About

My first introduction to basketry was in a class with Nancy Basket, who taught me to free-form weave with split kudzu vines. Years later, I realized that I needed a pack basket to help me carry things up and down the mountain where I was living off-grid in a canvas tent. Since the technique and material Nancy had taught me were so accessible, and her style of teaching so open and encouraging, I got a wild hair and thought I could try weaving a giant version of the basket she'd taught me and just attach some straps! As it turned out, I could! The basket looked like a large weaver bird nest. It was so beautiful, strong, and fun to weave! I went on to create more, and soon had folks at my school asking me to teach them. 

A year or so later, I took a reed basket class at John C. Campbell Folk School with Pattie Bagley. As she walked me through the splintwork patterns, my hands started to come alive in a way I had never experienced before. It felt as though an ancient basket weaver had been lying in wait inside of me all my life, and was finally given what it needed to step forward. Every night after class the patterns and rhythms melted into my dreams. During that class, I realized that I was a basket weaver, and that a long and wonderful journey had just begun. 

The following year I was invited to participate in the Traditional Craft Mentorship program at the Folk School, studying traditional white oak basketry for a month with several incredible teachers: Mary Ann and Bill Smith, Sue Williams, and Betty Maney. The rigor of the program and impeccable instruction I received gave me an incredible foundation for my basketry career. 

Following the mentorship program, Pattie Bagley approached me and asked me to combine the skills I learned in weaving white oak with my experience weaving kudzu. She handed me a ribbed basket pattern to experiment with, a huge stack of books, and a challenge. She asked if I would spend the next year and a half practicing, then come back and teach a kudzu ribbed basket class at the one and only John C. Campbell Folk School. I was floored by her invitation, and against my better judgement, said yes. That invitation lit a fire under me like nothing else could. As I began applying the traditional Appalachian ribwork techniques to weaving kudzu, I was amazed by how beautifully this nuisance vine could be transformed. I then branched out to learn other traditional techniques - studying willow work in Ireland, and even applying ancient textile patterns to weave twill baskets. I began incorporating other invasive plants into my work - wisteria, Mimosa bark, Chinese privet bark, etc. I then enrolled in Matt Tommey's online course, to continue solidifying my techniques.  

​

The more I learned, the more I realized it was possible to learn. To be honest, most days I feel like a kid in a candy shop, wanting to sample every possible material and technique, and wondering if I'll even scratch the surface in this lifetime. I owe so much to my teachers, and hope that I honor their legacy in all that I go on to create and share.