Description
NOVEMBER 14th-17th 2025 / Friday – Monday
£465 per person plus £25 materials paid directly to Justine on the first day.
(includes lunch and dessert each day and access to tea station)
10am – 4.30pm daily
Your experience will include:
- 4 days tuition (10am – 4.30pm) from Justine, holder of the UK National Collection of Salix and professional weaver and tutor.
- small intimate group with high levels of 1:1 tuition with a max of 6 participants
- Homemade vegetarian/ gluten free lunch and homemade dessert every day as well as access to a coffee/tea station throughout the day
- The course will cover:
- Basic willow cultivation, harvesting and storage
- Effective willow preparation
- Introduction to basic weaving tools
- Round bases – how to construct traditional stake and strand bases and things to consider when designing your base. You will have time to practice and make 3-5 bases and turn them into baskets (and other items) during the course.
- Sides – Adding uprights and exploring which traditional weaves work best. eg 3-rod wale, French rand and slewing
- Borders – you will spend a day looking at border types, when to choose which border and why. This can include the beautiful Polish asymmetric border designed by Polish basketmaker Stanislaw Dziubak in 1997.
- Handles – we will explore 2/3 types of handles as well as adding a simple leather version
- Optional Homework to help you embed your skills further
- Includes use of tools and comprehensive list of willow and tools suppliers. The £25 materials fee paid directly to Justine on the first day will cover all the willow used during the four days.
- A dedicated, modern learning space at Ash Farm with a log burner for a cosy environment.
- Sumptuous homemade lunch prepared by Sian and her team, and daily dessert with tea and coffee on tap.
- Optional Basketmakers Tool Kit available to pre-order with Justine – perfect to store in one of the baskets you will make.
Onsite accommodation available to book if you would like to stay at Ash Farm for the duration of the course. Contact Sian directly if you would like to stay in one of the rooms available. See both rooms via the link : https://sianodoherty.co.uk/product-category/accommodation/
REFUND AND CANCELLATION POLICY
If you need to cancel a workshop
We try our best to price our workshops fairly and offer good value for money. We therefore have a clear non-refundable policy to ensure that we cover our costs and the ongoing viability of the workshop.
We do appreciate that sometimes-unforeseen circumstances may mean that you can’t attend a workshop so we are happy for you to send along a friend to take your place, we will need their name and contact details prior to the workshop.
If you contact us at least 14 days in advance of the start date of the workshop, then we can offer a transfer to the same workshop on an alternative date, providing there are places available or a workshop is planned. If there are no suitable future dates, we can provide a voucher to be used for a future workshop booking.
Please note that there are no make-ups for missed sessions if the workshop is over more than one session.
Our right to cancel a workshop
Should we need to cancel a workshop due to unforeseen circumstances, we will aim to give you as much notice as possible of the cancellation. Unfortunately, we cannot accept any liability for travel or other costs.
The Maker –
Julie Williams – 24th November 2024
This four day course was amazing. So happy I decided to go for it! I had never done any willow weaving before and yet I came away with three very professional baskets that I am thrilled with. Justine clearly explained and demonstrated all the procedures we needed to learn. She was both patient and skillful at sharing her knowledge with us. I left feeling confident that I can continue to develop my new found love for basketry and weaving now. I definitely recommend this course. I would also like to sing the praises of Ash Farm and the wonderful cafe. The food was incredible here! Sian creates the most delicious vegetarian and vegan food. I had a wonderful Buddha Bowl, Chilli, Tagliatelle and Soup dishes over the 4 day course. The deserts were perfect too! This was a truly wonderful experience and a big treat to myself.
Thanks Justine and Sian x
The Maker –
Ash Tree Farm and West Wales Willlow wove together a joyful workshop.
Up the hill above deep welsh hedgerows with picture views of tree and meadow.
Shop, cafe and studio with hosptaility to nurish and rest.
4 days of willow, learnt so much, the whole cycle of basketry skills.
Varieties to plant, harvest, sort, soak then hands-on with many weaves.
Justine’s teaching adapted to all enabling many basket creations.
The fuel, not just wood on the fire, but food and nurishment.
Sian’s enthusiasm and culinary creations made legendary lunchtimes.
Great food and company with so much willow knowledge in the perfect location.
Had a wonderful time and love my 3 (and a bit) baskets.
Massive thank-you and highly recommended.
The Maker –
Lucy Neumann (verified owner) – 25th November 2024
I have had the most wonderful time on the 4 day basket making course!
Justine is a brilliant teacher, so knowledgeable and encouraging. I wanted to make something a little more customised to my needs, which was challenging my beginner level skills. Justine was able to guide me in technique and bring out my confidence in creating a basket I am extremely proud of. I feel so inspired, and have found a passion for basket weaving – I had never done it before.
I am ever so grateful to the amazing hospitality from Sian, and all that catered for our needs.
Sian is the most tremendous cook, creating inspiring and delicious dishes from scratch. Her passion for healthy eating shines through every sumptuous morsel.
I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the course, even with some horrendous weather happenings.
I am ever so grateful to both Justine and Sian for their patience, kindness, skills and efforts in making the 4 days a really special occasion xx
The Maker –
Julie B (verified owner) – 25th November 2024
I was lucky enough to stay at Ash Farm for the 4 day workshop with beautiful alpaca bedding, a super comfy bed, my own kitchenette, a view of the alpacas in their field and the best hostess ever, Sian.
Justine from West Wales Willows was extremely knowledgeable, supportive and encouraging, often finding alternative solutions if I struggled with an aspect of weaving due to past injuries to my hands.
She covered lots of different aspects of basketry from growing and preparing willow to many different types of weaving so that we experienced a range of willow and techniques which we could then use to make our final woven pieces.
Everyone worked on different projects to suit their own requirements and it was just as interesting working on my own projects as watching everyone else’s develop.
As I stayed on site I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at Ash Farm and the food was AMAZING! I am vegan and I was spoilt for choice with the most amazing selection of dishes. Everything is homemade with consideration and expertise by Sian who was happy to advise, share recipes and ideas.
Over the four days I’ve learnt so much from both Justine and Sian and I’ve had a super comfortable stay which felt like a holiday. With a positive and productive learning environment, amazing food and great company I would recommend the workshop and Ash Farm without hesitation 😁