Winter Willow Sculpture Workshop with Julie

Create your very own unique willow animal sculpture for your home or garden. This workshop we will be focusing on making the sprigtime hare. However there is the opportunity to bring your own animal vision to life if you would like to make a different animal! Perfect for adding a touch of nature's beauty to your surroundings.

Julie - is your willow weaving expert will lead you through various techniques of how to create your sculpture. 

She’ll also share more about the various varieties of willow, and how to harvest and prepare willow for weaving on your own before you’ll get stuck into making and creating. 

Learn more about your facilitator Julie

Julie grew up in the countryside and has always loved being outside, roaming in the fields and woods. Her dad was a gardener and growing up she's always enjoyed arts and crafts, drawing and painting, knitting and sewing taught by my grandma, and later pottery and life drawing.

Julie studied sciences at college and went on to do an environmental degree and got work with various charities helping people and communities enjoy and improve their local green spaces, and onwards to college to study art and design.

Julie found that creative crafts, using recycled and natural materials, was a great way to engage with people as part of the greenspace work and we learnt from other artists and crafters to make mosaics, animation, decorative fence panels, and out of willow - lanterns, garden supports, living willow structures and sculpture.

She was inspired to go on a basket weaving course and got hooked. She loves that basketry is very sustainable and from being involved in the whole process from planting, growing, harvesting, grading and drying then using the sticks, leaves and fibres to create beautiful and functional objects inspired by the different hues and colours of the willow/plants, the smell as you work with it and how to manipulate it to create the curves and form of an animal or bird.

Teaching weaving to others is very enjoyable and satisfying, it helps spread the skills amongst folk, it uses natural materials people can grow or forage, it can improve wellbeing and gives people an appreciation of heritage crafts and the making that goes into objects. It's such an ancient craft, some say it predates pottery, and cannot be done by machine, only by hand (or beak if you're a weaver bird).

What you need to know

• All equipment and supplies needed to make your basket are provided
• Tea and coffee throughout the day are included
• Please bring along your own packed lunch

This course is suitable for those with no previous experience, you’ll need a little bit of hand strength and a little bit of patience in your creations but it’s all worth it.