Willow Basket Weekend Workshop
October 10th and 11th, 2026
at our willow farm in Weaverville, NC
Join us for a two day workshop and make a willow basket!
This class is open to total beginners as well as professional crafters. Participants will design and make a willow backpack using a variety of cultivated basket willows.
When: Saturday, October 10th, 10:00AM - 5:00PM
Sunday, October 11th, 10:00AM - 5:00PM
Location: our willow farm in Weaverville, NC. Specific details upon registering.
What's included: Participants in this class will learn and apply the following techniques:
*making an round slath
*tying in the slath
*crowning the slath
*pairing weavers
*upsetting the basket
*staking up the base
*slyping rods
*waling
*applying a false foot
*creating flow on the sides
*using a simple rand weave
*using a french rand weave
*pricking down the stakes
*incorporating handles into the design
*making a four behind two border
This class requires focused attention and might leave your hands feeling tired by the end of the weekend. It will all be worth it when you go home with a beautiful new willow basket and the knowledge of how to make more of them! There will be a maximum of eight participants for this workshop.
Accommodations: The restroom facilities are rustic with a composting toilet nearby and a flush toilet available a two minute walk away. We do not have overnight accommodations. Please make your own overnight accommodation arrangements if you do not already live in the Asheville/Weaverville, NC area.
Age limit: Adults only.
Please note: this class will require average-moderate hand strength and may not be a good fit for those with hand sensitivities including hand injuries and arthritis. Please reach out to the instructor for more clarification about this if needed.
Cost: This workshop has sliding scale pricing (which includes all materials) of $300-$450 with equity spots available to people of the global majority (PGM) from racialized communities (email frea@wildearthcrafts.com to inquire about equity spots). Please select a payment based on your financial resources. In other words, those with less financial resources should choose on the lower end of the pricing scale and those with greater financial resources should choose on the higher end of the pricing scale. See the Green Bottle Model for clarification and help self-selecting the appropriate payment. Additionally, paying on the higher end of the pricing scale helps support equitable access.
About Wild Earth Crafts: 🖤🤎🏳️⚧️🍉🪶Wild Earth Crafts supports DEI, LGBTQ+ rights, access for all bodies, a Free Palestine, Landback, Reparations, decolonization and collective liberation 🖤🤎🏳️⚧️🍉🪶
About the Instructor: Frea Forager (pronounced FREE-yuh; she/they) helps people tap into the potent medicine of their own creativity and deepen their connection to the natural world through earth crafts. She is committed to fostering an equitable and liberatory approach to craft work. Her teaching thoughtfully explores how craft practices, education, and materials are connected to broader social issues such as historical and ongoing injustices, including land appropriation, indigenous displacement, and systemic inequality. She also shares ways she is actively engaging in efforts towards repair and positive change within the field. You can learn more about her and the work she does HERE.
Cancelation Policy: Refunds minus a $25 processing fee are available up to 30 days before the event. After that, if you need to cancel, and it is at least 4 days before the workshop, a credit in the amount of 50% of your payment will be issued for a basket purchase or attendance at a future workshop. If it is 4 days before the workshop or less, we may not be able to fill your spot at that late of notice and therefore, may not be able to offer a credit. Please reach out about your individual situation.
***TO REGISTER***: email frea@wildearthcrafts(dot)com.
