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    How much raffia do I need to make a basket?
    Ruth Woods
    • Apr 25
    • 3 min

    How much raffia do I need to make a basket?

    When I'm teaching, I'm often asked how much raffia is needed to make a basket. It's a good question, because, I assure you, once you...
    Zak Foster: Artist, quilt master, and purveyor of memories
    Ruth Woods
    • Mar 26
    • 6 min

    Zak Foster: Artist, quilt master, and purveyor of memories

    Ten years ago, if you'd told Zak Foster he'd be making a living as an artist making quilts he probably wouldn't believe you. Fast Forward...
    Natural Dyeing as a sustainable practice with Kate James from Valleymaker
    Ruth Woods
    • Mar 17
    • 5 min

    Natural Dyeing as a sustainable practice with Kate James from Valleymaker

    Think exquisite yarns and threads naturally dyed with local plants - and that's only the tip of the iceberg of what Kate James online...
    Sustainable Craft with Raine Owen: knitter, basket maker, and creative business owner
    Ruth Woods
    • Mar 14
    • 5 min

    Sustainable Craft with Raine Owen: knitter, basket maker, and creative business owner

    Raine Owen has carved out a slice of the sustainable craft business pie with her successful online store, the Unusual Pear. It's a...
    Permaculture, basket making, and the Urban Nanna
    Ruth Woods
    • Mar 7
    • 5 min

    Permaculture, basket making, and the Urban Nanna

    The Urban Nanna, aka Anna, has been crafting since she was 10-years old. Her work in the sustainability space, namely permaculture, came...
    Meet our guest blogger, Retritus: fibre artist, slow crafter, and botanical dye expert
    Ruth Woods
    • Mar 3
    • 3 min

    Meet our guest blogger, Retritus: fibre artist, slow crafter, and botanical dye expert

    My name is Norton Fredericks and I am a queer First Nations sustainable fibre artist living and working on Bullongin land, Gold Coast, Austr
    A master of slow craft: An interview with Jane Milburn OAM
    Ruth Woods
    • Feb 28
    • 8 min

    A master of slow craft: An interview with Jane Milburn OAM

    The first crafter we speak to for Sustainable Craft Month is Jane Milburn. Jane has worked tirelessly in the space, receiving an Order of...
    Sustainable Craft Month - and why it matters
    Ruth Woods
    • Feb 24
    • 4 min

    Sustainable Craft Month - and why it matters

    An environmental footprint comes in many forms: what we drive, our devices, electricity consumption, even what we eat. As crafters, we...
    Unlikely plants to use in DIY basket making
    Ruth Woods
    • Feb 11
    • 3 min

    Unlikely plants to use in DIY basket making

    There's no doubt that a basket made from plant fibre is a beautiful thing. Making baskets from natural materials is also one of the...
    Growing banana plants for basket making in a cooler climate
    Ruth Woods
    • Feb 1
    • 2 min

    Growing banana plants for basket making in a cooler climate

    Growing your Banana Plant in a cooler climate People often think you need to live in the tropics to grow excellent fibres for basket...
    Meet the Maker with Bindi Browning
    Ruth Woods
    • Jan 20
    • 4 min

    Meet the Maker with Bindi Browning

    It's interesting to see how many wonderful makers we have in our midst that aren't from traditionally creative backgrounds. Over the...
    Meet the Maker with Tanja Gawin
    Ruth Woods
    • Dec 9, 2021
    • 5 min

    Meet the Maker with Tanja Gawin

    Speaking with felt artist, Tanja Gawin is a vibrant experience - there's a real air of joyfulness and creative play that follows her. She...
    Meet the Makers with Zora Verona
    Ruth Woods
    • Nov 17, 2021
    • 5 min

    Meet the Makers with Zora Verona

    Zora Verona is a fibre artist who focuses on nest-like forms she creates using natural materials.
    Natural dyeing techniques for fabric and raffia
    Ruth Woods
    • Oct 25, 2021
    • 3 min

    Natural dyeing techniques for fabric and raffia

    What is Natural Dyeing? Natural dyeing is an extremely old practice. Evidence suggests that extracting pigment from organic materials is...
    Not feeling creative? There's a reason for that: tips for the maker who’s stuck in a rut
    Ruth Woods
    • Aug 21, 2021
    • 4 min

