About

Steeped in Northwest traditions, this basket is created with striking bands of cured salmon, rockfish or ling cod skins as they are woven in a twill-work pattern highlighted by the beauty of western red cedar.

The subtle colors of basketry sedge offer a contrasting band framing the weaving. This basket is finished with a diagonal folded rim adding beauty and strength to the form.

Students will learn the weaving techniques of twill-work, strait twining, three-strand twining along with a double folded rim. These foundational weaving methods can be applied to other projects creating opportunity for many more baskets to come.

Weavers can embellish their baskets with small shells, beads or other coastal objects. Join us to explore Northwest traditions while working with these beautiful materials.

There is a $75 materials fee which well be included in the class price. The instructor will bring all the supplies needed to make the basket.  Material fees will be added at the time of registration.

Students Should Bring:

• Students should wear comfortable work clothes. Although assorted shells and beads for embellishment will be provided, class participants may wish to bring along small items to personalize their own baskets.
  
• Bring a bag lunch. We have a refrigerator for people to store their lunches and drinks!
  

Details:

• Please note that for this class, cancellation requests received 14 days or less before the workshop start date will not be eligible for a refund or credit.
• Skill Level: Universal - All skill levels welcome.
• Ages: Ages 14+ Welcome.
  
  

Instructor Bio: 
Karen Sherwood began her basket weaving journey creating vessels useful for wilderness survival and woven with materials gathered from nature. Over the last 25 years, her understanding of weaving and the preparation of traditional materials has become much more refined while her interest in creating “working” baskets remains strong.

Karen carries a passion for exploring historic basketry techniques and styles and brings this to her work by harvesting and preparing her own basketry materials. She shares her connections to the plants and their remarkable uses when teaching each project. With these connections, each project becomes a unique blend of past and present. “It is with this vision we hope to honor the plants and the traditions they have grown from to give insight to, not only the past but how it can illuminate our future”.

Karen teaches ethnobotany programs with the Washington State Department of Ecology. She leads basketry classes throughout the county and as well as other earth- centered programs through Earthwalk Northwest, a wilderness school she and her husband founded in 1996. More info at: www.earthwalknorthwest.com.