Nature in your hands.
It all started with one wonky basket. Okay, maybe a few dozen wonky baskets. Each one got a little better, and I learned a little more. Along the way, I started looking at the plants around me and asking the same question over and over: I wonder if I can weave with that?
Turns out, quite often, you can!
I'm Erin, the person behind Field & Forest Crafts. I'm a basket weaver, wild crafter, plant gatherer, and lifelong student of the natural world.
Gathering and working with plants has opened my heart to the seasons - to lean into the warming spring, celebrate the cool fall days, and even the rain.
There is a time and a place for gathering each plant. The seasons influence what's available, when it's ready, and how it can be used. I spend time finding, harvesting, and preparing materials, and I let those rhythms help guide me. They influence what I make and the workshops I offer.
Foraging can change the way you experience a familiar place. You begin to notice what's growing, what has changed, and what might be possible. A patch of plants becomes more than something you walk past; it becomes a place you know a little better.
I love that basketry and wild crafting give me a reason to slow down, stay curious, and build a relationship with the landscape around me.
It’s about so much more than baskets…
My journey into wild crafting has fostered a deeper connection with the world around me. A connection to place I never knew I was missing. When I create with a specific plant, I find myself thinking about where it grows, what makes it thrive, and how I can bring out it’s strength and beauty.
I work with all sorts of wonderful plant friends — cattails, daylilies, bulrush, willow, vines, barks, and many others. Each has its own strengths, quirks, and possibilities. Some are flexible, some are stubborn, and some surprise me entirely.
I love that working with natural materials asks me to pay attention, experiment, solve problems, and sometimes let go of the plan. Not everything works the way I expect. That's part of the fun.
And while I love the things we can make from these materials, the finished project is only part of the reward. There's also the satisfaction of learning a new skill, the pleasure of working with your hands, and the little moments of discovery along the way.
Working with the seasons
Come as you are - we'll learn together
But what about my workshops? All I ask if you bring your curiosity and a willingness to try something new. We'll learn how to handle the materials, develop skills one step at a time, and discover what happens when we work with the plants rather than against them.
My workshops are intentionally small so there's room for hands-on learning, questions, conversation, and experimentation. The skills you develop in one class can become the foundation for another, so there's always something new to explore.
I love watching people discover that they can do things they might never have imagined trying. And I love that there's always more for me to learn, too. Every plant, project, and season offers another opportunity to experiment and see things differently.
For me, this is a journey, not a destination. The things we make matter, but so does everything that happens while we're making them.
With gratitude
Basketry and wild crafting can be both useful and beautiful, and it connects us to generations of makers who have worked with the materials their landscapes offered them. I'm grateful to the teachers, weavers, and generous knowledge-sharers who have helped me learn and continue to inspire me.
I'm still asking questions, trying new things, and making the occasional wonky basket. I hope I never stop.
I'd love for you to join me in exploring what the plants around us have to offer.
p.s. Ready to begin? Explore upcoming workshops and find a place to start.
Check out my appearance on Jason Suhr’s Captured Curiosity podcast. https://www.youtube.com/@JasonSurh/videos
Member of:
Gratitude to my teachers and knowledge sharers:
Judy Zugish, Maureen Walrath, Jake Hartner, Mark Hendry, Maria Bullock, Carol Horvath, Steve Lospalluto, Sia Aronica, M.M., Barbara Osborne, Vicky Nickelson, Marilyn Moore, Beth Homa Kraus, Lloyd Barkley, and many, many great makers who authored my favorite weaving books.
