Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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Cedars Become Teachers

June 5, 2015 By Melinda

I want to thank Leslie Newman and Tim Celeski for sharing three young Western Red Cedar trees with me so I can share the wonderful attributes of this tree tomorrow with some extra special students at Bainbridge Artisans Resource Networks' interim space, in Rolling Bay Washington.  I especially want to thank my sweetheart and right-hand man, Paul … [Read more...]

Filed Under: My Teachers, Weaving with Cedar, Workshops Tagged With: BARN, berry picking, cedar, Cedar From Tree To Pouch, Folded Bark Pouches, Leslie Newman, teacher, Tim Celeski, WeavBainbridge Artisan Resource Network, Weaving With Western Red Cedar

Weaving Summer

July 22, 2014 By Melinda

some students with their baskets

If summer could be woven into a basket, this past Saturday's "Wild Twined Herb and Flower Basket" class at the Rolling BARN is it! The Rolling BARN is the interim location for the Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network, or BARN, http://bainbridgebarn.org We had a creative day in a really nice space that the volunteer members of BARN have been … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Students, Weaving from the Wild, Workshops Tagged With: Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network, BARN, cedar, class, English ivy, herbs, ivy, Small Plant Fiber Projects, students, summer, twined, Wild Twined Herb and Flower Basket, workshop

Artistic Cedar Weavers at North Cascades Institute

September 27, 2011 By Melinda

Artistic Cedar Weaving 8-11 at NCI

This summer I had the privilege of spending four days on Lake Diablo, in the North Cascade Mountains of Washington State.  But I certainly wasn’t roughing it.  I got to stay in a beautiful lodge, and eat wonderful, fresh, organic food, artfully prepared.  The best part of my experience was being able to share time with the amazing group of students … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artistic Uses of Plant Fibers, Students, Workshops Tagged With: cedar, class, First Peoples, inspire, Lake Diablo, native plants, North Cascades, North Cascades Institute, North Cascades Mountain Range, organic foods, retreat, students, Weaving With Western Red Cedar, Western red cedar, workshop

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Recent Posts

  • Bare Bones Abstracts
  • A Space to Work and Meet
  • Cedar Bark – Useful and Beautiful
  • October 2020 London Craft Week at J&M Davidson
  • Land Acknowledgement 2020

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About Melinda

Thirty 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. The experience of weaving with the materials at hand while being together with my sons on a beautiful Pacific Northwest shoreline, kindled a passion for creating art from natural plant materials. 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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