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Christmas Willow Wreath Sessions at The Workshop Whitley Bay
17 November 2024
Today's Sorted Rods at Chester Hope15 November 2024
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Today's Sorted Rods at Chester Hope
Posted on 15 November 2024
Siobhan sorted some colourful rods at Chester Hope today. The photo shows rich, dark red-coloured Dogwood rods and Salix Alba from Tosson. The rods on the left are this season's Flanders Red.
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Volunteers Needed
Posted on 07 November 2024
Northumbria Basketry Group members operate several plots for growing willow throughout our region, producing a wide variety of rods for use in self-help groups and personal use. At some sites, volunteers assist with the cutting, sorting, and bundling
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Willow Zarzo Basket
Posted on 09 October 2024
Come and make a beautiful and unique Zarzo Basket. Originating from Spain, it is elegant, stylish, and functional. Traditionally used in cheese production, the design has been transformed to make a beautiful basket with many uses. Suitable for begin
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Plant Twisters - News of an Exciting Fibre Basketry Development from Anna Corbett
Posted on 07 October 2024
Plant Twisters – a fibre basketry network for Northumberland (and beyond!)In September, a group of fibre-loving basket-y people came together to talk about the possibility offorming a network. We chose the name Plant Twisters, and the aim is to
Read OnWillow Fair
Posted on 07 October 2024
Come to Gifford Village Hall, The Square, Gifford, E. Lothian EH41 4QJ on Saturday 26th of October. The Fair will be open from 10.30 to 17.00. Learn more about the ancient craft of willow basket weaving, willow sculpture, and cordage using plant fi
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Chester Hope Summer Picnic 2024
Posted on 19 August 2024
We enjoyed the picnic at the Willow plot yesterday. With guidance from Charlotte, we stripped willow rods for white and enjoyed a session with Lorraine, who tutored us on the Neolithic weave and did some essential plot maintenance. It was a busy aft
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Finding Fibres 2024
Posted on 16 June 2024
Anna Corbett is running three short workshops exploring fibre plants for basketry in July, August, and September. Each workshop will focus on plants growing in wild and cultivated habitats, such as meadows, ponds, marshes, woodland, hedgerows, garde
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Weaving the Landscape - Workshops and Talks
Posted on 29 May 2024
Anna Corbett is delighted to be supporting and taking part in this year's What a Wonderful World festival, a celebration and investigation into art, science and nature, taking place in Alnwick. Most of the festival events take place over the weekend
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Beautiful Baskets in the Harn Museum, Gainsville, Florida.
Posted on 23 May 2024
I am indebted to my good friend Tom Smith, who lives in Sky Valley, GA, and recently visited the University of Florida Harn Museum in Gainsville. Tom sent me the attached images, and after checking out the Museum's website, I discovered the fascinati
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Worshipful Company of Basketmakers' Trade Fair 2024
Posted on 17 April 2024
The invitation to the SBC to attend the 2024 Trade Fair in London was unfortunately late in going out to members due to a technical hitch with the email system. I had been invited by Dorothy Walker, this year’s Prime Warden, to demonstrat
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Chester Hope Willow Stocks 13th March 2024
Posted on 13 March 2024
Limited stocks of willow bundles from the 2023 growing season are still available for NBG members at Chester Hope. If you wish to purchase any of the bundles listed below, please contact me at info@northumbriabasketrygroup.co.uk Four Foot – 7
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End of the Willow Harvesting Season at Chester Hope
Posted on 21 February 2024
Arriving at the Chester Hope willow plot just after lunch, Siobhan and I were greeted by squally showers and strong gusts of wind. Fortunately, the weather improved during the afternoon, and in four hours, we had completed the cutting and sorting of
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Harvesting Colourful Willow at Chester Hope
Posted on 17 February 2024
The final two Salix Purpurea varieties to be cut and sorted at Chester Hope this season are Packing Twine and Brittany Green. The rods provide a delightful contrast in colour. The Packing Twine rods are bright green with a lovely sheen when freshly c
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Chester Hope Willow Sales
Posted on 16 January 2024
Bundles of the following varieties of willow are now available for purchase and collection from Chester Hope; Bleu Bleu, Dicky Meadows, Calliantha, Flanders Red, Green Dicks, and Norbury. It is anticipated that the following varieties will be avail
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Twist - Twine - Loop
Posted on 12 December 2023
We are introducing a new exciting series of workshops with Anna Corbett at Bolton Village Hall in early 2024. The venue is west of Alnwick, not far from the A697 Wooler to Morpeth Road. There are three workshops in the series, starting with the first
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Willow Harvesting at Chester Hope
Posted on 17 November 2023
Siobhan, Jane and I made short work of sorting the Bleu Bleu in the fine weather today and started cutting the Dicky Meadows. As you can see in the attached image, we have an impressive willow crop this year. The second image shows the range of sorte
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Willow Christmas Angels Workshops
Posted on 03 November 2023
From the Hexham courant September 20th '23:With the approach of longer nights, the Highlights Rural Touring Scheme has prepared an exciting line-up of live events across Northumberland and Cumbria. Including 'Creative Highlights' events for the first
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A New Basketry Group Training Venue
Posted on 30 October 2023
The latest two-day Beginners' Shopping Basket workshop was held at Ravenstonedale Community and Heritage Centre in the Eden Valley over the weekend of the 28th/29th of October. This venue is the furthest west of any location in England for teaching b
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Two-Day Beginners' Basketry Workshop (Weekday) - Basket 1
Posted on 27 September 2023
One place is available on this beginners' workshop tutored by Charlotte Lobb at Willowdene House, Longframlington. The dates for the workshop are the 9th and 10th of October. This is an excellent opportunity to learn the basic skills involved in maki
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Irish Skib Basket One Day Course Thursday 28th September
