Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

Lady Fern and Trillium

By

Lady Fern and Trillium

 

Just about the time I’m feeling that winter will never end, the green tops of bundled trillium leaves start pushing their way through the flakes of moist earth, pronouncing in three part harmony from one leaf to the next: Spring is here, spring is here, spring is here!  Days are getting longer! Warmth will come!

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.
Read More
Melinda West and basket, Indianola WA