving is a dextrous practice- having solid hand strength is part of this. We will take stretch breaks, and always feel free to take your own. If you’ve woven willow before and want to work on a specific skill let me know and I will see what we can do to accommodate that!
I will provide all tools and materials, however, if you have any of the following, you should bring them!
We will plan to take lunch breaks altogether, and encourage you to take breaks as you need as well. Plan to bring lunch and snacks- your weaving will be better when you snack as needed!”
Email 406schhb@protonmail.com with any questions as class time approaches.
This is a free class made possible by the Finland Food Chain, North Shore AgroEcology Center, and a generous grant from the Laura Jane Musser Foundation. Please RSVP here to reserve your spot; class capacity capped at 8 students.
Class capacity is capped at 8 students. If you sign up and can no longer attend, please email farmmanager@organicconsumers.org to free up your spot so another person can join.