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Tel:
01291 650227
Email:
susievaughan@ btopenworld.com
Mail:
Llansoy House
Llansoy
Nr Usk
NP15 1DF
Website:
www.susievaughan.co.uk
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Most baskets are made from willow, cane, rush or bamboo but it is quite possible to make a basket using a surprising variety of natural materials.
Anything that passes the 'wrist test'- that is pliable enough to be bent round your wrist without cracking - can be woven into a basket.
None of the materials in the baskets are dyed they are all the natural colours of the barks of many different species. I collect most of the materials myself on daily walks in the Welsh countryside, which continues to be a constant inspiration.
I created my first basket using willow rods from a tree that had fallen across a local brook. It started as a hobby but soon blossomed into a passion as I became intrigued to find that I could also use a wide range of naturally colourful and textural materials that can be found growing in hedges, woods and gardens. Preferring to make use of this natural palette of materials instead of buying the more conventional willow, rush and cane I have chosen to specialise in weaving hedgerow baskets.
I particularly enjoy the seasonal aspect of hedgerow basketweaving. The rods are collected in the winter when the sap is down, left to mellow in a shady area of the garden for a short while and then woven before they become brittle this can be days, weeks, or even months, depending on the material.
In the summer I use different materials strips of bark and ropes of twined garden leaves such as daffodil, iris and lily.
In 1994, Search Press published my book Handmade baskets from nature¹s colourful materials. I have exhibited and given demonstrations of my basketwork in the UK and abroad, including trips to Japan and Australia.
My experimental, colourful work uses a wide range of wild and cultivated trees and shrubs, giving a new lease of life to a myriad of annual prunings Nature¹s 'rubbish' - that would otherwise be discarded and thrown onto a bonfire.
For the past two years I have also experimented with making felt bags and hangings from local fleece, combining them with carefully chosen pieces of driftwood, honeysuckle and ivy and the contents of a large sack of coloured merino wool that I inherited from my mother. |
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