In 2016, approaching retirement from our traditional careers, we started looking for something we could do with our farmland.  In researching we came across information on growing basket willow bushes as a commercial enterprise.  We ordered cuttings from Dunbar Gardens in Mount Vernon, Washington and Willowglen Nursery in Decorah, Iowa, and planted our first crop in the spring of 2017.

Willows are a resilient crop.  Plant a single 10 inch rod in the ground and a small bush will sprout the first year.  Cut them down to the ground each winter when dormant and they will shoot back up in the spring, stronger, thicker, taller, than the year before, maturing at about 5 years.  They will continue to produce stems for about 20 years.  When dried, branches can be stored indefinitely, to be soaked and woven into a useful basketry item in the future.  We started our first year with 370 bushes; we now have about 13,000. 

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With an abundance of willow flourishing in the pasture, I decided to try my hand at weaving.  What initially began as a natural extension of our farm production, soon became an obsession.  There is something so satisfying about taking the willow from planting, through harvest and processing, and then weaving it into a beautiful basket that will last a lifetime.  I came to basket weaving late in life, but that only fuels my passion as I have waited so long to find something that touches my soul and allows me to express myself, as my weaving does.

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My baskets are woven with the intention of practical use, but also serve as artistic touches for both home and landscape.  The baskets are not dyed, I weave with brown willow, meaning the bark is left on, creating beautiful variations in color.  The shapes are only limited by your imagination; willow can be woven into baskets, bowls, trays, trivets, or canoes, to be used throughout the home or as wall hangings.  In the landscape my willow takes the shape of bird feeders, fences, tomato cages and structures.

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Willow is strong, resilient, and a bit wild; it takes concentration and strength to coax it into the desired shapes.  I find joy in letting each item develop its own personality.  Sometimes the result is not exactly as I envisioned; it’s that unexpected outcome that adds to the satisfaction, knowing I’ve created something unique.  And it’s that mystery that keeps the weaving exciting and new, that makes me look forward to each day in the studio.  It stirs a passion inside me to share the ancient art of willow basketry, through demonstrations, classes, and my basketry.  ​

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