Blue Mountain Baskets

Basketmaking & Growing Willow in the Blue Mountains, Ontario, Canada

Category: Living in the Blue Mountains Community (page 1 of 2)

1st Week Open in our New Retail Studio!

2019-11-24 / / 0 Comments

Wow! It all started with a post from artist Don Kilby that he was leaving his studio to move up the street in Clarksburg.  My business partner, Kerrie & I jumped at the opportunity to move into his old studio. In only 6 weeks, we hatched the plan to start up a creative community space called Blue Mountain Makers.

Blue Mountain Baskets now has an in-town working studio space combined with a the Blue Mountain Makers retail gallery to showcase over 30 local artists & makers!  All of our Makers are local in the Blue Mountains & the Beaver Valley.  My husband is delighted that all of my baskets, tools & willow have left the living room, garage, basement & porches (which he refers to not so lovingly as my “twigs”) and I am over the moon to have all of my craft located in a studio where I can be readily be creative.

There is space with 2 tables to hold workshops right here, and we will act as a creative community hub in Clarksburg offering special events and gatherings such as Maker Mornings & Artsy Afternoons. Watch for Festive Friday events in this week’s posts…

Our thanks to Julie from mycollingwood.ca who came to our opening and took these lovely photos!

Week 13: Experimenting with local heirloom willow

2019-03-31 / / 0 Comments

See the size next to the barn on the right & note the vibrant golden colour!

This week was busy, but while at a meeting onsite at the Clarksburg Retreat, I did ask to spend some time walking the trails in search of heirloom willow.  The property was the Clendenan homestead which is an age-old name here. One tree by the barn stood out is on this old property saturated in local history.  There is a golden weeping willow that looks to be as old as the Victorian house- this type of willow is a common sight here in the Blue Mountains (formerly Collingwood Township).

Here I put my secateurs on the trunk to show the scale of the granddaddy tree.

I know weeping willow is not known as a basket willow because its draping branches do not pass dry-&-re-soak test for strength. They snap & do not bend like good basket willows.  Is it a different cell structure that also makes them droopy?  But I am tired of listening to conventionalism.  We have such wonderful golden weeping willows all over our landscape, so I would like to try to use them in some outside-the-traditional-basket thinking. Here is the result of using the weeping willow branches semi-green (I cut them and then let them mellow a few days while keeping the base branches in water)…

Wild Turkeys take a tour

2019-02-15 / / 0 Comments

We have a number of visits from wild turkeys in the fall & winter.  Here they are trudging across the lavender field.  They check out our compost, tour around our pond, pick around the apple trees and confuse the cats. They are quite large as you can see by the comparison to our chairs!

Grandpa & Grandma turkeys taking a tour- Huge ones!

A guild north of Toronto?

2019-01-01 / / 0 Comments

17th Century copper etching by Jan Joris van Bliet, Korbmacher, Kunstmuseum Hamburg

I would love to participate in the Southwestern Ontario Basketry Guild but sadly it is a four-hour drive from home. I am keen to meet and gather with basketmakers and willow crafters anywhere from the Bruce Peninsula to Penetanguishene. How about a future South Georgian Bay Basketry Guild?

We could also meet in the Newmarket area as I visit my parents and daughter there every week. I love meeting others from all over when I attend workshops and would enjoy informal gatherings too.  Whether you are new to basketry or a seasoned expert, let’s connect if you like the idea of company when weaving and live somewhere above the GTA!

A favourite moment at the Artisan Market

2018-10-14 / / 0 Comments

On Thanksgiving Sunday, I participated in the Artisan Market at the Marsh Street Centre. I had a young apprentice for the day- Kahl worked steadily beside me crafting his own basket creation out my willow and Ethernet wire!

 

 

 

Week 40: Thanksgiving Artisan Market & Harvest Basket

2018-10-07 / / 0 Comments

I was in the Clarksburg Artisan Market on the Thanksgiving Weekend.  For this I added to my inventory a harvesting basket for the them of the weekend. It turned out well following Jon Ridgeon’s book, and I like the creative handles I made from the overlapping fresh heritage willow I used to make the frame.  They are really comfortable and yet artistic. I learned to split the ribs from fresh willow too from Jon’s book.

See my favourite moment at the Artisan Market post too!

Those are our own heritage apples- different varieties harvested from our 13 trees.

Week 36: Fresh heritage willow garden sphere- 1st prize at the Fair!

2018-09-08 / / 0 Comments

At our local Beaver Valley Fall Fair, I entered three categories:

A garden ornament made of sticks and stones.  I used fresh cut local heritage willow to weave the sphere and then added a variety of stones that come out of my digging up here inside the sphere.  I sprayed clear coat on the rocks to bring out their beautiful colours like they look when they are wet.

 

 

Something useful from something useless.  I entered a couple of my baskets made from Ethernet wire cut-off ends.

A craft made from wood not otherwise in another category.  So I entered a Dogwood basket!

Week 29: My first art show!

2018-07-23 / / 0 Comments

Worked on baskets in the quite moments and sold 9 over the weekend!

Artsburg is an juried annual show in our Blue Mountains indoors and outdoors in downtown Clarksburg each July.

Someone asked about a lower flatter round basket for serving crackers or chips, so I made this one over the weekend with a nice contrasting colour weave.

 

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705-532-4734

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