Start here or take your weaving adventure further with the progressive basket weaving course.
Six sessions over six weeks in our beautiful South London woodland. This progressive course takes you on a journey of discovery though basket making. During this course you will learn a range of basket making techniques that have been used since time immemorial, including coil baskets, willow platters, and handled baskets.
Basket making is the oldest and one of the most widespread crafts across the world. This progressive course gives you a firm grasp of the skills involved in creating a variety of baskets, employing different techniques and harvesting and processing your own materials.
Location: South London Woods – CR3
Dates: We don’t have dates planned or this course in 2026 – however please email us at hello@pippinandgile.co.uk to register your interest in this course for 2026 and beyond. It usually runs 10-2pm on Friday’s.
Ages: 14 and over
Remainder of the price to be paid 8 weeks before the course.
This is not a catered course, please bring a packed lunch and enough snacks for the course.
This course is suitable for beginners as no prior experience of willow weaving or basketry is needed, however this is not a beginner course. If you have done a basketry course before you will learn new techniques and styles. We cover a wide range of different basket designs over these six sessions. At the end of the six sessions, you’ll take home at least three baskets, and a platter made in a variety of different shapes, styles and sizes. Most importantly you’ll have the knowledge to reproduce or adapt these and develop your basket weaving journey further.
There are many reasons to vary the exact contents of a course, but this is an expected outline of what we will cover.
Progressive Basket Weaving Course in more detail
Week one – Plant & Tree ID and Coil basket making
We start with an introduction to the course and a safety briefing. We will have a lift to and from the woods each week (included in the price) to ensure we get maximum time in the woodland.
We will then explore the woods and identify a range of trees and plants that we can use the materials from for a range of basketry products. Gathering the materials we need for our coil baskets as we go.
We will then return to the fire, which always has the kettle over it, and start to create our first basket, the coil basket. We will use a range of natural and man-made materials on this basket. You will have the choice to focus on one material or try a number of smaller baskets and a range of different materials. Or even try multiple materials across one basket.
Week 2 – Willow Platters and Willow Harvesting
This week we start to work with willow, the material we will be working with for the remainder of the course. You’ll learn how to ‘dance with the willow’ understanding its immense flexibility but also its limitations, and how to avoid it snapping or splitting.
We will take some time to look at willow cultivation and harvesting this week. Showing you our willow coppice, and the range of different colours you can get from the variety of willow species available.
You’ll also have the opportunity to work with some hazel, a much stronger but also much stiffer wood. Its strength gives your work strength and allows larger projects to be completed. It’s a material your arms will notice the difference of you working with, as you encourage the strong rods to take on the form you want them to.
Week 3 – Plank Basket
This week you’ll put all your knowledge gained from last week into practice as we move into the vertical plane. Building the walls of our plank basket you’ll explore a range of different weaving styles, and start to experiment with form and shaping your basket. You’ll learn how to finish your basket with a simple border as wel.
Week 4 – Stake and Strand Basket – The Base
Your hands will being together all they have learnt so far as you do some of the most detailed and challenging weaving of the course. Creating the base of your stake and strand basket. You’ll have the choice to make either a round or oval basket, and can even try a more open style base following the traditional Irish Skib designs. This will you’ll learn the techniques to make a sturdy and supportive base for your basket.
Alongside this you’ll also select the materials you desire for the walls of your basket, from our home grown coppice, and you will learn to soak the willow according to its size and prior processing. You’ll have a fantastic selection of coloured barks to choose from including, red, green, brown, black and white.
Week Five – Stake and Strand Basket – The Walls part 1
Building on from all the learning you have done up until this point you will start to build the walls of your basket. Make your choice of a number of different weaves, and form your basket to your desired shape. Using our home grown willow with its impressive variety in bark colour you’ll create even more interest in this basket.
Week Six – Stake and Strand Basket – The Walls and a Handle
As this is a bigger project you will continue to build on the walls of your basket this week. You’ll have the option to add an inline – mosses basket style – handle to your basket if you wish, or play with the shape by building up a side or two with additional willow. It’ll then be time to create the border on your basket, we will cover a range of different border designs for you to choose from.
