Description
Course Date: Sunday 26 April 2026
Location: Paddock Art Studios, Paddock Lane, Lewes, BN7 1TW
These courses are for absolute beginners and improvers. They are held in a tranquil setting with nature all around us to fully reconnect and rewind. This morning course starts at 10:30 and finish around 13:30.
Get prepared for spring time and immersed in nature around you while weaving an obelisk or cloche and learning age-old basketry techniques. Find out about the quick and easy way of caring for your structure, so you will have the joy of using it for many years to come. Go for a tailored course and experience it with friends. Great for body and soul!
About your Teacher
Marianne of Crafty Basketry has been a basketmaker since 2006, working with foraged fibres and home-grown willow. Her work sits at the intersection of tradition and contemporary craft, exploring form, texture, and material through a slow, process-led approach. Moving between loose, organic structures and finely controlled weaves, each piece reflects an ongoing dialogue with the landscape. Rooted in sustainability and seasonality, her practice encompasses the full cycle of making—from growing and gathering to weaving by hand—imbuing each form with a quiet sense of place and time
What can I Expect?
- A relaxed time, immersing yourself in being creative with natural materials in a tranquil setting;
- An obelisk or cloche made out of different varieties of Sussex-grown, sustainable basketry willow, so you can feel the difference in use;
- The step-by-step, easy to follow guidance from the start of your base until the finished product;
- You will learn ancient basketry techniques and explore other projects with the same use of techniques;
- Find out about cultivation and preparation of willow and hedgerow materials and maintenance of your structure;
- Learn how to use tools provided and what to use if you don’t have those tools at home;
- Your lovely plant support is made from locally grown, 100% sustainable materials, the ethical, eco-friendly way; and
- All willow, use of tools (if you don’t like using your own), teas, coffees and fruit are included.
It’s a great day to spend with friends, but also really refreshing to do amongst like-minded people you’ve not met before. It also opens your eyes to the variety of ways in which to apply your new skills.
Working with natural materials is very therapeutic, as you are using head, heart and hands, bringing body and mind back in sync.
I try to organise the workshops in rural locations; on farms for instance, as then we have the full benefit of nature around us to fully reconnect and rewind. Over the years, people with disabilities, or who were thought to be lesser abled were still able to take part. Not quite sure about your abilities, then just get in touch and I will assess to see whether it’s for you.
Please contact me for a more tailored experience.
Please note: A minimum of five delegates is required to run this course. Should bookings not reach the minimum number this course may be rescheduled. Please book your course two weeks before the course date to allow for the preparation to take place.
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