Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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Hazelnut In Spring

June 3, 2022 By Melinda

I was invited to teach a Ribbed Basket Workshop this September at the Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network, or BARN. This is giving me the opportunity to slow down a minute and extrapolate some of the things I know about working with plants. Sometimes I take for granted what I’ve learned, because it’s what I do everyday, and it isn’t any more … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, Community, News, Plants and Places, Weaving from the Wild, Workshops Tagged With: BARN, BARN workshops, hazelnut, Hazelnut shoots, Ribbed Basket Con, ribbed construction, Ribbed Garden Basket, Ribbed Gift Basket

Food For Thought – No Reconciliation Can Come Without Truth

May 30, 2022 By Melinda

Native plants, like Thimbleberry, have been appreciated as a delicious food source in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Salmon Berries are starting to form in these woods. They are already ripe at the sunny edges of the forest and borders of wetlands. The blossoms of the Salal will soon become another favorite berry of the Coast … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Plants and Places, Resources

Weaving Project With Periscope Woodcraft

May 10, 2022 By Melinda

One of the most delightful experiences for me is being able to collaborate with other artists whom I admire. I had this fun opportunity last year with the team at Periscope Woodcraft:  Tony Dattilo • Brad Simpson • Jonah Anderson. Any project this team is involved in will be non-standard and quite amazing. Contact them at Periscope Beautiful … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, News Tagged With: Periscopt Woodcraft, wattle fencing

Food Along the Trail – Big Leaf Maple Flower Fritters

April 14, 2022 By Melinda

Clusters of Big Leaf Maple Flowers

During these past two weeks, the forest trail I often walk along has been getting lighter and lighter, not because it’s been sunny, but because one of the largest deciduous trees in this forest community is making it’s own light as it forms thousands of clusters of cream colored, inverted cup-like flowers. As days go by, pollen dusts the clusters … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, My Teachers, News, Resources Tagged With: Big Leaf Maple, Elise Krohn, Fritters, Gather, GRuB, Sable Bruce, Tend & Grow

Weaving Nature Workshop Fall 2022 at BARN

April 13, 2022 By Melinda

Harvest Basket

Hello - Are you still there? My blogs have been sparse these past several years. My explanation is simple. The late Upper Skagit Elder, Vi Hilbert, many times said that her elders told her: “If you’re talking, you’re not listening!” Let’s just say I’ve been doing my best to be listening, and reading, and listening, and reflecting, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, My Teachers, News, Upcoming, Weaving Nature, Workshops Tagged With: Appalachian Egg Basket, Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network, BARN, BARN workshops, branch work, gathering, Skagit elder Vi Hilbert, Weaving From The Wild, Weaving Nature

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Recent Posts

  • Hazelnut In Spring
  • Food For Thought – No Reconciliation Can Come Without Truth
  • Weaving Project With Periscope Woodcraft
  • Food Along the Trail – Big Leaf Maple Flower Fritters
  • Weaving Nature Workshop Fall 2022 at BARN

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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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