Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

  • About
    • Art Resume
    • Artist Statement – Land Acknowledgement
    • Teaching, Exhibits, Projects
  • Galleries
    • Functional Ribbed Work
    • Wall Pieces
    • Woven and Folded Bark
    • Sculptural Blends
    • Community
  • Workshops
  • Weaving Knowledge
    • Workshops
    • My Teachers
    • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact

The Cedar Experience

May 22, 2012 By Leslie

Woven Cedar Mat Necklace

Participants learn to make either a:  Woven Cedar Mat Necklace, (as you see pictured below at IslandWood), a Woven Cedar Wall Hanging, or a Small Cedar Bark Basket.     The Cedar Experience is a class designed to give learners of any age the opportunity to experience the gifts of Western Red Cedar through the hands, heart, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Weaving with Cedar, Workshops Tagged With: Cedar life cycle, Cedar Satchel, culturally sagnificent tree, NW sweetgrass, preparation of inner cedar bark, replanting cedar trees, Schoenoplectus pungent palla, Small Cedar Bark Basket, Small Cedar Projects, Weaving With Western Red Cedar, Woven Cedar Wall Basket. "Long Life Maker"

Western Red Cedar

April 12, 2012 By Melinda

Gifts of the Pacific Northwest Forests

The forest is a special place, and each plant has it's own story. Once tall, thick forests covered the land surrounding the Salish Sea, or Puget Sound, region. Since about five-thousand years ago, among these tall conifers, there is a pollen record of the existence of the Western Red Cedar.  This slow-growing, water and shade-loving plant, became … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Plants and Places Tagged With: baskets, canoes, clothing, culturally sagnificent tree, First Peoples, forest, Long Life Maker, sap rising, shelter, spring, Western red cedar, Wild Rose

Search the site

Subscribe

Subscribe to my blog
and get updates by email.

Blog Categories

Connect with Melinda

  • Facebook
  • Instagram

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

Popular Blog Topics

art Art in the Woods Studio Tour Artistic Weaving With Western Red Cedar Bainbridge Artisan Resource Network Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network BARN BARN workshops baskets cedar bark Cedar From Tree To Pouch Clam Basket A Story By Ed Carriere class community creative Cultural Arts Foundation NW design early spring Ed Carriere English ivy Fall First Peoples grasses inner cedar bark IslandWood ivy Katie Jennings leaves new work North Cascades Institute NW sweetgrass Pacific Northwest Small Plant Fiber Projects Spencer West spring students summer Suquamish Sydni Sterling Studio teaching vines weaving Weaving With Western Red Cedar Western red cedar winter workshop

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.
Read More
Melinda West and basket, Indianola WA

Copyright © 2021 Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry | Indianola | Washington | USA

Site by LND