Make Your Own Willow Basket: A Two-Day Course with Dawn Susan

Learn the ancient craft of willow basketry with a Hebridean-based maker who grows her own willow. All materials included. Maximum 7 places.

There’s something deeply satisfying about making a basket — and there are few better places to learn than the Outer Hebrides, where craft traditions run deep.

Join experienced basket maker Dawn Susan for a two-day introduction to willow basketry. Using the traditional stake and strand technique, you’ll learn the fundamentals of the craft and leave with your own round basket, made by your own hands.

About Your Tutor

Dawn Susan has been weaving with willow since 1999, when it quickly became a passion that led her to years of practice and study with makers across Britain. As well as creating baskets and sculptures for commissions, she has researched Scotland’s traditional basketry traditions through the Woven Communities project. She grows all her own willow on her croft on the Isle of Great Bernera. See more of her work on her website.

Course Details

•📅Dates: Thursday 23rd – Friday 24th July 2026

•⏰Times: 10:00 – 16:00 daily (lunch break 12:30 – 13:30)

•📍Venue: UHI NWH, Stornoway Campus, Isle of Lewis

•👥Group size: Maximum 7 participants

•🧺Experience required: None — complete beginners welcome

•🎒What’s included: All materials and morning refreshments

•💷Price: £180