French Willow Basketry: A Two Day Masterclass with Amandine Loubère

We’re delighted to welcome French basketmaker Amandine Loubère, of Le Lieu des Loups, for a two day masterclass in traditional French willow weaving. Working in beautiful white willow, you’ll learn authentic French techniques and finishes from a maker steeped in the French tradition.

A distinctively French approach

French and English basketry share the same foundations, but the accent is different. Over the two days you’ll meet techniques that are characteristically French, including the openwork tradition of vannerie à jour, which is far more developed in France than in Britain. The materials focus is on white willow, a material deeply bound up with the French grower and weaver culture: cut in winter while dormant, then stood until spring when the sap rises and the bark lifts cleanly away to leave the pale, smooth rod that gives it its name. White willow take a great deal of time and effort to produce. This workshop is a chance to learn the French way of doing things, and the material sensibility behind it, from someone trained within that tradition.

Choose your basket

Over the two days, each student will make one of two classic French baskets:

The panier à jour, literally an “openwork” basket (à jour meaning open or pierced, as in openwork lace). The weave deliberately leaves gaps so the structure shows through, giving an airy, decorative result and a real introduction to French openwork technique. The finished basket will measure 9.5 x 18 x 8.5 inch. 

panier à jour

The panier à beurre, a traditional “butter basket,” named for its original use carrying butter to market; in plain terms, a handsome French shopping basket. A sturdy, handled form with a satisfying shape. The finished basket will measure 12 x 21 x 5 inch

panier à beurre

Both baskets feature beautiful border work and a wrapped willow handle. 

About your tutor

Amandine trained at the French National School of Basketry before opening her own workshop, Le Lieu des Loups (meaning “the place of the wolves”), in 2019 in Blondefontaine, a small village in the Haute-Saône, in northeastern France. Passionate about French techniques and traditional craft, she cultivates her own willow in an osier bed near the Amance and weaves both traditional and more contemporary utilitarian forms.

Water is the essential element of her craft: her home adjoins the village wash house, and the sound of its fountain accompanies her as she works. Her baskets, she says, are utilitarian and creative, woven with a traditional, ancestral and sustainable know-how, and made to last a lifetime.

See more of Amandine’s beautiful work on her website lelieudesloups.fr/ or on Instagram @lelieudesloups (instagram.com/lelieudesloups)

Please indicate your chosen basket Open Weave (panier à jour) or Butter Basket (panier à beurre) when booking, so materials can be prepared.

Notes

Please note that an intermediate to advanced level is required for both types of baskets. The technique is quite demanding and this course is suitable for participants who are already familiar with different basket shapes and/or who weave regularly.

Materials are included in the booking fee

Tea, coffee and biscuits will be in copious supply, but please bring a packed lunch, or there are several shops and cafes near to Mill Street Arts

Total cost (including refreshments) £280 per person