Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

More Spring Porch Papermaking – With Ivy Leaves

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We’ve lived on the Kitsap Peninsula for 45 years now. When we moved here from Seattle, this land on traditional Suquamish territory was zoned rural, and the timber company Pope, owned vast swathes of land where it clear-cut the timber, and replanted mostly mono-cultures of Douglas Fir. Over the years, Pope morphed into Olympic Resources, converting … [Read more...]

Here’s What’s Cooking – Porch Paper Making

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Hi Friends. I haven’t forgotten you are out there. In the midst of current affairs it is important to know there way more wonderful humans, like you, who are doing their best to be good citizens, good neighbors, good people, and to live creative and purposeful lives. Against the darkness of our political times, there are many examples of people … [Read more...]

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