Ash is well-known for being a tough and flexible timber and my ash splint baskets combine these qualities in a beautiful, lightweight and strong product. I currently make only a few baskets for sale each year which will be posted through my blog and newsletter.
Thanks to the nature of its structure, the individual annual rings of the ash tree can be separated by pounding the timber. A traditional Native American craft, I have been pounding english ash and weaving ash splint baskets since 2012. The flat splints are graded for thickness, cut to width, soaked and woven to give a strong basket with a unique natural texture and contemporary style.
In 2015 I invited April Stone Dahl, a Native American of the Bad River Band, to the UK to teach a special ash splint basketry course using UK ash splint I had prepared in Cumbria. If you are interested in future ash splint basket workshops in the UK, please subscribe to my newsletter to receive details.
