classes » Willow Basketmaker

October class date added

Sep 122009

basic round laundry basket

Katherine has decided to add a willow basketmaking class date to our schedule on October 24-25. The waiting list for the Oct. 10-11 class was starting to grow; so she added a repeat of the class two weeks later as an option. Classes are two days, from 9am to 5pm. Everyone will leave with a finished basket. Class size is limited to 10. Cost is $165 per student which includes materials. There is information and a registration form on our website. These classes are in the Mount Vernon area at the McLean Road Fire Hall near Dunbar Gardens.

gathering basket

Depending on each student’s experience, you can make a round picking or laundry basket of locally grown and English willows. We’ll make a round base using twining, stake up the sides and begin the weave with a sturdy base wale. Students may choose between different side weave options. The laundry basket is larger than the gathering basket, taking more hand strength and more time to weave the sides. Both baskets have the same 5 rod border. The gathering basket is then completed with a cross handle for carrying; the laundry basket will be completed with two roped side handles.

August basket class

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Aug 172009

Katherine demonstrating a basket handle wrap.

Katherine had a willow basketry class at Dunbar Gardens this past weekend. We had nine people in the class with a range of experience and age. There were total beginners, people who had made some willow baskets, a couple of handweavers, and two who had taken a previous class with Katherine but using a different technique. There was a neighbor from down the block and someone from Sebastopol, CA. Rounding out the mix were Katherine’s friends and fellow willow basket makers Alex Keggan and Debbie McLelland who came by for awhile to give the weavers some assistance when needed. The class participants had the choice of a round gathering basket or an oval garden basket depending on their experience, or not perhaps! Usually I try to get a group photo at the end of class, but somehow we didn’t get around to it. Finish times and departures varied abit at the end. So instead I put together this short slide show (hoping that nobody involved will object!). You can click on the image for a larger view of the photos.

[slideshow id=3458764513847642426&w=426&h=320]

August newsletter

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Aug 112009

News from Dunbar Gardens August 2009

Willow Basketry Classes & Upcoming Events

Upcoming Events

Garden GA-GA Skagit: Friday, August 21, 4-9pm at Juntunen Farm and Gardens, 18091 Burkland Road, Mount Vernon. This new event is a joint effort between Skagit Artists Together, Museum of Northwest Art, Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce, Children’s Hospital Guild of Skagit County, and Economic Development Association of Skagit County. It will be a garden party with artists in action, live music, wine and beer garden, food, and tours of the beautiful Juntunen gardens with proceeds to benefit Seattle Children’s Hospital. Katherine will be demonstrating willow basketry and selling her work as part of this celebration. Tickets must be purchased before August 14. Contact Debi at EDASC 360-336-6114 or see the web link. Update: Tickets will be available at the door for this event.

Fall Collection 2009, Dewey Beach Artists at The Depot Arts Center: September 4 through 26, 611 R Ave., Anacortes, WA. Katherine has been invited to be a guest artist with the Dewey Beach artists group at their annual show at The Depot Arts Center. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday; check their website for the list of other artists, hours, and map. The opening will be part of the Anacortes First Friday Art Walk, September 4, 6-9pm.

Festival of Family Farms at Gordon Skagit Farms: October 3 & 4, 15598 McLean Rd., Mount Vernon (just around the corner from Dunbar Gardens). Katherine will be demonstrating willow basketmaking and selling baskets at the Gordon’s Autumn Harvest Farmstand as part of the annual Skagit Valley farm tour.

PAINT ME A RIVER! Art meets History: Skagit County Historical Museum, exhibit opening, October 10, 4-7pm. Exhibit runs Oct. 10-Jan. 3, 2010. 501 South 4^th Street, La Conner, WA. The museum asked local artists to submit pieces that reflected their personal interpretation of some facet of local history. This exhibit with over 75 original works rendered in paint, glass, bronze, neon, photography, basketry, and multi-media, reveal a wide variety of interesting, amusing and surprising responses that Skagit history can inspire.

Other News

Basketry of the Pacific Northwest: July 28 – August 29, The Lab, Museum of Contemporary Craft, 724 NW Davis St., Portland, Oregon. Katherine has two baskets in a juried show featuring Northwest basket makers, traditional and contemporary.

