Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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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

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Recent Posts

  • Hazelnut In Spring
  • Food For Thought – No Reconciliation Can Come Without Truth
  • Weaving Project With Periscope Woodcraft
  • Food Along the Trail – Big Leaf Maple Flower Fritters
  • Weaving Nature Workshop Fall 2022 at BARN

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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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