November 2016 Newsletter

Katherine Lewis willow basketsRexville Grange Art Show
November 11-13 & 19-20, 2016. 19229 Rexville Grange Rd., Mount Vernon, WA. Annual arts and crafts show in the Skagit Valley the two weekends before Thanksgiving featuring baskets, paintings, pottery, glass, photography, jewelry, weaving, and wood from Northwest artists. As you can see from the photo above, Katherine has a lot of nice willow baskets that she is bringing to the show. Opening party Friday, November 11 from 6-8pm with live music from Campbell Road.

Katherine Lewis willow basket "Crazy Quilt"National Basketry Organization 9th Biennial Conference
July 18-23, 2017. Katherine has been invited to teach Colors and Textures: Playing with Willow at the next NBO conference to be held at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. Her class is already full at this time, but there are some spaces available in other workshops. Check the NBO website to see which classes are available. In addition to classes there will also be a couple of basketry exhibits. You can find out how to enter your work or go see the work from the NBO website. Katherine is one of the Board members who have been working hard to make this a great event.

Dunbar Gardens willow cuttings sampleWillow Cuttings

We will start taking willow cuttings orders for Spring 2017 delivery starting in December. Take a look at the website for all the details. Order early to reserve your cuttings; we usually sell out by March.

Classes

Katherine’s classes at the upcoming Northwest Basket Weavers Guild Winter Retreat in January are all full. Likewise the class at the National Basketry Organization Conference in July is now full. At this time Katherine doesn’t have any plans to schedule more classes for 2017. For people in the northwest, we would suggest checking out the Northwest Basket Weavers Guild and/or the Columbia Basin Basketry Guild to find out about classes and events with other basket makers. There is also a list of basketry guilds across the country on the National Basketry Organization website.

Dunbar Gardens farmstandFarm

You are welcome to stop by the farm to check out Katherine’s baskets when the April shows are over. You can find out more about what we’re up to by visiting our website at dunbargardens.com. We are also on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram.
Thanks for your interest!

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April 2016 Newsletter

What an early Spring! Tulips are in full bloom here in the Skagit Valley. Perfect time to visit the valley and check out Katherine’s willow baskets in a couple of arts and crafts shows.

Katherine Lewis willow basket and Skagit Valley tulipsRexville Grange Art Show:

April 1-10, 2016. 10-6 daily. 19229 Rexville Grange Rd., Mount Vernon, WA. Annual arts and crafts show during the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival featuring baskets, paintings, pottery, glass, photography, jewelry, felted hats, weaving and wood from Northwest artists. Katherine has a great selection of willow baskets on display and it’s right near the tulip fields!

Katherine Lewis willow market basketsSkagit Artisans:  April 16 from 10-5 and April 17 from 10-4. Johnson Historic Barn at 17322 Beaver Marsh Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273. First year for this event organized by Nina Foster whose family renovated this historic barn. Located near the flower fields it should be a fun event to take in the beauty of the valley and some of the fine arts and crafts as well.

Katherine Lewis willow basketSchack Art Center 20th Juried Art Show:

Through April 23, 2016. 2921 Hoyt Avenue, Everett, WA. Biennial collection of Northwest artists in a variety of mediums for an eclectic exhibit. The Schack is one of northwest Washington’s preeminent non-profit arts organizations. Katherine has two pieces in the exhibit – “Irish Potato Basket” and “Layers”.

Katherine Lewis willow tension traysFarm

You are welcome to stop by the farm to check out Katherine’s baskets when the April shows are over. You can find out more about what we’re up to by visiting our website at dunbargardens.com. We are also on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram.
Thanks for your interest!

 

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August 2015 newsletter

Summertime and the living is busy! Katherine is just back from the biennial conference of the National Basketry Organization. As a current Board member of the organization, the past months have been a busy time preparing for the event. Two years ago Katherine was a teacher; this year she was one of the worker bees making the event go smoothly. However there is no time to rest with upcoming events in August and September. Read on.

Weaving Willow

Katherine Lewis large willow Irish potato basketLa Conner Quilt & Textile Museum: August 5 – 30, 2015 in La Conner, WA. Katherine has been invited to exhibit her baskets in the museum’s Landmarks Gallery for the month of August. There will be an opening reception on August 5 from 4-6 pm. This is a great fiber arts venue and Katherine is excited for the opportunity for her first solo show. She has been working on some new baskets and will have a nice selection of her work on display. There will be two other fiber arts shows in the museum concurrently – quilts by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry and fiber art from several Graduate Students of the Gail Harker Center for Creative Arts.

Trip to Europe

Katherine Lewis weaving willow basket at Poland's wicker festivalThird World Wicker and Weaving Festival in Nowy Tomyśl, Poland: August 21 -23, 2015. Katherine is headed back to this large gathering of weavers hosted in Poland. She attended the festival in 2011 and had a great time meeting basket makers from around the world. The event has weaving competitions, basket and sculpture exhibits, craft fair and more; all combined for a remarkable event. Katherine is traveling with her friend Maria Bullock from Orcas Island who is a native of Poland. After the festival, they are going to learn some traditional baskets from Polish weavers. They are planning on some other stops in the UK, Netherlands and Czech Republic. Look for trip photos and updates on our Facebook page.

