Viles Arboretum

Wild basketry is an ancient craft that involves weaving natural materials, such as grasses, leaves, wood, vines, and tree bark, into functional and decorative containers. In class, we will review how to collect, process, and create baskets with local sourced plants. Some of the material that we may use in the class are as follow: cattail, pine needle, birch bark, ash, pine bark, willow, grasses, red osier dogwood, and grapevine.

This will be an interactive and hands-on class, there will be a presentation and basket demos. Students will be given an opportunity to work with some of the material and create a basket. A PDF will be shared with information on the materials and patterns. During the 4-hour class, students will be able to create a small basket. Learn a skill for life and become a wild basket maker.