Fishsticks Basketry School - Backyard Basketry

WINTER       SPRING       SUMMER       FALL

      PLANT          GROW         HARVEST        WEAVE

backyard basketry - a seminar series with Judy Zugish in her fiber arts garden
can be scheduled for small groups

Students will make their own designs using techniques learned in class

SPRING - Ta-Daa! it's twining time!

for so many Northwest materials—barks and grasses, bulbs and vines twining is the indispensable connection. Learn together first with a basic shaped form, then discuss the many possibilities and start a small basket to weave more on your own.

SPRING - Using Sticks and twigs

spring pruning and cleanup season provides opportunities galore for baskets and fences, trellis constructions and trays. Plan to review examples, make a large tray, and brainstorm ideas for artful garden forms. (if sufficient interest, we can even plan a building workshop for another day!)

SPRING - Quick Weave Containers

spontaneous picking baskets, soft cylinders and folded sacks all shape up quickly once you learn the basics of bias weave. we’ll make several using garden flax, iris leaves, yucca and bark. Grow comfortable with this “instant packaging” technique.

SUMMER - Bark collecting, substance and secrets

spring and summer, local trees share lovely barks for folding and weaving, cordmaking and stitching. Come to this exciting conversation and learn how to season and use this resource while actually harvesting from Judy’s willow plantings.

SUMMER - Fresh in the Garden

there’s nothing quite like the pleasure of pulling fresh and fragrant herbs to sit in a circle and weave with friends. This seasonal ritual and the baskets we’ll make always says,“sangria and quacamole days are the best!” learn an easy stick and strand weaving technique and the variety of plants you can adapt to this new skill.



SUMMER - Ahhhh, time to Twill!

long summer light, time to TWILL! Patterned plaiting makes makes lovely designs; great for table mats, wall hangings, curtain weaving, textile style basketry. We’ll do some samplers for your table top and record several designs to reference in later works you may weave.

SUMMER - 3 Perfect Plants for Plaiting

about this time of year, cattails and bulrush and long leaved iris offer a bounty of leaf fiber perfect for baskets, trays, mats. Come discover these timeless fiber plants. We’ll start a flat form basket and weave animal shapes. You’ll be love-struck with tulle!

FALL - The Finery of Vinery

the end of each growing season yields long flexible stems from a multitude of favored garden vines. Useful in many styles, one favorite of mine is a random weave technique because such baskets are truly the expression of a vine in nature. enjoy an exploratory shape and discovery today.

FALL - Harvest of Branches

late season sculpting. this is a chance to explore shapes we can make with ribbed construction and miscellaneous weavers. time to go wild and fanciful in a container or wall display. this project starts, but may not finish today.

WINTER- Rounds for Wreathmaking

every garden is likely to have rounds for wreathmaking and the fresh pleasure of bringing them indoors. Here we can explore willow and grapevine, kiwi and bay leaf! Bring a friend and make several.

More images from classes