I’m in the midst of making a new collection of baskets for a Basketry Showcase I’m taking part in for the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers on March 8th.

They are all made on hoops/frames with a Catalan style base. It’s been a complete joy to be able to use some of my home grown willow in the process.

These are the first four of hopefully eight. A variety of styles and weaves. 😊

A short video showing the process of making skeins. Slow but satisfying. The willow is cleaved into three pieces and each piece passed through a shave until it is the desired thickness. An upright shave is used to obtain the desired width.

This basket was made on a hoop, Catalan style. But I didn’t really plan it first, always an error. The stakes ended up a little too close which had an impact on the border.

The white willow I used was also a bit old and scrappy so the border has splits and kinks where I don’t want them. However I love my homegrown willow that I’ve used for weaving the sides and it’s always good to learn from your mistakes.

Having completed my own harvest this year I had some larger material that is suitable for hoop making. So this week I’ve made a variety of square and circular shapes for future baskets. They need to spend some weeks drying out naturally. A process which can be sped up near a source of heat.

From the off cuts I’ve made some fruit shaped platters. Just for fun 😊