Cattail Basketry

As part of our Heritage Skills Workshop series, we invite you to join us for this fascinating workshop on how to use this abundant resource that is found everywhere. You will learn cattail cordage and platting. Participants will make a mat and a small basket. You will also learn about the many uses of this versatile plant.

Karen Coombs has been a crafter all her life. She was hooked when her mother’s friend showed her how to make pine needle baskets when she was 11. Over many years, she has explored various fiber arts. She enjoys, crocheting, knitting, weaving, spinning, basketry and horticulture. For 25 years, Karen organized a bush kitchen for the Tracking Project, a non-profit organization that teaches hard ground tracking and other survival skills, along with indigenous cultural teachings. She also taught basketry for the Glacier Institute. Seasonally, Karen runs Garden City Nursery growing perennial herbs and bedding plants.

Cattail Basketry Workshop includes Cultivating Connections Youth-Made snacks and Kombuchas.