a basket weaver
When we look back over time, it’s clear to see that we’ve lost certain traditional heritage crafts which were common practice in our towns and villages throughout the land. Crafts which were a way of life and a way of making a living for who those who worked this way. Today, some of us are reintroducing what could be seen as one of those lost crafts. Angela is one such individual and her craft is basket weaving.
After moving to Cornwall, Angela enrolled herself on a few varied basket weaving courses to gain experience and did a lot of reading and research in the meantime. She’s now been working professionally as a basket weaver for the last 4 years in her own purpose built workshop.
A huge vast space, light and airy which over looks her own willow beds which she harvests some of her willow from. I asked Angela if there are certain types of baskets she prefer to build “I enjoy both traditional and contemporary basketry. Initially, when learning the craft, I learnt traditional basketry - without this grounding and knowledge it would be difficult to move onto more contemporary pieces”
In order for Angela to create her baskets, she requires a lot of willow, some she grows herself and others she will buy in. You and I might have thought that willow is just one colour, well that’s simply not the case. Anglea’s workspace is full of various shades and colours of willow and various thicknesses and lengths.
“I enjoy both traditional and contemporary basketry”
Some of the basketry tools Angela uses are strange looking to say the least. Perhaps only strange to me as I’ve never seen such tools before. One of these is a “Cleave” - this is for splitting willow rods. Then there’s a “Bodkin”, this opens up spaces in the weave. These are just two of many tools Angela uses but it’s also nice to know that some of these tools are made by a blacksmith, one of those other traditional crafts.
Now when it comes to the weaving process, Angela follows a routine. Firstly the willow is soaked in a water tank over a day or so, laid to rest for a further period of time and then it’s ready for her to start the weaving process. It is important that the willow does not dry out to avoid any snapping, Her weaving starts with the base and then Angela will insert her uprights and her basket designs start to evolve and come together. She will of course use many different varieties of coloured willows to make her baskets both unique, traditional and varied in design. Nothing goes to waste here as she also uses the bark from the willow for other purposes. I watched Angela as she sat, relaxed and weaved away, making the whole process of basketry look so simple. RD
