Melinda West | West Gardens Basketry

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

Weaving Summer

By

herbs and Flowers for class

4 baskets of same pattern, but different materials

If summer could be woven into a basket, this past Saturday’s “Wild Twined Herb and Flower Basket” class at the Rolling BARN is it! The Rolling BARN is the interim location for the Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network, or BARN, http://bainbridgebarn.org

We had a creative day in a really nice space that the volunteer members of BARN have been working hard to get up and ready for use. Thanks to BARN and to all the students who came!

some students with their baskets

wild Twined Herb and Flower Baskets in progress

Nice work area at BARN

Twining up the sides with ivy

finished

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.
Read More
Melinda West and basket, Indianola WA