Northeast Basketry Guild Gathering 2019

So this last weekend I kicked off my spring/summer 2019 basket making adventures. I traveled up to Connecticut for the Northeast Basketmakers Guild Spring Gathering. I have been a member of the Northeast Basketmakers Guild, I think for about two years now, but this was my very first time attending an event. The spring gathering is their biggest event all year and I didn’t expect that I would have as much fun as I did.

Unfortunately I didn’t think to take pictures of the actually classes, but did take some video which can be found on my Instagram stories. For this post I’ll just have to tell you how much fun gathering was and you can see the finished baskets I made that weekend.

The first class that I took was with Pam Talsky. We worked with western red cedar bark that Pam collected in Alaska. We did a diagonally plaited basket with a 3-D rim. I have done baskets like this before but I was excited to learn that very special rim. I was also excited to finally get to work with some cedar bark for the first time. The smell when you walked in the room was just amazing.

Pam and I recognized each other as soon as we met and it turns out she attended willow gathering last year. She is extremely interested in all types of basketry and her excitement for the craft was so infectious. Pam teaches at conventions all around the country. I was so happy to be in her class and it was so great to talk to her. She is such an inspirational basket maker and I’m lucky to know her.

She also sold lots of supplies at the “marketplace” that happens Saturday evening. The marketplace was one of the highlights for me and I only wish that I knew to bring more cash. Almost every teacher set up a table with things they were selling; books, patterns, baskets, supplies, etc. I got a chance to purchase a Billy Owens laundry basket, a sweet grass start from Dianne Stanton and a whole lot of great stuff from Pam. I walked out of the conference center with a laundry basket overflowing with stuff. My boyfriend probably thought I was nuts.

My second day at gathering was working with Billy Owens making a white oak backpack. I have heard of Billy before and I was super excited that I got into his class. I know I will treasure this backpack for many many years and maybe my boys will want it one day. My two boys thought it was great. I asked if they would like to go for a walk and they loaded up the backpack with snacks and water and took turns wearing the pack as we walked.

So Billy is a second generation white oak basket maker and his technique for harvesting and making strips is very special. Its something that I will never be able to do so in the future I will be looking for his classes more regularly. He is stand up guy and has a great sense of humor. I was so impressed with his teaching style and how he went over every step very slowly so everyone had a chance to make sure they were able to complete the task.

I sure hope that I’ll get to make many more baskets with him in the future and I wasn’t walking out of that gathering without a basket that he made himself. I purchased his largest laundry basket and I’m already putting it to good use. Baskets like these last lifetimes and become treasured items that one day I’ll pass to my children or their children.

The third and final short class I took on Sunday was this tiny ash and cedar backpack with Dianne Stanton. Dianne has been a basket maker for a very long time. She is also anther maker who works across mediums and has a very comfortable and relaxed teaching style. She was so sweet and I loved talking with her. We actually use alot of Dianne’s patters in the classes that I teach at the Art School at Old Church. It was so nice to work with the woman behind the patterns :)

I tend to stick out like a sore thumb in places like these because I look so young and inexperienced. I love to impress my teachers and fellow classmates with my knowledge and skill. This little backpack wasn’t hard but it wasn’t easy either. I tried my very best to get the perfect shape. It is totally not useable but it will look so cute sitting in my basketry bookshelf.

Overall I was so impressed with the gathering and how it was run. I wouldn’t miss it again and made sure to mark my calendar for the next two years. It felt so good to be part of a guild of basket makers and it’s almost like it gave me a sense of belonging. I met some amazing weavers and just lovely people that I look forward to seeing at Stowe Vermont in a few weeks. I’m not sure I’ll become a “basket convention” junkie but I know I will always look forward to the NBG spring gathering.