Willow Basket Weaving

Rare Bird Farm 91 Duckett Top Tower Road Hot Springs, NC, 28743 United States (map)

Weaving willow baskets is a practice in revitalizing the quality and integrity of our cultural

functions. This weaving tradition is one of the oldest and historically important materials to

all of Europe. Willow is incredibly strong, beautiful, and rich in ethnobotanical relationship to

human history that can still be touched today.

In this two-day willow immersion, instructor Tyler Lavenburg will show you how to weave up a

mighty-fine carry-all basket, using the “stake and strand” method. By the end of this class,

you’ll walk away with your very own beautiful and functional messenger bag style baskets

with shoulder straps or a picnic basket with a wrapped willow handle. These baskets can be

used for just about anything, from harvesting food to carrying your computer!

Tyler will teach a variety of weaves, explore propagation and harvesting of willow for basketry,

and celebrate the rich history of weaving this amazing plant into our lives.

This class requires a good bit of hand strength and determination; be prepared to stay

focused and work long hours. Please bring a sharp knife, a pair of garden pruners, and a

blanket or chair to sit on.

Class Schedule Overview:

Day One: Settle in, prepare materials, make the base of your basket, add in the

spokes, and begin waling.

Day Two: Weave up the body of the basket, turn down the rim, and add a handle/strap.

Leave with a beautiful, one-of-a-kind basket ready for any adventure!

Tyler and his family align their life with the cycles of the seasons and the bounty of the wild.

They harvest and utilize as much as they can from the gardens and forests around them.

Tyler first fell in love with Southern Appalachian ecology as a student at Warren Wilson

College, where he received a degree in Environmental Education. The children’s novel My

Side of the Mountain sparked Tyler’s passion for traditional skills and wild foods. Since then,

he’s been blessed with teachers and mentors who continue to draw his attention into deeper

layers of mystery and the possibilities around crafting a handmade, wild life.

Over the years, Tyler has studied, apprenticed and taught at many traditional skills schools

and events, including Wild Abundance, The Roots School, Living Earth School, Earthskills

Rendezvous, The Firefly Gathering, Florida Earthskills, Whippoorwill, and others. He’s worked

with hundreds of children and adults through public and private schools, homeschool

cooperatives, and special events.

Tyler has experience in many traditional crafts and skills, with a special passion for willow

basketry. He tends around 30 species of European basket willow and plans to provide basket

material and live cuttings to the Asheville community in the near future.