Winter Workshops

 

Despite the cold weather winter is ideal for garden basketry workshops. There is plenty of useful materials and apart from building outdoor structures you can use your creativity indoors.

Weaving Magic series of 3 workshops over consecutive Sundays saw the participants acquire a variety of new skills. Starting with string or 2ply.After a short while many lengths of string was produced.

Next challenge was tension trays 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then outdoors  for fence and some random weaving.

  

 

Next challenge was a rib basket 

At times it was very quite as they all concentrated. Despite my advice of making a SMALL rib basket only one student completed her basket as the rest managed larger baskets and hopefully they will compete them soon and send me the photos.

All  in all the workshops where a successful foray into sharing my skills.

Garden Basketry on ABC TV

Winter is a great time of the year to add a bit of creative basketry to your garden. On Saturday July 5th at 6.30pm there will be a segment on Gardening Australia relating to garden basketry featuring  Nirvana Farm and some of Deb’s creations.

 

Materials, Tension trays,fences and more……..and for those in the Adelaide Hills check out the Winter edition of the Adelaide Hills Magazine for more basketry stories.

A Creative Space.

Within our front garden you will find my basketry shed, better known as the ‘Witch’s Lair’ a wonderful space where I can enjoy creating, with all my materials at hand.

The shed itself was recycled , ‘buyer to remove’ A lucky buy,as it was a hexagon shed with double glass sliding door and 2 windows. Before rebuilding we carefully sited it in the garden so it faced north to take advantage of winter sun and summer shade. 

Once it was rebuilt with insulation and lined a cosy space emerged, fitted out with bartered shelving  and cupboards  through freecycle. Add our old lounge recovered to take advantage of the view.With a utility interior set up it was so much easier to create baskets and get some sewing done, the  next challenge was to complete the garden.

 

Front entrance.

 

Bird watching from the lair	Workspace and relaxing space	View from the lounge to orchard
Woolly yarrow ground cover and western wall,with pavers I made.	Beginning of eastern wall, made from recycled cold room panels.	Rendered eastern wall completed.It was fun to render and decorate.
Detail on western cold room panel wall.	Upper garden outdoor workspace.	No witch’s Lair would be complete without a broom parking area.

Basketry in the Garden

  

Gardens are great places to construct large projects.      

 

 

Using Tension Trays in the garden

 

 

 

Trellises in the vegetable garden made using knotless netting technique.

 

Prunings wrapped with florist tape and solar lights.