Rib Baskets with Jo at Touchstone

At the end of August this last summer I had the opportunity to visit and take classes at a school in Western PA called Touchstone Center for Crafts. The class I took was a week of willow basketry with Jo Campbell-Amsler of Willow Ridge Baskets. Jo is one of my favorite willow basket teachers. I’ve worked with her on two previous occasions and I was super excited to be working for another week pretty close to home.

For this week of classes I traveled with my friend Jescia Clark of Willow Vale Farm. We drove together and set up camp in the woods together. The thing we learned is that at Touchstone there are no rooms or studios with AC so camping in the woods sounded better then camping in a cabin with no air! Little did we know what was in store for us. There were quite a few nights of thunder, lighting and lots of wind and rain. But we both managed to keep mostly dry and still smiling by the end of the week.

I brought my Tentsile and we set up in their, not so great “camping” area but we were allowed to set up pretty much wherever we wanted on campus. As far as craft and folk schools go, this has been the most “rustic” I have attended so far. I still have a few more schools to check out. There was communal bath house which was ok, and I believe their newer single rooms were very nice. At the end of the summer I was looking to save some money on lodging costs. They also offer a meal plan, and the meals were ok. Not a good choice if you are a picky eater, but worked great for me and I didn’t have to figure out food.

The best night was Thursday night when they started cranking out fresh pizza in the wood fired oven. There was also s’mores for dessert and some wine. Can’t go wrong there!

Overall I would definitely go back to Touchstone for another Basketry week. Only this time I might splurge for the nice private rooms. The level of work going on at this school was super impressive, and they offered a different studio demo each night. I’m super glad to find this school since it is only about 6 hours from where I live. Fingers crossed more basketry classes pop up in the future!

So the classes with Jo were just so much fun as always. Below is a picture of our studio that was set right alongside a stream. We could hear the water running and enjoy the beautiful surroundings, and the major plus was that we were allowed to work in the studio at night. Extra working time at a craft school is always a major plus. Normally everyone comes to work; It’s a vacation, but it’s a working vacation in the best possible way!

I chose three different baskets to work on this week. All new and challenging in their own ways. The basket below is what Jo calls “Shadows” because of the beautiful open weave along the sides. We are calling this “American Lace.” I can’t wait to try this technique on another basket.

The second basket I got to make was Jo’s “Herb Basket” which I have actually been wanting to make since the first time I met her. It never happened for me, until this week, when fortunately thanks to my waiting Jo offered me the chance to make a bigger version. She prepared the hoops for herself but never got around to making it, so she offered me the hoops and boy was I glad to make a really big herb basket. This is one of my favorites that I will always keep and treasure for myself. It reminds me of a garden trug, that will one day be holding my homegrown veggies and herbs.

The third basket I chose to make was Jo’s large tote. The first time I worked with her I made the smaller version and it is my favorite basket to use on a daily basis, so I figured I needed the big mommy version.

This basket was probably the most challenging of them all. The basket is so large that the shape was almost impossible to control. I wrestled with this basket for hours trying to make it as even as possible and I was very happy with the outcome, but boy do I want another crack at this basket. I know I will one day but for now it’s getting used every day. The one thing I love the most about Jo’s baskets is that they are all extremely functional. The designs are interesting and beautiful, but still functional, which is all you can ask for in a basket.

The more and more I work on rib baskets, the more I am drawn to this style. Even back when I was working in reed I gravitated to rib style and my hands are happy in this place!

So now with three weeks of rib willow baskets with Jo Campbell-Amsler under my belt, I am certain that I would still love to work some more with her. I’ll always be on the look out for an opportunity to work with Jo again. She is now firmly planted in my “tell” as a maker, and I am eternally grateful to her as a mentor, friend and fellow weaver.