Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

Weaving From the Garden – Potato

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  The Potato Basket, refers to this ribbed-style basket in the largest size, but this style can be adapted to any size and renamed as you like.   In a medium size this makes a great bread serving basket.  Students will learn how to select and transform plant materials from Pacific Northwest landscapes and gardens into beautiful and … [Read more...]

Weaving From the Garden – Harvest

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  This Harvest Basket is a Pacific Northwest version of a traditional ribbed gathering basket. In our little organic garden, I'm still using one of the first Harvest Baskets I made over 25 years ago, on a daily basis. I've refurbished it once, and it will likely last another 25 years. In this class students learn how to select and transform … [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