Willow Basketmaking Classes with Katherine Lewis

Classes are two days; from 9am to 5pm. Class size is limited to 10. Cost is $165 per student which includes materials. There is a registration form on the website. Or you can send us your contact info (name, address, email, telephone) along with a $35 deposit per class session. See the website for more details.

There are still a couple of spaces available in each of these classes.

August 15 & 16: Round gathering basket or Oval garden basket

The gathering basket is a great beginning willow basketmaking class. We’ll make a round picking basket of locally grown and English willows. We start with a round base made by twining, a sturdy base wale around the sides, English randing for the side weave, and a strong handle to complete the base. Students who have made this basket before can learn a new weave, make it with a tall handle for a hanging flower basket, or make a taller version with an inset handle to use as a waste basket.

The garden basket is an oval project for those with more experience. The base uses twining and chase weaves. The sides of the basket include a sturdy 4 rod base wale with step up to three rod wale. It has a side weave of French randing and a sturdy handle wrapped with slender willows. Class at Dunbar Gardens.

October 10 & 11: Gathering basket (beginners) or Round laundry basket (intermediate)

Additional upcoming class dates in Mount Vernon: December 5 & 6: Bread & berry baskets

September 16-20, 2009: Tidal Twinings, the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild Annual Fall Retreat

Katherine will be teaching two classes at this event on the Oregon coast. Please see their website for the brochure and registration. There were still a couple of spaces available in the zig zag oval shopper class. The deadline to sign up for Katherine’s class would be Sept. 1. Please contact the CBBG.

Farmstand: We are open Friday, Saturday, Sunday; 10-6 with fresh garden produce. Baskets are available everyday, but contact us in advance if you are coming from a distance. Katherine makes baskets to order; check out the willow basket gallery on our website for a look at the possibilities.

Photos: We post photos of recent baskets and the farm at flickr.com/photos/dunbargardens.

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

Katherine & Steve

www.dunbargardens.com

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July newsletter

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Jul 072009

We just sent out our July News from Dunbar Gardens. Every couple of months or so, we mail out a listing of events and classes. Most of the information is available on Dunbargardens.com, but the newsletter provides a concise format. If you would like to join our list, simply send an email to news-subscribe@dunbargardens.com. You will receive an automated email asking you to verify your subscription. Here is the main part of the recent mailing:

Upcoming Events

Skagit Artists Together Studio Tour: July 18 & 19, 10am – 6pm. 6th annual juried studio tour with 28 selected artists opening their studios and workshops for a weekend to visitors. At Dunbar Gardens you can see Katherine’s baskets, a demonstration of willow basketry, our willow fields, and our market garden. Bring some friends and make a day of it; maps are on line or available at each location.

Celebrate Skagit Art at the La Conner Seaside Gallery: July 17 – 26, 112 Morris Street in La Conner. Katherine will be at the opening artist reception Saturday, July 18, 6:30 – 8:30 pm. Annual art show sponsored by Skagitonians to Preserve Farmland and held in conjunction with the SAT tour. Check out Katherine’s piece at the show; probably the only value-added farm product entered!

Garden GA-GA Skagit: Friday, August 21, 4-9pm at Juntunen Farm and Gardens, 18091 Burkland Road, Mount Vernon. Katherine was just invited to this joint effort between Skagit Artists Together, Museum of Northwest Art, Mount Vernon Chamber of Commerce, Children’s Hospital Guild of Skagit County, and EDASC. This event is a garden party with artists in action, live music, wine and beer garden, food, and tours of the beautiful Juntunen gardens with proceeds to benefit Seattle Children’s Hospital. Katherine will be demonstrating willow basketry and selling her work as part of this celebration. Tickets must be purchased before August 14. Contact Debi at EDASC 360-336-6114 or see the web link.

Willow Basketmaking Classes with Katherine Lewis

There are still spaces available in all of the class dates. Classes are two days; from 9am to 5pm. Class size is limited to 10. Cost is $165 per student which includes materials. There is a registration form on the website. Or you can send us your contact info (name, address, email, telephone) along with a $35 deposit per class session. See the website for more details.