    Not feeling creative? There's a reason for that: tips for the maker who’s stuck in a rut

    Creativity is such a gift. Especially in times like this. The stress of constant lockdowns and covid updates, however, can certainly take...
    Fibre Artists Series: Jessica Leitmanis
    Ruth Woods
    • Jul 26, 2021
    • 3 min

    Fibre Artists Series: Jessica Leitmanis

    In our Fibre Artists Series, we'll shine a spotlight on fibre artists from around the globe. If you're a basket maker like me, you'll...
    Meet the Makers: Barbara van Gool and Kathleen Mason
    Ruth Woods
    • Jul 8, 2021
    • 4 min

    Meet the Makers: Barbara van Gool and Kathleen Mason

    It's a general rule of thumb that anyone with a creative side is going to be forever searching for ways to satisfy it. I mean, you'd be...
    Exhibition Alert: Robyn Norris
    Ruth Woods
    • Jun 19, 2021
    • 2 min

    Exhibition Alert: Robyn Norris

    From the Earth, Fire and Fibre Yarra Sculpture Gallery 117 Vere St. Abbotsford, Melbourne, Australia Open until July 4th Artist Story:...
    Meet the Makers We Love!
    Ruth Woods
    • May 25, 2021
    • 4 min

    Meet the Makers We Love!

    Meet Louise Freckelton Louise lives on a small-scale alternative farm and conservation area named Highfield Farm and Woodland. It's a...
    Celebrating all crafty Mothers this Mother's Day
    Ruth Woods
    • May 4, 2021
    • 3 min

    Celebrating all crafty Mothers this Mother's Day

    My mother was a brilliant seamstress. I remember the whirring sound of her sewing room. She would sit behind her industrial sewing...
    Exhibition Alert: Nicole Robins, Sydney basketry and fibre artist
    Ruth Woods
    • Apr 29, 2021
    • 4 min

    Exhibition Alert: Nicole Robins, Sydney basketry and fibre artist

    Nicole Robins is a prolific fiber and basketry artist with a wonderfully unique, contemporary style. Her latest exhibition When Nayure Moves
    Meet the Makers: Lee Atkinson
    Ruth Woods
    • Mar 10, 2021
    • 3 min

    Meet the Makers: Lee Atkinson

    I’ve always enjoyed working with fibres, and love the tactile nature of the basketry, and the organic shapes and forms of baskets.
    Meet the Makers: Lisa McClure
    Ruth Woods
    • Feb 16, 2021
    • 2 min

    Meet the Makers: Lisa McClure

    I’m new at making baskets but I'm just loving the creative outlet. I enjoy the natural colour palette that creating them brings.
    Creative Mending - renew your wardrobe with these fun mending techniques!
    Ruth Woods
    • Jan 27, 2021
    • 2 min

    Creative Mending - renew your wardrobe with these fun mending techniques!

    Creative Mending adds a fun twist to traditional mending techniques. It allows you to use a garment’s flaws – a tear, a rip, or a lost...
    Where to find recycled materials for basket making
    Ruth Woods
    • Jan 2, 2021
    • 2 min

    Where to find recycled materials for basket making

    Crafting doesn't need to be a trip to the store for lots of new packaged items. That's the beauty of this craft - you can use mostly...
    Basket Making in Brazil
    Ruth Woods
    • Dec 10, 2020
    • 3 min

    Basket Making in Brazil

    Ellen enrolled in our Baskets from the Garden online workshop last month. She asked me about plants she could use, and I was curious to...
    My favourite plants to use in basketry
    Ruth Woods
    • Nov 12, 2020
    • 2 min

    My favourite plants to use in basketry

    Making baskets using plants is all dependant on where you live. The climate will have a huge bearing on what you will find growing...
    Meet the Makers: Kerrie Bowles
    Ruth Woods
    • Oct 4, 2020
    • 3 min

    Meet the Makers: Kerrie Bowles

    Kerrie is a basket maker, hand-dyer and painter amongst other things. She learnt to make baskets with us a few years ago.
    How to make a raffia basket
    Ruth Woods
    • Aug 1, 2020
    • 2 min

