Southwestern Ontario Basketry Guild

Taught by Wanda Haydt of WH Baskets, this little sweetie has an oval wooden base and an easy curved upsett.  The challenge came near the end with the round reed swirls.

The guild is a member of Ontario Handweavers and Spinners and our part in their 2011 conference, "Going Back to Woodstock" was to provide baskets as banquet table centrepieces.  Our 2010 program was structured to help members learn the skills they would need to create rib baskets which would fit the "back to nature" theme.  Our baskets all looked beautiful and were gratefully received.  Here are a few photos.

January 15: AGM Shaker Cheese Style Oval Bread Basket Instructors - Janice Tennant & Frances Thorn February 19: Grab & Go Basket Instructor - Wanda Haydt March 19: Pine Needle Coiling  Instructor - Catherine Devine Cracker Basket Kit from Prim Pines April 16: 8th Anniversary Meeting Wine Basket with Divider Instructor - Nancy Flickinger May 21: Stair Basket Instructor - Wanda Haydt June 18: Pinwheel Basket Instructor - Wanda Haydt July 16: Adirondack Style Purse Instructor - Linda Dobinson August 20: Willow Bird Feeder Instructors - Lene Rasmussen, Frances Thorn September 17: Twill Waste Basket Instructor - Leslie Songer Terry October 15: Algonquin Sewing Basket with Lid Instructor - Linda Dobinson  November 19: Open Weave to finish Algonquin Sewing Basket and other Projects Potluck Meal at Noon

Instructor Dale Adamson provided a mountain of weaving material in every shade and texture for our driftwood baskets.  There were 15 in her class and 4 more members were there working on their own projects. From placing the ribs to weaving  to the finished basket, it was a great day.  Thank you, Dale.

An attractive and useful basket, a challenge for our members First steps with the wooden base Teacher Linda demonstrating a technique to student Lorna This was a large class of experienced basketweavers Some members bring their own projects - willow skein work in progress Show and tell, here with a summer's willow weaving Proud teacher Linda with some of her students

Four classes of rib construction – willow baskets – turned into a big success thanks to Frances who put it all together. Not only did she arrange to have Jo Campbell- Amsler , a renowned rib-style willow weaver and teacher from Iowa, come to teach the classes, she also donated the majority of the willow for the baskets. To prepare for the classes she made and dried frames and cut lengths for ribs and soaked all the weavers for the 48 baskets – a huge job, so a BIG THANK YOU goes to you, Frances! Jo had brought a selection of her beautiful baskets and guild members had picked four designs for the workshops. Photos of the basket designs selected for the workshops are at the blog post about the 2010 program . The fun started on Saturday when we made The Gypsy Melon Basket. Some of us had never worked with willow before, for others the rib-style weaving was a new experience, but we all had fun and helped along by Jo’s instructions we each created our own unique basket. Sunday’s Wist...