Edmonds Arts Festival

Posted on June 14, 2010 by Steve@DunbarGardens

Katherine will be participating in the Edmonds Arts Festival this weekend June 18-20. One of our area’s largest and best street fairs, it showcases the work of nearly 240 juried artists as well as a wide range of musical entertainment, a wine bar and bistro, and kid’s activities. There are two areas for artists – the field and the plaza. Katherine will be in the plaza in the “traditional arts” area. You can find her spot on the festival map at space P5. She is hoping to have enough “elbow room” to be able to work on some weaving while there. Show and tell is one of the things that Katherine does best when she is at a show. (And hopefully keeps her from going crazy being away from the weaving room at home for three very long days!)

Katherine has been working hard the past couple of weeks to have a nice selection of work for the show. Expect to find these small colorful baskets as well as her usual display of willow garden baskets, shoppers, laundry baskets, wine baskets, and trays.

You can see a full list of the artists here. Hope to see you in Edmonds.

Tidal Twinings 2010 brochure

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Steve@DunbarGardens

The Tidal Twinings 2010 Fall Basketry Retreat brochure came in the mail this past week. There is a photo of Katherine’s zig-zag weave shopper class from the 2009 retreat on the cover. This annual event is sponsored by the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild and happens in a nice ocean front location in Rockaway Beach, Oregon. Katherine has been invited to teach two classes this year.

The first one is a willow bicycle basket on the Thursday and Friday. This basket is for the front handle bars of a bike. It’s designed with quick release attach straps. There will be some choice on the side weaves to personalize your basket.

The second class on Saturday is a small berry picking basket. This project is a great beginning willow basket.

There is a nice group of teachers scheduled for this event with a diverse selection of weaving projects. Teachers include Donna Kallner, Kathey Ervin, Lanny Bergner, Deb Curtis, Sheila Tasker, Margaret Mathewson, Kay Harradine, and more. Eventually the registration form will be posted on the CBBG website, but you can get more info from Marge Meyer by email: marjoriemeyer54(at)yahoo.com.

May newsletter

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Steve@DunbarGardens

News from Dunbar Gardens May 2010

Willow Basketry Classes & Upcoming Events

News

There is an article about Katherine Lewis, Willow Basketmaker in the latest issue of “Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot”- the quarterly journal of Handweavers Guild of America. The article was written by Sandra Swarbrick who lives nearby on Camano Island and has a long involvement with the HGA. Nice article describing Katherine’s background with basketry, willow, and her teachers.

Katherine is serving as President of the Board for the Northwest Basket Weavers Guild for the coming year.

Upcoming Events

Edmonds Arts Festival: June 18-20, popular festival featuring 240 juried artist exhibitors, music, performing arts, children’s activities, wine bar and bistro in downtown Edmonds on Fathers’ Day weekend. Katherine will be selling her baskets in the Plaza area for traditional arts and crafts.

Anacortes Arts Festival Arts at the Port Juried Exhibition: August 6-8, Opening reception July 30, 5:30-8pm. Exhibition entitled “Next” juried by Esther Luttikhuizen showing a diverse mix of work in fine crafts, painting, sculpture, and photography. Katherine is excited to have four pieces selected for the show.

Looking ahead: Exploring Baskets: A juried show and sale of work by members of the Northwest Basket Weavers Guild: December 3- January 29, 2010 at the Depot Arts Center, Anacortes, WA. Katherine is involved in organizing this show and expects an outstanding and diverse exhibit.

Willow Basketmaking Classes with Katherine Lewis

Classes are two days, from 9am to 5pm. Everyone will leave with a finished basket. Class size is limited to 10. Cost is $170 per student which includes materials. Tools will be available to use during the class; and awls, French curved blade knives and locally made rapping irons will be available for purchase. We provide tea and coffee.
There is a registration form on the website. Or you can send us your contact info (name, address, email, telephone) along with a $50 deposit per class session. Last minute sign ups should email baskets@dunbargardens.com for availability. These classes are all in the Mount Vernon area at Dunbar Gardens or just down the road from us at the McLean Road Fire Hall meeting room.

