In this four-day workshop, you’ll have two 2-day projects. For the first project, you will make a Rope Coil Weave Basket. In the second, your project will be a Fitched Willow Shopping Basket. Scroll down to read more & register.
Cost: $685 ($460 base price, $225 materials fee)
Date and time: Thursday, July 23, 2026 - Sunday, July 26, 2026. 9 am - 6 pm PT workshop, with a one-hour lunch break each day. (Lunch is included in your registration cost).
Location: Reed College (3203 SE Woodstock Blvd), Portland, OR. This workshop is part of Willow Fest Northwest 2026.
Instructor: Katherine Lewis
Workshop skill level: Intermediate to advanced. Some experience cutting scalloms is helpful. Understanding of pairing, waling, French randing, and willow borders is necessary. Hand strength is necessary for these projects and comfort using a knife is important for cutting scalloms.
List of tools and any additional materials: Sharp clippers (and side cutters if you have them), awl (one regular willow size, one thinner), ruler, cloth tape measure, rapping iron, blade knife (curved blade is ideal for cutting scalloms), clothespins (4 or 5), weight. If you use rubber strips to tie your stakes when weaving, bring those along.
Workshop size: 9 students
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Rope Coil Weave Basket ~ Project 1
Description: Rope coil weave! In this workshop you will make a bowl-shaped basket. To create the coil weave, we start with slender weavers of graduated lengths. The willows are sorted precisely, and the weave creates a coil that gives this basket its distinctive look. The weave is fun, the material is slender, but you must be able to twist and hold, so hand strength is still required. Techniques will include a German wale over outstretched stakes to set the shape of the basket, the rope coil weave, and a border that mirrors the weave. Hand strength is required even though the willows are smaller than in many baskets. The German wale over outstretched stakes requires bending and kneeling.
Dimensions: 16” diameter, 6-7” high. Sizes will vary.
Fitched Willow Shopping Basket ~ Project 2
Description: Working with bark-on willows, students will weave an oval shopping basket with a cross handle using scallomed-on stakes and fitched sides. Scalloming, cutting a tail on the end of the willow stakes, allows stakes to be “tied” onto the base hoop. Fitching is an open work weave; combined with scallomed stakes it makes a strong and lightweight basket with elegantly simple lines. Because fitching requires closely placed stakes, only half of the “uprights” in the basket will be used for the border. To accomplish this with the most efficient use of willow, we will create two uprights from one piece of willow, cutting two scalloms from one section of each rod. Initially this is a challenge, but so satisfying! Techniques covered in this project include weaving a base on a prepared hoop, cutting two scalloms from one willow rod, fitching, waling, 5-rod border, and handle attachment for fitched baskets. The focus in this session will be on fitching, shaping, and how to create a strong, functional basket.
Dimensions: 21” long x 13” wide x 8-9” tall plus handle. Sizes will vary
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Important note: Be sure to select your housing vs. commuter option (link here), when you register. Everyone must make a housing selection even if you intend to commute.
Registration closes May 20, 2026. The last day to cancel to get a refund (minus a $35 processing fee) is May 20, 2026. All cancellations initiated by the attendee require a written notification by the attendee and acknowledgement by the event Registrar. Email is an acceptable means of notification. Cancellations after May 20 will be considered on a case-by-case basis and will incur a $100 fee. They will only be possible where the cancellation does not cause the workshop size to drop below the minimum.
Workshop spots are not transferable; if you cannot attend please cancel as soon as possible so that we can do our best to fill your spot from our wait list.
If the workshop you would like has filled, you may be added to our wait list; click here, and complete the ‘check out’ process, to be added to the wait list.
Split sessions, i.e., one class rather than two or two days rather than four, are not available.
Questions? Email WillowFestNW@gmail.com