One Day Workshops
10 – 4.30pm £70 per course
Venue : The Natural Basketry Studio, Ditchling. Suitable for beginners and improvers . To make a booking first submit your booking form via the book here link. Then make your payment using your bank card, credit card or Paypal account by clicking on the Paypal link at the bottom of the page. Other payment options available on request.
Thursday 9th April 2020
Weaving with Rush and Willow Bark
Using home grown and hand stripped willow and beautiful English rush from the River Thames, we will learn how to make small/medium round and rectangular baskets using twining and checkweave basketry techniques. Improvers can experiment by adding space twining, twill weave and/or a foot trac border to the basket.
Thursday 5th March 2020
Catalan Willow Platters and Trays
Learn how to make Catalan style platters and trays using some of our native willow varieties and home grown dogwood (cornus). A useful and stylish addition to any home, Catalan platters are relatively easy to make once a few core principles have been learnt as there is little weaving involved. Improvers with weaving experience will learn how a Catalan base can be used to make functional baskets and sculptural forms.
Saturday 7th March 2020
Make a Willow Basket in a Day
Starting with a Catalan base on ready made hoops, learn to make a robust round or oval base basket from natural willow. Students must know how to make a Catalan platter before booking for this course. This course can be booked along with the platter course to make a two day course so students can progress from a platter to a basket over the above two days.
Thursday 9th July 2020
Strung Out – making cordage and string from common garden materials
On this course you will learn to make fabulous coloured and textured cordage from common garden plants. We will cover identifying suitable plants for cordage , how to prepare them for making string , introduce two cordage making techniques and briefly explore how hand made cordage can be used in basketry and other craft disciplines. Making your own string is very rewarding and can be addictive, so be warned! Basketry techniques briefly covered will include looping and making functional and decorative knots.
Julie Rignell Basketmaker 