Bread Basket

In this one-day course, you will learn the foundations of traditional English basket weaving, beginning with selecting and preparing your willow. You will craft a sturdy round base and weave the sides using time-honored techniques to create a functional and elegant basket. As you work, you will refine your technique and gain confidence in handling willow, finishing your piece with a simple yet effective border.

Steps & Techniques

• Selecting and preparing willow for weaving

• Creating a traditional English round basket base

• Weaving up the sides using waling and pairing techniques

• Incorporating grab handles for practical use

• Finishing with a simple yet elegant border

• Trimming and refining the final piece

Course Tutor - Louise Brown

Louise’s interest in basketmaking was sparked more than twenty years ago when she enrolled in a local basketry course. “From that moment I was hooked The possibilities for creativity out of, essentially, a pile of sticks were endless and I wanted to learn all the techniques”. Since then she has deepened her  knowledge through attending as many workshops and courses by as many different basketmakers as she could find or afford! The City Lit College in Covent Garden, West Dean College near Chichester and Westhope Craft College in Shropshire have all provided her  with inspirational teachers and teaching.  

Louise have been a member of the Basketmakers' Association from her earliest days in basketmaking. This inspiring voluntary organisation opened her eyes to the incredible diversity within basketry, both traditional and contemporary, and to the many makers in this country and overseas. She currently holds the position of Chair of the Basketry Association.  

Gaining the City & Guilds qualification in basketry, followed by a teaching certificate, gave her the confidence to share her passion with others through teaching. As she says, “I now run a comprehensive range of workshops and progressive courses in the Winchester area, as well as adult education classes in Winchester and other venues. I love sharing my craft with others which is why I so enjoy teaching basketmaking. Class sizes are always small so that I can give plenty of one-to-one attention, but this means that some workshops fill up quickly.”