Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

Growing, gathering, and weaving with plant fibers from the Pacific Northwest

Audrey Armstrong Inspires by Teaching Salmon Skin Sewing

By

https://salmonlife.org/archived/stories/salmon-sewing/

Story & Photography by Bethany Goodrich, 2009

Bethany Goodrich is a multimedia storyteller living, loving and working in Southeast Alaska. She has worked around the globe, from Antarctica to Ghana, exploring how thoughtful story sharing can positively impact our communities, ecosystems and world.

Sewing (and Sharing) with Salmon

 

About Melinda

Forty years ago, while sitting on the beach playing with my young children, I made my first basket out of a pile of willow trimmings someone had tossed there. It looked wildly made like a crazy bird’s nest. While being together with my two sons on a beautiful Pacific Northwest shoreline, this simple experience of crafting with the natural materials at hand kindled a passion for creating forms using plant fibers. I thank my family, my community, and all my teachers for cultivating this gift in me.
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Melinda West and basket, Indianola WA