    How to make a raffia basket

    I often feel a tiny bit of jealousy when someone tells me they've just learned to basket weave. I remember the feeling of discovering...
    What is raffia? We discuss the material that basket makers love
    Ruth Woods
    • Jul 30, 2020
    • 3 min

    What is raffia? We discuss the material that basket makers love

    Raffia is a natural fiber that is perfect for basket weaving; it is strong, holds dye superbly, and is easily malleable. Basketmakers...
    Meet the Makers within our craft community. Be inspired. Get making!
    Ruth Woods
    • Jul 13, 2020
    • 2 min

    Meet the Makers within our craft community. Be inspired. Get making!

    Meet the makers from the Craft School Oz community! We meet basket maker, Catriona who has gone from beginner to basket weaving superstar.
     Meet the basket makers we love
    Ruth Woods
    • Jun 24, 2020
    • 4 min

    Meet the basket makers we love

    The latest edition of Meet the Makers talks to two talented basket weavers who learnt their craft later in life. Both make stunning baskets
    Need some craft inspiration? Meet the makers we love!
    Ruth Woods
    • May 19, 2020
    • 4 min

    Need some craft inspiration? Meet the makers we love!

    Need some craft inspiration? Meet the Makers we love from the Craft School Oz community.
    Some craft inspiration from the makers we love!
    Ruth Woods
    • May 4, 2020
    • 6 min

    Some craft inspiration from the makers we love!

    Connective stories across our Craft School Oz community. Seeing what inspires others, what gets them making baskets, is what inspires me!
    Confessions of a serial crafter: I am a hoarder of unfinished objects (UFOs)
    Ruth Woods
    • Mar 31, 2020
    • 2 min

    Confessions of a serial crafter: I am a hoarder of unfinished objects (UFOs)

    When we craft, we are mostly about the end result: that beautiful piece you get to put your name to, the woven basket, or the intricate stit
    What is slow stitching? The mindful DIY craft you need to try.
    Ruth Woods
    • Mar 19, 2020
    • 4 min

    What is slow stitching? The mindful DIY craft you need to try.

    To save you from a creative lull, I'll show you two fibre art exhibitions you can currently view online.
    Why is craft so good for you? Here's my experience.
    Ruth Woods
    • Mar 5, 2020
    • 3 min

    Why is craft so good for you? Here's my experience.

    For many of us, modern life is hectic. A chaotic place where we are at the center of our own little doing cyclones. It’s very easy, in...
    Two great online fibre exhibitions to inspire you while social-distancing
    Ruth Woods
    • Jan 18, 2020
    • 2 min

    Two great online fibre exhibitions to inspire you while social-distancing

    To save you from a creative lull, I'll show you two fibre art exhibitions you can currently view online.
    A crafters journey: it began with a Singer!
    Ruth Woods
    • Dec 15, 2019
    • 2 min

    A crafters journey: it began with a Singer!

    Everyone of us has a starting point: the beginning of their craft journey. If you can remember, what was yours!?
    Reduce. Reuse. Recycle: using thrift shops to make recycled textile baskets
    Ruth Woods
    • Nov 10, 2019
    • 2 min

    Reduce. Reuse. Recycle: using thrift shops to make recycled textile baskets

    because recycled textile baskets can be made from pretty much any fabric you can think of! In each creative workshop, we talk about fabric
    Running a creative business: what I've learnt along the way
    Ruth Woods
    • Oct 31, 2019
    • 3 min

    Running a creative business: what I've learnt along the way

    If you're thinking of starting a creative business, you most certainly can. Just be prepared to work work work, and always have a plan....
    • ONLINE CRAFT COURSES

    • BASKET MAKING

      • FABRIC BASKETS
      • RAFFIA BASKETS
      • NATURAL BASKETS
      • BASKET MAKING HOW TO
    • SLOW STITCHING

    • NATURAL DYEING

    • BLOG

    • ABOUT

      • GALLERY
      • VIDEO GALLERY
    • SUBSCRIBE

    • Finding Form with Fibre - Basketry Book

    • More

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