Course Description:

Spend two days at Ellekers Wood learning the craft of frame basketry, working with woodland materials to make your own two-hoop handled basket.

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Beginning with hazel, you’ll learn how to split and dress the wood to create the handles, rim and structural ribs of your basket frame, before weaving with split willow skeins; produced using critically endangered heritage craft techniques.

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This is a hands-on course with plenty to explore before the weaving begins. You’ll be guided through each stage, from preparing the materials to building the frame and weaving your basket.

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Who is it for?

Suitable for all abilities as accommodations can be made for those without prior knife skills. The course involves a fair amount of knife work and requires a reasonable level of dexterity, so patience and a willingness to get stuck in are helpful.

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Further info:

Working with natural materials in a woodland setting offers an opportunity to slow down, reconnect with the landscape and appreciate the knowledge held within traditional woodland crafts. Over two days, you’ll explore the relationship between tree, material and maker, leaving with a handmade basket and a deeper understanding of the craft behind it.

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The techniques shared during this workshop draw on the teachings of basketmaker Benjamin Naleau, alongside further learning with Esmé Hofman, a master of fine-skein willow basketry.