What I bring
All materials and tools, and enough of both for every seat. Every stick used in my workshops is harvested by me, either from the wild or from willow I am helping to grow.
For hosts and venues
Host a basketry
workshop
I bring the willow, the tools, and everything else a room full of people needs to weave something they can take home. You bring the room and the people.
Bookings are currently closed. September bookings open on 15 January.
What you provide
A room with tables and chairs, water, and a way for people to register. Workshops run from three hours to two full days.
Group sizes
Most workshops run from six to twenty. The smallest projects take four, the largest gatherings up to thirty. Each listing gives its own range.
Where I travel
I am based near Ponoka, in central Alberta, and can teach within roughly 150 km of home for most of the year. The rest depends on the season, because the season decides where I am harvesting.
- January, May, June, September, October
- Travelling across Alberta. These are the months to ask about if you are further afield.
- November, December, February, March, April
- Harvesting near Calgary and Edmonton, and available to teach near those cities.
The workshops
Grouped by how long they take. Prices are per participant and include all materials.
Three hours
Willow Wreath
A willow wreath, sized large for the door or small for a shelf, from willow that grows in Alberta's ditches. Together we will bend and wind it into a simple, quietly beautiful ring.
Participants receive enough willow for four wreaths, 8 to 12 inches across. We weave three together and the fourth bundle goes home. Available 1 November to 31 March.
6 to 30 people
Moon and Star
Long before clocks, willow and the moon and the stars were working companions, marking the turn of the seasons. In this quiet workshop we will weave a willow moon and a star of your own.
Can run as one workshop, or as two consecutive sessions with stars in the first and a larger moon in the second. Both together need five hours and cost $145.
6 to 20 people
Berry Boat
A boat of willow knows many voyages: into the brambles for berries, onto the table for crackers, a shelf for small treasures. Using a simple wooden jig you will weave a shallow tray of your own. All tools and materials provided.
6 to 20 people
Suet Bird Feeder
A suet feeder for the winter birds, woven from willow. It is a simple, useful first project and a gentle way to get to know how willow twists and turns. Together we will make one to hang outside.
Price includes two pieces of suet.
6 to 12 people
Five hours
Tiny Trug
A tiny willow trug, made to cradle soft petals, fragrant herbs, and the small treasures that whisper up from the forest floor. Together we will shape one to carry home.
6 to 12 people
Cattail Berry Basket
Cattail has a soft rustle and a warm colour all its own. Over a wooden form you will weave a small berry basket: a checkerboard weave, pairing, waling, and a simple trac border to finish. A gentle first meeting with the plant.
8 to 15 people
A full day
Textured Willow Bowl
A bowl with a deep, ropey texture, worked in the rope coil weave. You will lay a 3 x 3 slath base, raise a slight foot with a four-rod drop-down wale, then carry the rope coil up the sides to a rod border. Some weaving experience helps.
4 to 8 people
Berry Basket
In this hands-on workshop, you will be invited into the gentle rhythm of weaving as you create a small round willow basket, a beautiful introduction for anyone beginning their basketry journey. You will learn foundational stake-and-strand techniques: a slath base, waling, pairing, slewing, and a rod border, with an optional wrapped-core handle.
6 to 9 people
Two days
Large Round Willow Basket
Over two days, a generous round willow basket with inset handles. You will lay a 3 x 3 slath base, then pairing, waling, and French randing to a classic rod border, with time to really settle into the willow.
Two days gives the time to work deeply with willow, to find the rhythm of it, and to carry home a basket built to serve for years.
4 to 8 people
Large Twisted Willow Basket
Worked with generous bundles of willow, this basket carries a striking twist, like rope laid round and round. You will lay a slath base, work pairing and waling, then the rope coil weave up to a rod border. Some experience recommended, keen beginners welcome.
Along the way: pairing, waling, and rod borders, with the option of a sturdy handle.
4 to 8 people
Availability
Dates are grouped by week. Weekends are set in the heavier face.
- 14 Open
- 14 On hold
- 14 Booked
January
Travelling across Alberta
- 121314151617
- 26272829311
February
Calgary, Edmonton, or Red Deer
- 2345678
- 252627281
March
Calgary, Edmonton, or Red Deer
- 2345678
- 1415
- 161718192021
- 31
April
Calgary, Edmonton, or Red Deer
- 1112
- 1516171819
- 20212223242526
- 27282930
May
Travelling across Alberta
- 123
- 45678910
- 11121314151617
- 2021222324
- 25262728293031
June
Travelling across Alberta
- 1234567
- 891011121314
- 15161718192021
- 22
From past workshops
Curious what it looks like to host one. Copyright for these photographs belongs to the photographer, the event, or the host, so please don’t reuse them. Once a workshop is booked I’ll send you a set you can use.
Large Twisted Willow Basket · Baskets in the Garden, 2025
Cattail Berry Baskets · Remembering the Village, 2025
Moon and Stars · Wild Roses, 2025
Berry Boats · Good Note Spring Festival, 2025
Large Round Willow Baskets · Entrance Ranch
Berry Baskets and Bird Feeders · a private residence
Berry and Textured Willow Baskets · Weaving Connections, 2025
Let’s find a date
The price of these workshops reflects the work behind them. There are no willow farms in Alberta, so every stick used is one I harvested myself, from the wild or from willow I am helping to grow.
If you’re ready to share the joy of weaving with your friends, colleagues, or community, I would love to help you make it happen.