In this three day intermediate basketry course, students will take their coiling skills to a new level. Using an innovative mold-method developed by Jean, students will use a variety of easily harvested materials to create a pouch-shaped basket. The use of grasses and needles in coiled baskets has long been a tradition in the Great Lakes region, and materials used will include prairie grasses, marsh grasses, pine needles, sweetgrass, birch and cedar barks, roots and stones. Impromptu nature walks near campus will encourage students to see their local environs as sources for coiling materials and inspiration. Emphasis will be placed on identification & gathering methods of materials which can easily be found in many environs, thus extending the learning experience beyond the Folk School. Students will be encouraged to make a totally unique pouch reflecting their own tastes. Located in Grand Marais, the “great swamp,” North House provides the perfect location to delve into the materials and traditions of coiled basketry of the Great Lakes while learning a modern method. Students should have prior experience with basketry and should know how to form a coil.

You will need the following tools for this class:

a good quality pair of scissors for snipping threads and pine needles, barks and grasses

Feel free to bring your favorite tools and whatever materials you might feel appropriate for this course.