June 26-27 (Saturday-Sunday): Gathering basket, round or oval laundry basket

Depending on each student’s experience, you can make a round gathering or a laundry basket. The gathering basket starts with a round base made by twining, a sturdy base wale around the sides, English randing for the side weave, and a strong cross handle to complete the basket. The round laundry basket is larger than the gathering basket, taking more hand strength and more time to weave the sides. It begins with the same twined base and base wale; then students may choose between different side weaves. The laundry basket is completed with two roped side handles. More experienced willow weavers can make an oval laundry or log basket that is also finished with roped handles.

July 13-16: four day in-depth class

This class session is currently filled. Katherine appreciates the positive response for the longer session and will be planning another one in the future.

August 16-17 (Monday-Tuesday): Scallomed projects

This class provides baskets at all weaving levels. We will weave the base on a hoop frame, and scallom on the stakes. The oval shopper is the simplest of the shapes, great for beginners. The magazine basket is a skinny long oval basket with a lengthwise handle, making it great for magazines or books next to your favorite chair. The square basket is great for shopping, and is a chance for those with previous willow experience to learn square shaping and square border corners. Students can choose from a selection of side weaves. Experience with willow is helpful, and comfort using a knife is essential for this class.

Classes at other locations

May 20-23: Willow basketmaking presentation and class in Portland, Oregon for Columbia Basin Basketry Guild members. Katherine is looking forward to her trip to Portland. She will be giving a presentation to the CBBG on her passion for willow basketry at the regular meeting of the CBBG on the evening of May 20. She will teach a two day class weaving an oval laundry or garden basket May 22-23. Sign up for the class is through the CBBG and Carol Horvath (email: carolhorvath8@gmail.com).

October 21-23: Tidal Twinings, Columbia Basin Basketry Guild Fall Retreat in Rockaway Beach, Oregon. Katherine will be teaching two classes at the CBBG retreat this year. Willow bicycle basket on Thursday & Friday and a Berry picking basket on Saturday. You can be a member of either the CBBG or the Northwest Basket Weavers Guild to attend this fun event. See their website for details and contact info.

Facebook: Dunbar Gardens has a Facebook page. If you are a Facebook user, become a follower and keep up to date with our activities there. We also invite you to contribute by posting comments, your photos from one of our classes, starting discussions related to willow basketry or willow growing.

For more information about classes, baskets, willow growing, or our farmstand please visit our website.

Thanks!

Katherine & Steve

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Steve@DunbarGardens

April brings us the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival. I photographed these beautiful Golden Apeldoorn tulips just around the corner from Dunbar Gardens. This field is located next to McLean Road and has been designated Field 26 on the Roozengaarde “bloom map“. Washington Bulb Company is the largest bulb grower in the US and these tulips are part of their farm production. They have this bloom map on their website that you can check to see the locations of the fields, whether they are in bloom, and which bulb varieties are growing there. This lovely field has Golden Apeldoorn and Elite tulips just beginning to bloom, so it should be a traffic stopper the next couple of weeks.

This year above average temperatures have the tulips blooming on the early side. The tulip festival is designated as the month of April, but visitors have already started coming and the early part of the month will be the best part of the”show”. Yesterday we were treated to these impressive clouds over the valley as well. (Click on photo for larger view.)

The tulip fields have packed soil roads that are used by the farm equipment and workers. As long as you stay on these wide paths you can go into the fields and take a few photos. I like to ride the bike down the road and into the field with my camera. There is a local business Tulip Country Bike Tours that offers bike tours of the flower fields, display gardens, and refreshments and is customized to the weather and field bloom as well as the preference of the group. They usually ride past Dunbar Gardens on their way back to the home base. It’s enjoyable to meet the variety of people from many places who stop in on one of the bike tours. The smiles on their faces are recommendation enough for taking a bike tour instead of hassling with a car on our country roads.

Hopefully when you visit the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival you might run across one of our signs pointing the way to another roadside attraction! We don’t offer any frills or thrills, but we have this nice selection of willow baskets to check out.

Our small farm is admittedly pretty rustic, and I think many visitors that wander down our driveway are surprised at the quality of the willow baskets that they find in our barn. There are few willow basketmakers around let alone one as accomplished as Katherine Lewis. It is enjoyable to explain how we grow the basketry willows, and show folks the freshly harvested bundles.

