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Wild Basketry – Invasive Plant Cordage and Coiled Basketry, with Julia Han

June 28 @ 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

$177.9

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Learn how to make cordage using invasive plants and create your own coiled basket

This workshop is part one of a two-day weekend series on invasive plant basketry. Register for both classes, or for an individual class.

Date

Saturday, June 28

10am – 4pm PDT

About the Class

Spend the day with instructor Julia Han at the Fibershed Learning Center learning to identify fiber plants commonly found in California, and exploring how some of these can be foraged and transformed into beautiful and functional objects.

We’ll begin with a guided walk to explore a variety of native and non-native/invasive plants growing nearby, discussing how to harvest them responsibly and prepare them for use. Back in the workshop, you’ll learn tips on working with plant fibers and practice foundational basketry techniques including cordage-making and coiling. You’ll use these skills to create your own coiled basket using invasive plants.

This beginner-friendly workshop offers a hands-on introduction to natural fiber craft and working with foraged materials. Take this as a standalone workshop, or pair it with Day 2 to deepen your skills.

Full Weekend Description for Day 1 & 2:

Join us for a two-day, hands-on experience of identifying, foraging, and transforming common invasive grasses and other plants into beautiful and functional objects using essential basketry techniques. After these beginner-friendly workshops, you’ll leave with your own handmade works and the skills to continue working with foraged materials on your own. Along the way, we’ll touch on the ecological role of invasive species and how we can make use of these abundant materials that are often overlooked.

Each day will begin with a walk through the Fibershed property, where we’ll observe and identify plants suitable for fiber and other uses. Along the way, we’ll discuss ethnobotanical uses, sustainable harvesting practices, and what to look for in strong, flexible materials. Back in the workshop space, we’ll examine a variety of dried plant materials — grasses, leafy fibers, woody vines and branches, barks, and roots—and learn how each category behaves and what use it’s best suited for.

On Day 1 [link], we’ll get hands-on with invasive grasses and other foraged plants through the essential skill of cordage-making, gaining an understanding of how different fibers behave when twisted together. We’ll then create a soft basket using the coiling technique, where a material is wrapped and stitched around a central core, incorporating your cordage into the design.

On Day 2 [link], we’ll build a basket using the more intricate twining technique, using cordage as the foundational spokes and learning key tips for creating a strong structure. The workshop will feature a demo on making a small hand broom using bundled grasses or other foraged plant materials.

Separate registration is required for both days.

Maximum 10 students.

Participants must bring:

  • Pruners or sharp scissors, for cutting plant fibers
  • Towel (one that can get messy)
  • Any personal snacks, lunch, and beverages. Coffee and tea will be provided.
  • A notebook and pen for note taking is encouraged.

Register Now

Organizer

Fibershed Learning Center
Email
learningcenter@fibershed.org
View Organizer Website

Venue

Fibershed Learning Center
14000 Pt. Reyes - Petaluma Rd
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956 United States
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Phone
(415) 455-3070‬
View Venue Website