Basketry Classes

Katherine Lewis oval garden basketSeptember 16-19, 2015: Columbia Basin Basketry Guild Fall Retreat. Katherine will be teaching two classes at the CBBG annual gathering of basketmakers at Rockaway Beach, Oregon. As of now the Irish Potato Basket class is full, but there are a couple of spots left in the Oval Flower Basket. All info and registration is available through the CBBG website.

January 27-31, 2016: Northwest Basket Weavers Guild Annual Retreat. Katherine has submitted proposals for classes for this upcoming event. We will post info to our website when we know which classes have been chosen.

May 14-15, 2016: San Juan Island Textile Guild. Katherine has been invited out to teach a two day class in fitching on San Juan Island.

All Things Considered VIII

Katherine Lewis willow basket Moon 2National Basketry Organization exhibition: July 9 – August 9, 2015, The Grand Hand Gallery, St. Paul, MN. September 19 – November 8, 2015, Fruitlands Museum, Harvard, MA. Biennial exhibition of outstanding basketry work sponsored by the NBO. Katherine’s piece is titled Moon 2, a willow tray 20″ x 6″. There is a catalog available from the NBO.

Willow Cuttings

It might be time to start thinking about willow cuttings. It’s always good to have an idea of where you are going to plant next spring in case you need to prepare the spot this fall. Steve takes orders starting January 1 through March 31. We ship orders through the end of May according to your planting needs. We will be updating the website with 2016 availability and prices by the end of the year. If you ordered in previous years, we love to hear feedback on how the varieties are growing in your area.

Katherine Lewis willow baskets with Spike the basket catBaskets

A big thanks to everyone who has purchased Katherine’s willow baskets. Working basketmakers help keep the traditions alive.

Best wishes,
Katherine, Steve & Spike

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November 2014 Newsletter

Last year at this time we were in the middle of all the excitement of Katherine’s willow baskets at the Cole-Ware Exhibition at the Renwick Gallery in Washington, DC and her teaching at the National Basketry Organization Conference at Arrowmont in Gatlinburg, TN. This year’s events are a little closer to home. Details below about two upcoming shows in our area. We are also happy to announce that Katherine will be back teaching at the Northwest Basket Weavers Guild Retreat in March.

Katherine Lewis willow basket Pi(e)Art’s Alive! La Conner 2014

October 31, November 1 and 2 at Maple Hall, 104 Commercial Street: Annual arts celebration in nearby La Conner, WA featuring work from 13 invitational artists and over 80 works in the open show where Katherine will have a basket called Pi(e) (image left). There will be an opening on the Friday evening from 5-9pm with live music, wine and food. There will also be artist demonstrations throughout the weekend. Katherine will be demonstrating her willow basketry from 1-3pm on Sunday. She will have several more willow baskets on display in the demo area. Admission is free.

Katherine Lewis Irish potato basketsRexville Grange Art Show

Opening Friday, November 14 6-8pm, Open Sat.-Sun. Nov, 15-16 & Nov. 22-23, 10-5. An arts and crafts show held twice each year in the Skagit Valley at the historic Rexville Grange (19299 Rexville Grange Road). Katherine will have a large selection of her baskets available. There will be paintings, pottery, fiber arts, jewelry, photography and more by an impressive list of local artists. The opening evening on November 14 will feature live Celtic music by Campbell Road as well as refreshments and a chance to mingle with artists and friends. If you want a chance to chat with Katherine other than the opening, she is scheduled to work all day on Saturday Nov. 22.

Katherine Lewis willow class basketsNorthwest Basket Weavers Guild Spring Retreat 2015

March 11-15, 2015, Pilgrim Firs Conference Center, Kitsap Peninsula: Katherine will be teaching two willow basket classes at this year’s retreat. One is a 14 hour class making Katherine’s ‘potluck’ basket and the other is a 19 hour class making her willow ‘purse’. If you have been wanting to take classes from her, this will be a great opportunity. Class size is limited to 10 people and will probably fill so you are advised to check the website soon for the class descriptions and brochure (probably early November). You need to be a member of the Guild, but you can join on your registration form for the retreat. It’s a fun event and organization.

National Basketry Organization brochureNational Basketry Organization

Earlier this year Katherine joined the Board of the NBO. She has been a member for several years and was invited to teach at the conference last year. The conference next year will be in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota July 14-19, 2015. The Board has been working hard to make it another great event. Katherine has been working on getting the various basketry guilds across the country more involved with the organization. She hopes many of you will consider joining or supporting the NBO.

Dunbar Gardens willow cuttings
Willow Cuttings

Time to start thinking about willow cuttings. Steve takes orders starting January 1 through March 31. We ship orders through the end of May according to your planting needs. We will be updating the website soon with 2015 availability and prices. If you ordered in previous years, we love to hear feedback on how the varieties are growing in your area. Last year alone we shipped out some 8000 cuttings so we hope there will be a lot of willow baskets getting woven in the near future.

Katherine Lewis willow baskets for sale

Baskets

A big thanks to everyone who has purchased Katherine’s baskets! Just a reminder to order early if you want something before the end of the year!

Facebook: Dunbar Gardens has a Facebook page. We post photos of Katherine’s latest baskets, commissions, and photos of the farm.

Pinterest: Dunbar Gardens now has a Pinterest page where we have boards featuring Katherine’s baskets, basketry willow, other willow baskets and makers, as well as some bird photos.

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

Katherine & Steve

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