May basket class

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May 062009

May 2-3 willow basketry class

This past weekend Katherine hosted one of her willow basketry classes. 9 out of 10 students had already taken at least one of Katherine’s classes. As Katherine said everyone could twine, everyone could wale, and several are on the verge of really getting the border. Good thing because the projects were a choice between an oval laundry basket or a garden basket. Both start with a similar oval base using twining and chase weaves. The sides of the basket include a sturdy 4 rod base wale with step up to 3 rod wale. The side weave is French randing. The laundry basket is taller and straighter and finished with inset handles while the garden basket flares out more and has a wrapped handle. You can see by the photo that some nice willow baskets were woven and they’re still smiling!

You can see the listing of future willow basketmaking classes on our website.

Easter basket

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Apr 102009

Easter basket

Katherine recently shipped this basket off to Alabama. The buyer wanted an Easter basket for her new grandson. She was particularly fond of the zig zag side weave that she saw in a photo of an oval shopper we had for sale on the website. This round version came out quite nice and really does look great for an Easter basket. I guess I should have popped some colored eggs in for the photo!

Katherine will be teaching an “oval shopper” class that uses this zig zag weave at the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild’s annual fall retreat -Tidal Twinings- on the Oregon coast September 16-20.

zig zag weave shopper

Spring Retreat

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Mar 282009

Katherine Lewis potato basket class

Katherine recently attended the Northwest Basket Weavers Guild Spring Retreat. She was the teacher of two classes at this annual event. Over 100 basketmakers came to take classes, weave, and socialize from March 18-22 at the Pilgrim Firs Conference Center in Port Orchard, WA. Katherine had two full classes. The first was an Irish potato basket. Check out the lovely colors in this traditional basket in the photo above. The willows are all from Dunbar Gardens. In the center of the photo holding her basket above her head is Alex Keggan who often helps Katherine in her classes. The other class was a willow square tray. The stakes on these are scallomed on the square base. Those borders and corners can be a real challenge.

some of the square tray class

Katherine was joined at the retreat by her friend and fellow willow basketmaker Kelly Wilson from Courtenay on Vancouver Island in Canada.

Katherine & Kelly

Tools

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Mar 082009

knife, awl, curved awl, rapping iron

Above is a photo of the tools we sell at Katherine’s willow basketry classes. These aren’t the only tools that are needed to make willow baskets, but they are the ones that people don’t often have. The small curved knife is imported from the Vergez Blanchard company in France.They make a range of tools primarily for leather workers. Katherine bought her first Vergez knife from Jenny Crisp at the Basketmakers Association Spring Course at York in 2006. The small curved blade holds an edge well and the small round wood handle fits in the hand nicely for tasks like cutting scalloms. After searching for a similar knife with unsatisfactory results, we decided to import the Vergez knives from France.

cuttings scalloms

The straight awl made in the US by the C.S. Osborne company can usually be found at a good hardware store, but we keep some on hand as well. The awl is used when passing a rod into or through the work or just holding the work to the lapboard. The curved awl and the rapping iron are made by Dave Swanson in nearby Bow, Washington. Dave is a blacksmith (among other skills). Katherine met Dave after his wife Wendy took a class with a visiting English basketmaker that Katherine organized. He has made quite a few rapping irons for Katherine and recently made a few curved awls as well. The rapping iron, as its name suggests, is for tightening up the work when weaving. The curved awl is used for tasks like inserting handle liners. Another essential tool is a good pair of pruning shears. We sometimes have Felco shears on hand for sale. We particularly like the #6 which fits smaller hands.Current prices for these tools are $32.50 each for the Vergez knife, the rapping iron, and curved awl; and $14 for the straight awl.

Katherine Lewis

Basketmaking classes

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Mar 012009

Katherine teaching willow basketmaking

We recently mailed out our schedule of willow basketry classes for 2009. Katherine Lewis has seven classes scheduled for the Mount Vernon area. The classes are two days and everyone leaves with a finished basket, usually pretty nice even if they are a beginner. We provide the materials and have plenty of tools for everyone. There is a variety of baskets to choose from and most classes will accomodate a range of skill levels. Check out our website for more information. Would you like to receive future mailings of classes and events from Dunbar Gardens? You can join our mailing list by sending an email (no text necessary) to new-subscribe@dunbargardens.com. We use “Mailman” software to manage our list; so you will be asked to verify your subscription through a return email message.

gathering basket class

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