After making my first basket at a workshop in 2010, I was hooked. I asked to trade my teacher garden work for an apprenticeship. I learned a lot from her but unfortunately our apprenticeship was short lived because she moved to Hawaii. I continued to learn by taking workshops with other teachers and made many funky baskets that I gifted to friends and family. Eventually I became skilled enough to begin selling my baskets and began teaching workshops in 2013. My baskets continue to improve over the years of weaving. It is a craft that takes a lot of practice to develop the skills necessary to make a uniform basket. Some locations where I have hosted my workshops include the Chuckanut Center, Cloud Mountain Farm, My Garden Nursery, and local libraries. I also host private workshops at my studio in Bellingham, WA. I love willow baskets for their beauty and functionality. Willow lends itself to be very sturdy. If taken care of these baskets can last generations. I harvest most of the willow I weave and teach with locally. It takes willow a minimum of 6 months to dry after harvesting. Harvesting, sorting, and storing the willow is a labor of love and also costs money. This is all taken into account when assessing the price for materials. I have also sourced willow from Living Willow Farm in Ohio and Island Willow on San Juan Island. I love making willow baskets but it is demanding of the hands. I am exploring textile weaving as well as basket weaving with cattails and other softer materials. I am earnest to continue studying weaving. There is so much to learn. Honoring this ancient craft by making baskets and teaching others gives me great fulfillment. I vision for more people to make baskets as well as grow and forage for their own materials