Basketry from 'Wild Wood'

Do you remember I told you I was going to a 'Baskets From Nature's Colourful Materials' workshop, demonstrated by Pat Atkins,  on Friday night.  I went to The Stratford Upon Avon Guild of Weavers Spinners and Dyers with my Blog Buddy Claire from 'Simply . . . Life' and my Mom.  I am so pleased with how this basket turned out.  The even weave and the even shape.

This is all made with natural materials collected from the hedgerows.

The colours of the different wood, shows through in the even weave.
Ok, ok I am telling you an untruth. . . . my brother bought me this basket about ten years ago, from a group of Travellers.  The wood was still green when he gave it to me and it has lasted over the years and I love it.  I thought I would pop along to guild and within minutes be churning out a basket just like this.  Ahem well the reality was somewhat different to that!  This basketry malarkey aint easy.  It felt like a physical workout to me and let me tell you there was much huffing and puffing from my direction.
I managed to achieve this:

You can call it a basket of sorts, which I am relieved about, because for the first hour I thought I was going to make a large woven platter.

The bases were actually made for us, it was down to us to spoil  make the rest of it.
           First we selected and inserted the 'uprights'.  Much much easier said than done.  This was where the huffing and puffing came in!

Then you needed to weave and twist strips/twigs around the uprights and hug and squeeze your 'basket' in to shape.  More huffing and puffing.

My spatial awareness isn't great and I nearly poked three separate peoples eye out, I nearly poked my own eye out twice and my Mom was very patient with me as I had to keep saying 'oops sorry' as my uprights jabbed her in her arm, back and head numerous times as I tried to get my 'basket' to behave itself.  I admit I prodded her a few times with my uprights on purpose, purely for my own amusement!  I may have been motivated by jealousy as Mom's basket was turning out much better than mine!

I was very disappointed with my photographs they have mostly turned out blurred.  This is Claire's basket.  She seemed to work quickly and quietly without causing too much trouble.

Claire used Willow from her Mom's garden, it looked very pretty.

Collectively the group had some very pleasing results to which my camera/photography skills did not do justice.  I do have ambitions to give this craft another go as I love the rustic looking results.  Collecting the materials was fun too.
               Today is Mother's Day here in the UK.  I appear to have two willing servants for the day.  I have just had a bath run for me.  Then we will have Sunday Lunch.  I am hoping to visit my Mom and take her some small gifts as a gesture to make up for all the trouble I cause her and get her in to during the rest of the year.  We are like Laurel and Hardy:

'Well There Is Another Fine Mess You Have Got Me Into'

Birmingham and District Guild of Weaving, Spinning and Dyeing 'March 2012' 'Lord Of The Rings'

The Workshop for March involved preparing for 'The National Exhibition' This year it will be held 16 - 27th of July at the Weald and Downland Museum, in West Sussex.  Each Guild member has been invited to create an exhibit piece.

"Unselected work 
Guild members will be able to submit work that fits within a six-inch ring. Everything submitted will be hung together, in a special area for everyone’s enjoyment. It can be spun, woven, dyed, knitted, crochet, felted or any combination of these and perhaps in conjunction with other texhniques. The ring must be part of the exhibit."


How happily can a group of 'crafters' sit for five hours, creating a masterpiece within a six inch ring?  Very happily indeed is the answer.  The collage is a sample selection of the work that went on.  I am kicking myself for missing some real beauties, but I was very busy working on my own piece and photography was an afterthought.  Most, if not all members have taken their 'ring' away for completion.  So I am hopeful that I will get the opportunity to photograph them again in April.
              If you think a six inch ring can be uninspiring, think again.  There was a vast array of textile work being undertaken and imaginations and creativity were set free.  No two rings were alike and I am sure that when hundreds are hung together at 'The national Exhibition' they will make a stunning display.

This is my own 'Ring'.  It also happens to be the fuzziest photograph!  Sorry.  It is using my own hand spun yarns.  Unfortunately it looked much better in my head than in reality!  I chose a simple weaving idea from a children's textile book.  My first mistake was to assume it would be simple.  I crocheted the edge for my ring and I am using the Cute 'Daisy' pattern from Chalky's World to adorn my ring.  The Daisies are very quick and easy to crochet.  I am thinking of crocheting miniature daisies from embroidery thread to hide the edge of my 'Weaving Frame'.  Just what I always wanted. . . . . another Work in Progress.

I am very proud of my Mom's piece of work.  I really would like to pass it off as my own.  She embroidered this little design out of her very own head.  I am calling it 'Sheep May safely Graze' after one of my favourite pieces of music.  They look like happy little sheep munching spring flowers in the sunshine, growing lovely woolly fleece for us to knit with. 

This is an interesting ring using fibre and natural materials.  I have been assured the finished design will contain a miniature aeroplane.  Wow!

People explored designs using the 'stash' that they had and I really could have lost and hour or two mooching through sewing boxes, tins and bags if they would have let me.  I like the colours and sheen of these threads combined together and I think this is going to be a stunner when it is finished.

I really love the colours here and it is interesting to see the effect of weaving with fabric strips, rather than yarn or thread.  Check out the yummy stash too.

The lady who created this one lives on a boat.  I think she is capturing the water beautifully with the fibre, colours, movement and the tiny little beads.  I could dive in!

You can never have too much pink, shiny yarn.  I am very interested to see this one finished.  Look how neat the edging on the ring is!

I love the colours of this edging, again it is very neat.  I also love sparkly stars.  This is going to be a stunner.

I think tapestry weaving is very clever.  This cute design is going to turn out great.

I just want to give this one a rub.  I have never tried rug making, it is on my never ending list of things to try.

This is a nice solid design.  With the technique and the use of colour this piece really stands out from the crowd.

This is a beautiful Work in Progress using some very fine threads and what looks to be some intricate technique.  I am not sure how this is being made but it looks fantastic.  

Edit:  I don't know how I missed including this first time round!  This is going to be a tiny little sweater to go inside a ring.  Isn't it cute?  It would make Barbie incredibly happy I am sure :) 
            I am really kicking myself for the pieces I missed photographing, one was a bold 'Fire' theme design, another was some beautiful closely woven fabric and there was a beautiful piece of 'Tatting' being worked in hand dyed thread.
             I know my Buddy Claire has also been working on these at Stratford Upon Avon Guild where she is a member.  You can check out Claire's work in progress here at 'Simply. . . . Life':  She is working on a 2D 'Seascape' and a 3D needle felted Robins Nest, complete with tiny eggs.  Birmingham Guild are hoping, in July, to travel with Stratford Guild by coach to the National Exhibition.  I think we catch the coach at some ungodly hour.  Then I need to manage two or three hours on a coach.  I get extreme motion sickness.  I feel ill on planes, trains and automobiles.  I also could get sea sick on a mill pond!  Coaches and buses have to be my worse mode of transport second only to 'Cross Channel Ferries' where I literally turn a subtle shade of green.  Hence I tend not to stray very far from my own front door.
             I could not recommend enough that you grab yourself a 'six inch ring' and let your imagination run riot!  It is great fun to explore something new and you can make yourself (or somebody else) a crafty, textile wall hanging or mobile.  If you do have a go please don't forget to show me, I am nosey like that! 
             I hope you are having a good weekend, full of the stuff that makes you happy.  xxx