Introduction Weekend: meet your weaving group!

Saturday: we will process dogbane hemp and nettle into cordage and spin them into thread. Participants will learn how to process these wild and extraordinary plants from hard stalks into weaveable fibers, which we will use on our backstrap looms in following classes. We will also mordant them with oak galls which begins our dyeing process.

Sunday: participants will learn to spin wool, and we will mordant and dye both our protein and cellulose fibers with rabbit brush, black walnuts and optional iron afterbaths. The wool we spin and dye can be woven into any of the baskets we create this year.

Students will gain the skills needed to process plant and animal fibers into useable thread and yarn as well as learn the whole natural dye process, all from plants growing in our bioregion. I will also show students how to make their own drop spindle and hackles using free, natural and recycled materials.

Saturday: Participants will start the day peeling bark from willow staves and learn how to dry and store for future uses. Then learn how to use a Jerry striper for uniform bark strips and how to peel outer bark. Next, we will weave our round based twined cattail and willow bark baskets. I will go over harvesting, cleaning, drying, storing and preparing cattail for weaving, and students will prepare all their own materials.
Participants will learn how to do a round base start and round basket on a form. Multiple types of twining will be demonstrated and practiced. Check and Twill work will be demonstrated and practiced as well as options for different rims.

Sunday: Folded Fir Bark Basket with Willow Plated Rim
Participants will practice peeling, folding, stitching and plating bark, and make a very cute, folded basket great for picking berries or as a lovely wall hanging.

Saturday and Sunday: Participants will learn a rectangular base start for twined baskets and will complete a medium to large-size satchel with cattail. tule and willow bark. This class builds off of skills gained from the May class. Different rims, twining and plating styles will be demonstrated and learned.

Sunday: once the woven satchel is complete, student will use a backstrap loom to weave a one-of-a-kind strap, using the wild fibers and wool participants have spun and dyed or a selection if recycled yarns.

July is Hot! So, we will climb in elevation and camp out, weave and swim at my favorite lake in the world. (Location will be given after registration)

Saturday and Sunday: Participants will weave their own sun hats with cattails. This will deepen our twining skills and requires a bit more focus than a regular basket. I will have a hat form for each participant based on their head size and demonstrate how to make their own, for future weavings.

We will camp out by the lake and take breaks in the lake for swimming, fishing and sunbathing as needed! Potluck summer feast is encouraged!

Saturday and Sunday: Students will learn how to coil tule and cattail and create my very own style of a soft and strong pack basket. We will use the Mariposa style coil and learn how to apply coiling to other wild basketry materials. Saturday afternoon, participants will join me for a cattail and tule harvest in the canyons by my home, and learn how to clean, sort and dry these amazing plants.

Sunday: Once the basket is finished students will use a back strap loom to weave a strap from fibers they have spun or upcycled yarns I have salvaged.

Saturday and Sunday: Participants will break out of perfection mentality and create a large random weave chaos basket!
Participants will learn all about harvesting, storing and preparing willow and red osier dogwood, and get to practice using these materials without the pressure of being perfect.

This intuitive style of weaving can me a challenge for people who struggle with perfectionism, but once people let go of this unnecessary pressure, amazing forms and structures can be created.

Saturday and Sunday: Participants will combine all of the materials we have worked with throughout the course and create a one-of-a-kind Smorgasbord Rib basket.
Willow, ivy, red osier, willow bark, cattail, tule, hops vine, wild clematis, dogbane and nettle cordage, and wild dyed wool.
Thes one-of-a-kind baskets are a joy to create!

Saturday we will have an end of the season potluck, and Sunday a closing circle.