Of course, our baskets are available any time of year. We don’t mind if the tulips are the headline act for Spring visitors to our beautiful valley. We figure they will be back to get a taste of the wonderful fruits and vegetables also grown in the valley, take in the Festival of Family Farms in October, or maybe a visit to nearby La Conner to take in the Museum of Northwest Art and eat at our favorite Skagit restaurant Nell Thorn. Stop by, we’re around!

MoNA Style 2010

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Steve@DunbarGardens

Katherine sets up her display at MoNA Style

Katherine just participated in MoNA Style 2010. The Museum of Northwest Art in La Conner, WA hosts an annual wearable art show and sale featuring clothing, jewelry, and items for the home. This year’s event featured forty Northwest artists as well as a cafe and fashion shows at local restaurants. The event is one of the fundraisers for the museum each year. This year’s silent auction theme was “Lingerie”. There was a variety of work in ceramics, fiber, metal, and painting. At the end of last year’s show the theme was announced and Katherine decided to create a piece.

Katherine’s goal was to make the piece only with willow, which she did except the small amount of thread used in sewing the skirt. There are several different willows used with the natural colors of green, red, and orange. The skirt is made from willow bark which was cut into strips and sewn to a bark waist band which is attached to the top with bark also. The corset part has bark strips to tie it together in the back. The front uses a colorful zig zag weave while the sides were woven with a fitching technique for an open look. The photo above of Katherine with her work was taken by friend and ceramist Dinah Steveni. Below is a slide show of images of the work from several sides and details taken by Steve.

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Mom and Pop business

Posted on February 12, 2010 by Steve@DunbarGardens

“We found your website while looking for some willow baskets for a display. We were hoping that you might be interested in bidding on our project.Please let us know as promptly as possible if you are interested” read the email that we received on a Friday afternoon. On Monday Katherine sent back a list of questions and arranged to speak by telephone that afternoon. That’s when the project coordinator told Katherine, “My boss said, ‘This is just a mom and pop business. They’re not going to get back to you.’” But Ann had responded, “Sure they will, this is how they make their living.” Mom & Pop on the internet selling their wares and services have to be ready to respond to potential jobs, especially in the current economy.

Spaeth Designs in New York City has built a reputation on window displays. They are known for the animatronic windows that they produce for stores like Saks Fifth Ave and NBC in NYC and Marshall Fields in Chicago. They also do special events and promotions. The job they contacted Katherine about is one involving some hot air balloons. They needed a basketmaker to make replicas of four balloon baskets of different sizes. They had some drawings done but not really the details.

On Tuesday, Katherine soaked up some willow and went about weaving a sample basket. Later in the day, she told me that we needed to get some photos done and emailed by the end of the day. The Spaeth crew was meeting with their client the next morning and needed photos of the sample and a price quote before the meeting. So I got out the camera and opened up the Photoshop while Katherine worked the bid. Wednesday afternoon we heard the boss was surprised we managed to get the sample photos sent, but also that the project is over budget. So they aren’t sure what is going to be kept in the final display. “We’ll let you know by the middle of next week at the latest.” Ironically, we are still waiting for a reply at week’s end. Must be their client’s fault. You know those big retailers never get back to you on time.

Post script: To save cost they decided to make solid boxes with “a covering of some sort”. They did say, “We want to thank you for being right and ready to hop on the project at a moments notice…” Maybe a future project will come our way.

National Basketry Organization

Posted on February 3, 2010 by Steve@DunbarGardens

Have you checked out the NBO’s website? The organization has a new look after celebrating ten years as a non-profit promoting basketry. The website has been updated and one of the features is an extensive calendar of events. Susi Nuss of Basketmakers.com is a new board member of the NBO and she has been bringing her extensive internet networking to work on the events listing. The group states its mission as promoting the art, skill, heritage, and education of traditional and contemporary basketry. Members receive the quarterly newsletter which always profiles artisans working in basketry. Katherine recently renewed her membership. But anyone can visit the website and keep up to date on workshops, conferences and basketry events across the country; as well as enjoy the gallery of basket photos.

Saint Brigid’s cross

Posted on February 1, 2010 by Steve@DunbarGardens

February 1 is celebrated as Saint Brigid’s Day in Ireland. It is also the Celtic celebration of Imbolc, the midway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Some people consider it the beginning of spring. Like many holidays, the Pagan and Christian myths have mixed over the years. Brigid was a goddess of the Pagans who considered her the goddess of healing, inspiration, and craftsmanship. It is said that Saint Brigid was named after her. Brigid of Kildare became one of Ireland’s patron saints.

