How I got started weaving with willow
i am answering my most frequently asked questions in one place!
though i’m only ten months into this journey, the learning curve has been so steep and i’ve had a lot of trials and tribulations. i think the beginner’s perspective, when learning a new skill, can be helpful because experts may assume certain foundation knowledge, whereas a beginner may share fundamental and basic tips.
this primer will focus mainly on willow because that’s my favorite material to weave with, but I touch on other materials here and there.
i have so much more to learn, and i am so grateful to my teachers (listed below) but here’s my brain dump! you can watch my youtube video or read my blog post.
where to get willow
sourcing willow is so place-specific. i am lucky to live somewhere with multiple growers who grow european varieties of willow that work well for weaving.
you can order willow online, but you need permits to ship internationally (i’ve heard it can be quite the nightmare).
through guilds, in person classes or horticulture centers would likely be the best place to find a local grower to you.
i don’t have experience harvesting wild willow, but you can! you don’t harvest it from a weeping willow tree, instead, when willow grows on the side of a highway or in an area with a lot of deer, the plant gets stunted toward the ground and grows out a bunch of offshoots of willow sticks from there.
remember to be mindful of whose territory it is you’re harvesting on, and to harvest ethically using a pick one, leave one method.
willow preparation
willow preparation is key! this i found the hardest to grasp. basically you want to soak willow that has already been dried for about six months. you can weave with freshly harvested willow, but when your finished basket dries, it runs the risk of cracking.
i started soaking my dried in the winter in the pond near my house weighed down with rocks. by spring the pond was pretty mucky and by summer it was completely dried up! my partner got some 2x10 spruce offcuts from his work which I screwed into a frame. i put a pond liner from home depot into the frame and voila - i had a willow soaker!
Soaking times vary but I’ve found the two week mark to be safe in my outdoor soaker. Even throughout the summer I found the water to be cold in it. Others will hot soak with a fire beneath their soaker and that can only take 24 hours.
to check if your willow is ready, bend it at 90 and if it cracks, it’s not ready, but if it bends nicely, it’s ready.
after the soak, i leave the willow leaned up against my house out of the sun for 12-24 hours to mellow and then i wrap it in burlap, and keep the fabric damp. i find my soaked willow can usually last for about four days before it starts drying out, but it depends on how dry the climate you live in is.
i’ve read that you can’t re-soak willow after it’s been soaked and then dried out, but i have done it, and it’s not ideal, but okay.
you can freeze soaked willow! this was truly a game changer for me because now i always have prepared willow. Once it’s soaked and mellowed, I pop it in the freezer wrapped in plastic. in the freezer it stores the water in the willow so your willow doesn’t dry out.
where to learn
taking an in-person class is my number one advice. i tried using online tutorials multiple times before taking an in person class and was left frustrated. hands-on learning of a hands-on skill (if you can) is really the best.
here are the teachers who have taught me!
market basket class with Laurence (Willow Daughter)
basket weaving with rush and soft materials with Joan Carrigan
adirondack style backpack with Joan Carrigan
oval willow basket starting with a catalan base with Dawn Meyers
rib basket with Donna Cochran
the best way i’ve found out about the majority of the classes i’ve taken was through local basketry and weaver’s guilds. it’s a great way to get connected with other weavers, teachers and growers.
guilds i’ve joined:
i will make sure i have time set aside and soaked willow to weave in the days following a class to practice the teachings and make sure they sink in.
i still use online classes as I find they are a great way to refresh my memory and learn specific skills.
these are my top online favorites :
Lionel Demandre’s two part How to Weave a Willow Basket videos
Joan Carrigan’s vimeo has some great tutorials and she also sells a kit for rattan reed baskets
Hannah Van Aelst’s youtube is a mecca of information
Coyote Willow School House has both online weaving classes and a willow growing class. i’ve taken their Courting Willow class and loved it
Rosemary Kavanagh has an awesome willow planting guide too (dm her)
tools
there are a few tools needed for basketry.
secateurs - my favorites
awl - i purchased one locally made
rapping iron - i purchased one locally made
strip of rubber fabric for holding your uprights in place (I use offcuts of epdm from my partner’s jobsite)
other tips
join basketry facebook groups - there is a lot and they are super inspiring
be patient
move slowly
embrace trial and error
make a lot of baskets and give them to your friends
