Basketry Class with Anne Mette Hjørnholm

On the week-end May 26-27 we had our first serious basketry class here at Lakeshore Willows as the very accomplished Danish basket maker Anne Mette Hjørnholm visited for a 2 day class.

As I didn’t make sure that I had photos of the finished baskets at the end of the class, I have asked the participating students for photos which I have put together in the above collage.

Here's a purse from another angle. Nice work.





Anne Mette taught 3 different types of baskets. The traditional stake and strand – round basket – was taught beginners, a rib style basket – a hen basket – was made by weavers with a little more experience and a fitched purse was for the very experienced willow basket weavers.
 
Although 6 of us made a traditional stake and strand basket, not two of them were identical which emphasizes some of the many possibilities this technique offers. Each student decided on their own size, shape, design of weave etc and everyone walked away with a beautiful basket – helped along by Anne Mette’s instructions.

The rib baskets were absolutely beautiful and the fitched purses very elegant and light. The skills and creativity that Anne Mette possesses were obvious and appreciated by all of us as we learned a lot over those 2 days.
Right now Anne Mette is in Stowe Vermont teaching willow basketry all week before she returns to Denmark. This was our first big event – it will not be the last.