There is a legend that she made a cross from rushes she found on the ground to convert a dying man to Christianity. Some say that the cross represents the cycles of nature, and was a way for the Celts to keep the traditions of their ancestors alive while being forced to convert to the new religion. Regardless of the truth, these Saint Brigid’s crosses woven from rushes or straw became a popular symbol in homes. Each year on February 1, people would weave a new cross to hang in their house above the door or in the rafters to protect the home from fire and disease. The ritual also involved burning the previous year’s cross.

Katherine made the Saint Brigid’s cross in the photo for our house today with some small willow pieces. I found a youtube video of an Irish woman demonstrating how to make one from rushes here.

seed catalogs

Posted on January 31, 2010 by Steve@DunbarGardens

It’s the end of January and I should be ordering seeds for the garden. I have a pile of catalogs on my desk to sort through, but there are a few that I go back to each year. Here are some of my favorite retail seed companies:

Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Winslow, Maine – Johnny’s has been my favorite seed catalog for quite a few years. Their catalog is informative without resorting to hyperbolic descriptions of new varieties. They offer varieties that grow well in our northern latitudes and seed is always of good quality. They are actively involved in breeding and trialing of seeds. To top it off that they are becoming an employee owned business.
Wild Garden Seed in Philomath, Oregon – WGS is a great catalog for salad and leafy greens. I like the great selection of organic lettuce seeds. They also have the best Delicata squash variety I have grown. Best bet is to order on-line because they don’t usually send out their print catalog until spring since they are mostly wholesale. One of the interesting aspects of WGS is that they grow their seed crops as part of a working organic vegetable farm in the Willamette Valley of Oregon.
Territorial Seed Co. in Cottage Grove, Oregon – Territorial has made a name for themselves catering to the needs of Pacific Northwest gardeners. Lately it seems they have expanded their reach, so you have to use discretion when choosing seeds from their catalog.
High Mowing Organic Seeds in Wolcott, Vermont – This is a growing company with a commitment to organic agriculture. They only offer seeds grown organically, but they offer a wide selection from open pollinated to newer hybrids. Good service and a nice website, too. High Mowing is one of the companies that is starting to ask if you would prefer to view their catalog on-line rather than automatically sending you a print copy.
Seeds from Italy in Winchester, Mass. – This catalog is run by a gentleman who imports mostly seeds from the Italian seed company Franchi. There are some good vegetables to be found here. If you like vegetables like broccoli raab, escarole, radicchio, romano beans there are quite a few varieties to choose from. Also, Italian seed packets tend to be quite large.
Fedco Seeds in Waterville, Maine – Fedco is a cooperative seed company that offers seeds for colder northern climates. Good prices because of the wide range of packet sizes, lots of organic, open pollinated, and heirloom choices. There is a great DIY quality to this business.

Willow basketry class schedule

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Steve@DunbarGardens

We have posted a new schedule of willow basket making classes by Katherine Lewis for the first half of 2010. You can view all the info on the basket classes page on the Dunbar Gardens website. She is offering a variety of baskets and techniques, as well as trying to accommodate weavers with different levels of willow experience in most classes.

February 27-28: Scallomed projects – oval shopper, magazine basket, square shopper
April 10-11: Stake and strand projects – round gathering basket, oval shopper, oval garden basket
May 1-2: Irish potato basket and fruit basket
June 26-27: stake and strand projects – gathering basket, round laundry with roped handles, oval laundry
mid August (specific dates to be announced): repeat of scallomed class from February

Katherine is also organizing an in depth four day class for July. This class will be for a smaller number of weavers looking for a more extensive experience. Possible projects will include square work and fitching. Some students have been asking for more in depth work with Katherine, and this will be the chance. People interested can contact Katherine for more details. (Need I say weavers with the necessary hand strength to go four days?)

We have also listed a couple of classes that she is teaching in other locations. She is offering an “Intro to fitching class” at the Northwest Basket Weavers Guild Spring Retreat March 25-26. The project is a lovely oval market basket. Katherine will also be traveling to Portland, Oregon May 20-24 to give a presentation and class to members of the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild.

Visit our website for more details, registration form, and photos of the baskets and past classes.