Join a very special one-of-a-kind workshop for a start to finish experience. Learn to weaving with native trailing blackberry and make a ribbed hen basket! *You must be able to attend BOTH sessions.
*****HARVEST*****
Sunday, February 8th from 10am - Noon(ish)
Come learn how to harvest and strip native trailing blackberry vines for weaving. The harvest location is about 10 minutes NE of downtown Issaquah on private property. I’m happy to carpool from NE Seattle if that helps with accessibility for anyone interested. Harvest will happen rain or shine!
*****WEAVE*****
Sunday, March 15th from 9am to 5pm(ish)
Weave a basket with the vines we collected! We will weave together at my NE Seattle classroom.
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Why so much time in between sessions? Most basketry materials are not woven fresh. It is dried first and then rehydrated just enough to be woven. If we wove with our freshly harvested vines, they would shrink and our finished baskets would be loose and wobbly. By waiting a few weeks for the vines to dry we can weave a much tighter basket.
Do I need to attend both sessions? Yep - you are harvesting vines for YOUR BASKET! You will need to harvest 50-60 vines that are at least 5 ft long and unbranching. Each vine will be rolled/bundled by you and then dried at my classroom.
Ah, how do you get the spines/thorns off? You will need a sturdy pair of gloves (you provide) and a thick piece of denim (I provide) to strip the spines/thorns. I wear standard garden gloves but I do end up with some spines in my hands - tough leather gloves would be ideal.
Is it physically challenging? Depends on your definition but there will be a fair amount of bending and pulling and getting scratched. Wearing the right clothes will help with the scratches - denim pants and a long sleaved shirt or jacket helps a lot. DO NOT WEAR CLOTHING THAT SNAGS EASILY!
This workshop is a great introduction to the ribbed basketry and working with trailing blackberry. I find that trailing blackberry can take the place of willow weavers in most projects and is MUCH easier to work with.
Class size max: 6 students (minimum 4 students)
Minimum age: 18
PRICING - This is a special workshop in that I’m not personally harvesting every vine like I normally do - thank goodness! So that means that you take on some of the cost associated with gathering the materials. I am offering guidance at the harvest but your hard work will cover much of the materials cost.
WORKSHOP PRICE: $220 - $60 harvest credit = $160 pp (includes harvest event, full day of weaving instruction, pre-made willow hoops, and tools)
Class registration is NON-REFUNDABLE. However, if you want to sell or give your spot to a friend, I’m happy to welcome someone else in your place. Due to the nature of the projects (materials/soaking, etc) and the small class sizes, I’m unable to support refunds or credits.