Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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Cedar Pouch Class at BARN – June 2017 Recap

July 14, 2017 By Melinda

Folded Cedar Bark Baskets by Melinda West

This June, the Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network opened the doors to eleven artisans studios, with several common spaces for programs and intermingling. Located on Bainbridge Island, Washington, this center for artisans has been a dream in the making for many years. Not everyone is fortunate to have a studio space. Many of us have spent periods … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, News, Resources, Students, Weaving with Cedar, Workshops Tagged With: Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network, BARN, BARN workshops, Berry Pouch, Cedar Pouch, community, Island Wood, students

Basketry Workshops At Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network

June 25, 2017 By Melinda

Artist Sue Skelly

June has flown by, and with it, many wonderful experiences. One being that the Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network, or BARN, has opened the doors to a beautiful new building on Bainbridge Island, a place of community and learning for makers of many disciplines.  Programs for all eleven studios are up and running, with a huge outpouring of response … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Community, News, Upcoming, Weaving with Cedar, Workshops Tagged With: Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network, BARN, Basketry Programs, Berry Pouch, Cedar Tree To Pouch, Cedar weaving, Ed Carriere, fiber art, Garden Spire, Nancy Sigo, Sue Skelly, Suquamish elder, Suquamish Weaver, Woven Cedar Works

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Recent Posts

  • Porch Papermaking With Food Plants – Cardoon and Kale
  • Paper from the Ditch – Weathered Reed Canary Grass
  • Late Winter Papermaking – Mixing Siberian Iris Leaves and Lichens
  • More Spring Porch Papermaking – With Ivy Leaves
  • Here’s What’s Cooking – Porch Paper Making

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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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Melinda West and basket, Indianola WA

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