Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

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The Launch of the Valkyrie – Anacortes, Washington, US

May 10, 2024 By Melinda

In March, this elegant vessel was launched, after over a decade in the crafting. Our eldest son, Spencer West, has been involved for many years, along side expert boat builder Jay Smith, and other experience carvers and crafts-women and men. His whole family has been involved. It was an awe-inspiring day to watch as the ship was birthed out of the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Artwork, Community, News, Plants and Places, Resources, Upcoming Tagged With: Poulsbo, Seattle, Spencer, Valkyrie, Viking vessel

Weaving With Invasives

May 25, 2015 By Melinda

I’ll be teaching a free workshop in Seattle this Friday. Registration is required.<img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-3471" src="https://www.melindawest.com/mwwp/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/image27-545x674.jpg" alt="image" width="545" height="674" … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Weaving from the Wild, Workshops Tagged With: English ivy, ethnobotany, ivy, Seattle, Small Plant Fiber Projects, UW campus, UW Society of Ethnobiology, Weaving with invasives

Salmon Return Festival Sept 7, 2013

August 30, 2013 By Melinda

Gathering Cattails at Suquamish Basket Marsh

For more information:  https://www.seattleartmuseum.org/calendar/eventDetail.asp?eventID=26281 I hope you can come to the upcming Salmon Return Festival, a Fall-FamilyFriendly-Free-Fun-Festival at Olympic Sculpture Park in Seattle Washington, Saturday September 7, 2013, from 10 to 3 pm. Amoung many other fun free things to do and see at this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Students, Weaving Nature, Workshops Tagged With: cattail, drop-in art project, Fall, Family programs, Olympic Sculpture Park, Pacific Rim Peoples, Seattle, Seattle Art Museum, weaving, weaving cattail Salmon

The Odyssey Program 1st and 2nd Grades

June 19, 2012 By Melinda

Camp Indianola, 5-7-12

This May I was happy to be invited to teach an ethnobotany lesson to Peggy Koivu's 1st and 2nd graders in the Odyssey Program, from the Bainbridge Island School District, at Camp Indianola, in Indianola, Washington. Here is one group of students making 'nature beads' out of 1" lengths of Red Osier Dogwood and Swamp Willow twigs, that were … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Students, Weaving Nature, Workshops Tagged With: 1st and 2nd graders, Bainbridge Arts Education Community Consortium, Bainbridge Island, Camp Indianola, clam shell rattle, class, Environmental Science, Michelle Berg, North Kitsap Odyssey Students, Peggy Koivu, Seattle, Small Plant Fiber Projects, spring, students, teaching, The Basketry School, workshhop

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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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