The Stitch Has a Story: Basketry in Context

Did you know there’s a whole world of basket-making beyond the familiar blanket stitch?

In this hands-on workshop, you'll learn four different coiled basketry techniques from around the world in one evening. As you make a mini basket of your own, you'll also discover new insights into the stories behind the stitches. Three of the techniques have complex histories in the Americas, and were formerly known as Mariposa, Navajo and Lazy stitch. The fourth is inspired by Lip Work, an endangered basketry tradition from the British Isles.

While we make our own beautiful pieces we’ll explore what these techniques tell us about how basketry knowledge is named, shared and preserved, and what it means to work with these stitches today.

The workshop is suitable for beginners as well as anyone who’s tried to make a basket, loved it, and wants to explore more beyond what they already know.

What you'll learn:

How to work with plant fibres such as raffia and hemp

Basics of the coiling techniques often known as Mariposa, Navajo and Lazy stitch
A coiling technique inspired by Lip Work
Understanding these stitches in their cultural contexts and what this means for using them today

The workshop brings the findings of the research project 'Mapping Mariposa: Bringing Australian Basketry Education into the 21st Century' directly into the studio for the first time. The research is made possible by the Australian Government Regional Arts Fund, which supports the arts in regional and remote Australia.

Come and join us for a great evening of fun and creativity. Our focus is on exploration, not perfection, and you'll leave with a gorgeous mini basket of your own.

All materials for the evening are provided.
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL as there are limited spaces available.

About me: I am a non-Indigenous fibre artist born and grown on Ngunnawal, Ngambri, Dharug and Guringai country. The techniques I share have been learnt from many traditions and are passed on with the deep intention to honour the makers who have gone before me.

Contact the host of Learn to Weave! The Stitch Has a Story