Make Your Own Coiled Basket Using Local Wild Plants

Have you ever looked outside and wondered what you could make with the abundance of plants growing in your local landscape?

In this workshop you will learn how to take grasses, cattails, daylily leaves, and many other natural materials and create coiled baskets. Coiling is an ancient and versatile basketry technique in which a wrapping strand is sewn around coils of material to build a form. It is used all over the world to create beautiful vessels that can be either decorative or functional.

During the workshop we will discuss how to identify, harvest, and prepare a variety of local materials all while coiling baskets using a variety of stitches.

If you are excited about using found natural materials to create art and learning a fun and unique new skill, then join us!

Everyone will leave with a medium sized basket (approx. 8” x 8” x 5”), the skills to create more pieces in the future, and inspiration to explore your local natural landscape.

*This class is appropriate for students at any level. Some hand strength and dexterity is required.

About the Instructor

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Katie Grove – Going out into the forests and fields, harvesting materials from nature, and sitting down in the sun to weave a basket is Katie Grove’s idea of a perfect day. She is an artist and educator whose passion is to guide adults and children alike in connecting to their creative self through the combination of art and nature. Through nature-based arts such as basketry, plant dyes, weaving, sculpture, and journaling she creates an environment where individuals can explore self-expression while learning how to identify, use, and appreciate locally available natural materials. She has worked with Wild Earth since 2012 and in 2014 co-pioneered the first summer of Wild Earth Art Camp as a lead instructor and program designer. She has a BFA in Printmaking from SUNY New Paltz and continues to teach and exhibit art throughout the region.