Instructor: Elspeth Hay
Monday - Friday
August 3 - 7
9am - 1pm
5 sessions

Come learn the art of willow weaving! Over the course of five mornings, students will turn a pile of soaked willow sticks into round stake and strand baskets. Stake and strand is an ancient weaving method traditional to many parts of Europe and the British Isles. In this class we will cover twining, whaling, French randing, paired borders, and two kinds of handles. Students can expect to complete 2-3 baskets over the course of the week and will take home the skills to create more. This class is geared toward beginners but more experienced weavers are also welcome.

Elspeth Hay is a willow basket weaver, radio journalist, and author of the award-winning 2025 book Feed Us with Trees: Nuts and the Future of Food. Deeply immersed in the materials and foods of our local ecosystem, she has studied willow weaving both in Tipperary, Ireland and locally here in Massachusetts. She doesn't think she'll ever get tired of the process of crafting baskets from what begins with a simple pile of sticks.