This winter I’ve been experiment with a new type of willow weaving - spiral weave. It’s really easy and the results are strong and beautiful. You can make small bowls, hanging baskets, napkin rings or birdfeeders with the same simple technique. And for this workshop, we’ll be focusing on bird feeders.
I’m delighted to invite you to Laurelbank Farm for an afternoon of chatting, learning and making. I love making something functional and beautiful entirely from materials I’ve grown here on the farm. And creating useful items that are entirely compostable, when they finally come to the end of their lives.
We’ll start the afternoon with a cup of tea and a chat about willow, discussing everything from growing and harvesting to the history of the craft. If the weather is OK, we’ll pop down to the “salley garden” (aka the willow patch) where you can see all colours of our heritage varieties I grow. I’ll also show you my soaking trough and we’ll have a brief chat about how to prepare dry willow for weaving.
Then we’ll head back to the Gallery to start our projects. We’ll all be making bird feeders of various sizes and shapes (it’s your choice).
I’m looking forward to welcoming you and sharing the art of willow weaving—let’s make something wonderful together!
Here are the details:
The date and time:
Tuesday, 26th January 2025: 2:00 pm - 5:30 pm
The place: Laurelbank Farm, 121 Middle Road, Saintfield, Co. Down, BT24 7LS
The cost: £35 plus a small booking fee (includes all materials)
The refreshments: We’ll have an array of teas, herbal teas, coffee, and water on hand. If you’d like anything specific, feel free to bring it along! I’ll also be baking some biscuits, so please let me know of any dietary needs when you book, and I’ll do my best to accommodate.
What to bring: We’ll be weaving in the Gallery, which we’ll keep on the cool side to prevent the willow from drying out. To stay comfortable, bring plenty of layers and maybe even fingerless gloves to keep your hands warm while weaving.
Cancellation Policy: If you need to cancel your booking, for whatever reason, please let us know as soon as possible. For full details of our cancellation policy please click here.