Posted on 20 September 2023
There is an opportunity to attend this one-day workshop organised by Elaine at Stainmore Village Hall. The class will be tutored by Jean Tinsley and is suitable for both beginners and improvers. There will be a maximum of eight participants, and the
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Picnic at the Plot
Posted on 22 August 2023
I went to the summer picnic at the Chesterhope Willow plot on Sunday. It was a lovely sunny afternoon, perfect conditions to spend a few hours meeting and chatting with other basketry enthusiasts, sharing delicious food, and learning new willowy thin
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Border Union Agricultural Show, Kelso Friday 28th & Saturday 29th July 2023
Posted on 02 August 2023
The Northumbria Basketry Group stall at BUAS displayed the skill and diversity of the work done within our group. It was staffed by enthusiastic members, happy to chat with visitors about NBG and basketry in general. We also offered have-a-go oppo
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Finding Fibres Workshop with Anna Corbett II
Posted on 23 July 2023
This exciting workshop is scheduled for September when there is an abundance of plants suitable for foraging for plant fibres. Anna is a specialist in weaving with locally available plant fibres, and she will help identify and process a variety of pl
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Northumbrian Fishwife's Creel Workshop - November 2022
Posted on 06 January 2023
Elaine Blackett-Ord has written an excellent article about the workshop tutored by Anna Turnbull, held on Lindisfarne in November 2022. The workshop was organised by Anne Otley, who I am delighted to report is now Co-Chair of the national Basketmake
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Nourish Exhibition
Posted on 20 August 2022
The Crafts Centre, Farnham, Surrey, is hosting the exhibition from the 9th of August until the 29th of October. Three of our members, Anna Liebmann, Anna Turnbull and Ruth Thompson, are among sixteen full-time professional willow basket makers, arti
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Sophia Sturge
Posted on 16 February 2022
For basketry group members who have travelled to Connemara to attend workshops with Joe Hogan and indulge in such noteworthy pleasures as seaweed baths at Leenane, this book adds a delightful chapter about the development of basketry in the area. Wr
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Website Home Page Updates
Posted on 22 August 2021
Our basketry group website homepage now has an improved format. It is now easier to find information about joining self-help groups, purchasing willow rods, attending basketry classes, and making commissions for baskets and other articles made by gr
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Willow Work Holidays
Posted on 04 August 2021
Please check out the What's On section of the website for information about an Autumn willow work holiday.
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The Gritlin Basket
Posted on 12 July 2021
The photos show a cran, much larger than the quarter cran measure - four times larger - we are familiar with from seaside postcards and which many of us have learned from Colin Manthorpe. It is used to hold a great line, cork around the rim to protec
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Willow Handbags and Shoulder Bags
Posted on 11 May 2021
An opportunity to enjoy creating willow handbags and shoulder bags with Anna in early June. See the what's on section for further information.
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A Stunning Willow Sculpture
Posted on 10 May 2021
This striking willow sculpture made by Anna Turnbull is for a client with echoes of his granddaughters and also his profession - bookbinding . Anna started with drawings, measurements and then a metal skeleton made by her husband, Richard. The sequ
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Sales of Willow Cuttings
Posted on 19 February 2021
The group has sold 312 cuttings to a customer in Bratislava, Slovakia, this month. They arrived in perfect condition, as can be seen in the attached photograph. Varieties were Norbury, Packing Twine, Bleu Bleu, Brittany Green, Calliantha, and Dicky
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Willow Harvesting at Chester Hope Complete
Posted on 02 February 2021
I am delighted to report that willow cutting operations at the new plot at Chester Hope were completed for the 2020/2021 season yesterday. Work did not start in earnest until early January, and it is quite an achievement to have completed the harve
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Northumbria Basketry Group Self-Help Groups
Posted on 01 January 2021
If you wish to attend a self-help meeting, please note that there is generally a pattern of times in the month when groups meet. Exceptions to the practice are December and the summer holiday period. (Check the What's-On section for details) We
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Willow Plot Update
Posted on 11 August 2020
The contract for the willow plot land at Whittondean ran out at the end of July. A new plot has been commissioned and is up and running at Chester Hope. This plot is located close to Ryehill up the Coquet Valley from Rothbury. Following the removal
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Happy New Year
Posted on 09 January 2020
This year our group is off to a flying start with a busier workshop programme than ever before. From making a vegetable hod to learning how to do invisible stitching, the choice is vast. This year for the first time the group are running a coffin ma
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Willow Storage Shelter on Site Chesterhope
Posted on 03 October 2019
The willow storage shelter was moved from Whittondean to Chesterhope yesterday. The loading and unloading were kindly carried out by Derek Milburn from Holling Hill. Our thanks to Derek for helping out. Photographs show Derek tying down the shelter
Read OnBasketry, Willow Sculpture and Felt-Making
Posted on 11 June 2018
The June/July Issue of the Northumbrian features an article about Anna Turnbull and her work with willow and felt. Written by Susan Burke it tracks Anna's progression from her early days of studying fine arts at Camberwell School of Arts and Cra
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Lindisfarne Nature Trail Sculptures Walk
Posted on 01 August 2017
Yesterday evening a group of 20 people attended the inaugural walk to view the willow sculptures located at various points on the Island nature trail. The walk was led by Andrew Craggs, Reserve Manager Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve. (Natural En
Read OnHow to Make a Willow Sphere
Posted on 02 April 2015
Look up the Gallery Section of the website to see Ruth's images showing how to make a willow sphere.
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