Hello – Are you still there? My blogs have been sparse these past several years. My explanation is simple. The late Upper Skagit Elder, Vi Hilbert, many times said that her elders told her: “If you’re talking, you’re not listening!” Let’s just say I’ve been doing my best to be listening, and reading, and listening, and reflecting, and listening.
I thought my workshop teaching days were over, but some dedicated volunteers from the Fiber Art Studio at Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network (BARN), have drawn me out again to share some plant gathering, preparation, storage and use tips gleaned from the decades I’ve been practicing this art form. This September, over two consecutive Saturdays, rather than me providing students with the many materials I’ve gathered – Students will be invited to a place where they can gather a sampling of materials in the morning, then travel to the beautiful Fiber Art Studio at BARN to prepare all of the parts for weaving a Small Ribbed Gift Basket, to be constructed one week later.
This basket is a variation of one made in the first Basketry class I ever took in 1985, which was an Appalachian Egg Basket made using dyed rattan. The class was offered by Gwen Baughman through the North Kitsap Parks Department. It was so much fun to make and Gwen was an excellent teacher. Gwen, along with another dear friend, Karen Mittet and me, became our own ‘wild gathering research group’ endearingly referring to ourselves as “The Three Basketeers”. The ribbed construction style I learned long ago from Gwen, traveled to Appalachia along with colonists and settlers from Europe where it is a traditional type of basketry construction. Ribbed baskets became one of my favorite types of functional baskets for use in our garden. The smaller versions make a perfect gift. Here is a link to more information and registration:
