Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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Coiled Cordage Pendant

February 20, 2014 By Melinda

Coiled Cordage Pendant

Learning to make cordage from the leaves and grasses at hand is fun for every age. Discovering a bit of ancient knowledge about how to appreciate and utilize the plants around us, transforms us into makers of make beautiful and useful objects. Here are some pictures of young people making coiled cordage pendants, but this workshop is fun for all … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Students, Weaving Nature, Workshops Tagged With: ancient, coiled technique, cordage, grasses, leaves, sewing, Small Plant Fiber Projects, universal

Weaving Rattles

June 5, 2012 By Melinda

Woven Rattle

  Make a joyful sound with a rhythm instrument you create yourself using a variety of Pacific Northwest materials, such as driftwood, inner bark, ivy and other vines, roots, grasses and leaves. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Weaving Nature, Workshops Tagged With: catered to age level, class, driftwood, ear anatomy, grasses, instrument, leaves, Music, NW plant materials, Physics of Sound, rattle, rhythm, Rhythms in Nature, sculptural, shaker, Small Plant Fiber Projects, vines, workshop

Weaving From the Garden – Wall

May 31, 2012 By Melinda

Ribbed Wall Baskets

  The Ribbed Wall Basket is one of my favorites.  It can be made in any size to serve special storage or display functions in the home.  These baskets bring the warmth and wonder of nature inside, and make perfect unique Northwest gifts.  Students learn to select and transform plant materials from Pacific Northwest landscapes and gardens … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Weaving from the Wild, Workshops Tagged With: branches, cordage-making, curing materials, decor, drying materials, function, gathering materials, grasses, inner cedar bark, leaves, mellowing materials, NW plant materials, preparing plant materials, ribbed, survey of materials, utility, vines, wall basket, Weaving From the Wild and Garden Landscapes

Weaving From the Garden – Harvest

May 29, 2012 By Melinda

Harvest Basket

  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...]

Filed Under: Weaving from the Wild, Workshops Tagged With: branches, class, decor, function, garden, grasses, inner cedar bark, leaves, ribbed, ribbed construction, students, utility, vines, Weaving From the Wild and Garden Landscapes, workshops

August 16, 2010 Harvesting Grasses and Leaves

August 16, 2010 By Melinda

<><><> </></></>grass fan   28"x20"x2"<><> </></> Summer has peaked in the Puget Sound area with temperatures in the 90's, clear skies, and gentle breezes from the North. This is the time my thoughts flow to the harvesting of foliage from the many long-leaved plants and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Plants and Places Tagged With: bulrush, cattail, common rush, corn husks, crocosmia, crocus, curing, daffodil, foliage, garlic leaves, grass-like materials, grasses, harvesting, leaves, mellowing, mixed grass paper, NW sweetgrass, onion leaves, papermaking, Siberian iris, spring, storage, summer, wall pieces, Yellow Flag Iris

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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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