Basket Making Improvers / Intermediate with Jilly Greig – Tuesdays

Classes will run from the third floor of the Poldrate Granary Building. 

 

 

This term, the Intermediate Basketry class will explore the Irish potato skib (sciob- Irish gaelic, pronounced “skib”) ), a beautiful and functional traditional basket. Originally used to drain and serve boiled potatoes, these shallow, round baskets feature a distinctive woven central grid that allows water to drain away.
Today,renowned basketmakers such as Joe Hogan and Hanna van Aelst have helped revive the skib as both a practical object and a contemporary art form, often incorporating a range of willow colours to create striking decorative pieces.
This course is suitable for those with at least two years’ basketry experience, whether gained at the Poldrate or elsewhere. Participants should be confident with techniques including waling, English and French randing, zig-zag weave, pairing, and laying a variety of rod borders. Developing an understanding of willow selection and how it influences the finished basket will also be an important part of the course.
Materials
Willow costs are payable separately to the tutor each term and are in addition to the course fee. Material prices reflect both the increasing cost of willow and the time involved in preparing it for weaving, including soaking, sorting and mellowing.
For the Autumn term, willow will be charged at:
• 15p per rod – Brown willow
• 20p per rod – Buff or buff noir willow
• 25p per rod – White willow
As a guide, an average berry basket uses around 100 rods of willow. Any additional materials, such as leather or buckles, will be charged separately if required.
Intermediate classes are friendly, creative and rewarding, offering the opportunity to deepen your skills while exploring the rich heritage of basketry.
I look forward to welcoming you to the class.

About Jilly Greig
Jilly Greig has been making baskets professionally since 2020 and has studied with leading basketmakers Eddie Glew, Hanna van Aelst, Anna Liebmann, Anna Turnbull and Jenny Crisp. She holds a City & Guilds qualification in Basketry from Westhope College in Shropshire.
Jilly teaches throughout Edinburgh, East Lothian and Knoydart, as well as at the Poldrate, The Old Barn, the Scottish Storytelling Centre and other community venues. She was recently awarded a VACMA bursary to further develop her practice through study with master basketmaker Jenny Crisp.