COLOURFUL HEDGEROW PLATTERS

These colourful tension trays, or Catalan platters as they are sometimes known, were all made by members of Hertfordshire Basketry during a one-day workshop I ran on a snowy winter's day in 2007.  Outside, the world was monochrome white, while inside the hall we wove in glorious hedgerow technicolour. The technique involves a simple three step weave over a circlular frame and derives from the base of a Catalan arm basket.  Members brought winter garden prunings to swap and share: apple, pear, willow, red and green dogwood, privet, snowberry, blackthorn, lime and quince. 

You can leave the ends untrimmed for a decorative wall-hanging or cut them close around the circular frame for a practical pot stand. 

URBAN HEDGEROW BASKETRY

I've been making contemporary basketry since 2001 but I've been a passionate gardener and plantaholic for much longer.  Basketry is the perfect expressive medium for someone like me who enjoys creative making and working directly with their hands, lives on a tight budget and is always looking for ways to make something from 'nothing'.  I've had a life-long love of nature yet I live in one of the largest cities in the world far, far removed from the rural idyll that most of us can only dream about. 

I've started this blog to share with others the treasures to be found in the urban hedgerow.  Just outside your front door in city streets, neighbors' gardens, car parks, retail parks, school grounds, munipal plantings and on waste ground the urban hedgerow is a paradise of potential basketry materials more richly varied than many a forest or country lane.  Their exquisite forms and jewelled colours are an endless source of inspiration.

Once you know what to look for, when to gather, how to prepare it and what you could make with it there'll be no excuse for not joining in on the burgeoning interest in contemporary basketry and low carbon-footprint crafting.

Here's just a few examples of my contemporary basketry made from urban hedgerow materials.  Some of them are featured in 'Practical Basketry Techniques' by Stella Harding and Shane Waltener - coming out on February 16th 2012. 

RED BLOOM 2009 was made from red dogwood and apple twined with recycled cotton cord.

I've used a lot of different coloured dogwoods in my work.  I can't grow enough in my small garden but it's a popular plant with municipal gardeners as it's fairly low maintenance and looks good all year round.  Late winter is the perfect time to look out for the bright scarlett stems of Cornus alba 'Sibirica' which can be cut to the ground every year to ensure vigorous, bright new growth.  If you spot it in a local park, as I did, ask the rangers if you can cut some stems - or if you're lucky they might even do it for you.

BURR 2011 was made from burdock seedheads that I spotted growing on waste ground.  Burdock seedheads were the inspiration for Velcro - they're covered in tiny hooks that stick to everything, including each other.  It gave me the idea to make an assembled basket that exploits the natural properties of the material.  Making it made my fingers tingle a bit!  It looks fragile but is very difficult to pull apart.  Look out for images of the growing plant in another post.

Take care! In the US, where this plant is an invasive pest, everything is being done to eradicate it so best not encourage its spread.