Pine needle baskets in Guatemala
Well, my last post turned out to be a little optimistic! After my bout of flu before Christmas I went down with another respiratory infection (possibly Covid, given how long it took to recover), followed by a urinary tract infection. But finally, after six weeks or so, I feel more like my normal self and […]
Merry Christmas 2023
I returned from my travels around Mexico and Guatemala on 8 December, brimming with energy and ready to tackle the pre-Christmas build-up. Then I got hit by a nasty bout of flu. I don’t think it was Covid – I kept testing negative – but it was serious enough to keep me in bed for […]
Staggered twining over double warp
In fact, according to Annemarie Seiler-Baldinger in her inestimable Textiles: A Classification of Techniques, the full name of this technique is (deep breath) staggered weft twining over a double transposed warp. In plain English, you are twining two separate warp layers alternately, at the same time as the warp threads pair alternately with the ones […]
Bindweed (again!) and cordyline inflorescence
We recently had the fence between our front garden and that of our neighbour replaced, as it was in a sorry state. Sadly, many of the climbers and plants close to the fence did not survive the operation, but it also turned out that our neighbour’s garden was home to an incredible amount of bindweed, […]
5th World Wicker and Weaving Festival
Last week I attended the 5th World Wicker and Weaving Festival in Poznan, Poland. It was held in the cavernous Poznan Expo Centre over four scorchingly hot days, when the external temperature was above 30C. The main highlight was the live weaving competition, where over 130 competitors from around the world had 15 hours over […]
Inspired by Morigami Jin
Sometimes you end up in a completely different destination from where you intended. My idea was to further explore freestyle or irregular plaiting. After my first foray into this technique, I saw some lovely examples of it at the recent Eskenazi exhibition. So I went back to my photos and books on Japanese bamboo art […]
Japanese Aesthetics of Recycling
I have to admit to feeling a bit ambivalent about Japanese boro (mended or patched textiles). They have become incredibly fashionable in the West, presented as abstract art with prices to match. But the rural poor who made them were not making them as art. They made them from necessity, layering and stitching small pieces […]
Foraged fibres course at Morley College
The 10-week “Creative Basketry: Foraged Fibres” course I’ve been teaching at Morley College finished last night with a splendid show and tell session. Seeing all the pieces that the students have created during the course really brought it home – to them as well as me – how much they have progressed during that time. […]
Bamboo masterworks from Japan at the Eskenazi
I’m guessing that last year’s exhibition of Japanese bamboo art at the Eskenazi was a great success, as the gallery is currently showing some more. As the name suggests, Bamboo Masterworks from Japan – Classical to Contemporary includes works by some older masters of the art alongside contemporary artists, some of whom featured in the […]
Collaboration with fashion student
A few months ago I received a message from a student studying fashion at Central St Martins. His name was Oliver Sharpe, he was in his final year, and as part of his show he wanted to include a garment that featured some elements of basketry. Well, of course, I was intrigued, so we had […]
