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Willow Baskets by Katherine Lewis

Dunbar Gardens in Mount Vernon, Washington

Willow Baskets by Katherine Lewis

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©2007-2024 Steven Lospalluto and Katherine Lewis.

Dunbar Gardens

16586 Dunbar Road Mount Vernon, WA 98273
baskets@dunbargardens.com
Katherine: 360-941-5718
Steve: 360-428-3076
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Throwback Thursday Thanksgiving version. These are Throwback Thursday Thanksgiving version. These are baskets that Katherine made for Plimoth Patuxet Musuem that was called Plimoth Plantation when she made them back in 2011-13. The first photo shows three baskets she made for the blacksmith at the time Mark Atchison who I think purchased these himself and has since left the museum. The others are probably still there. . #willowbaskets #willowbasketmaker #katherinelewis #dunbargardens #farmtobasket #skagitvalley #basketsmadetobeused #plimothpatuxet
Typical willow stem galls on Salix purpurea in the Typical willow stem galls on Salix purpurea in the first photo. A midge has laid eggs inside the stem during the growing season and their larvae are now living inside the galls that have formed. The second photo shows some of the largest galls I have seen. I sliced it open and you can possibly see several orange larvae. The color and multiple number in a gall are signs of them being midges as opposed to sawflies which are white and would have a single larva. Though I should add that it’s possible that there is a sawfly larva in the upper gall cut open. These stem gall midges are quite common in the Pacific Northwest on Salix purpurea which can be a bit of a headache for people growing basketry willows. After the leaves drop is a good time to go through the coppice and cut these out and get rid of them. I should say that they are great bird food and I have many mature willows on the farm that have them. Purpurea varieties are effected to varying extent. I do have some info on our website about which ones are more effected here. I am always happy to make recommendations to cuttings customers (no need to buy a class!). . #basketrywillow #salixpurpurea #willowstemgallmidge
Some of the willows growing on the farm for basket Some of the willows growing on the farm for basketry. These were all coppiced last winter. 1) Irette and Lancashire Dicks. 2) Goldstones and Jagiellonka. 3) Green Dicks and Blackskin. 4) Americana and Whissender. 5)Vermont Red and Whissender. 6) Long Bud and Bleu. 7) ? Purpurea and Hutchinson’s Red. 8) Jaune de Falaise. 9) Natural Red. 10) Farndon. 11) Packing Twine. 12) Richartii and Dark Dicks (two purpurea that hold their leaves quite late obviously). 13) Fanny’s White (shortest variety when coppiced). 14) Rainbow over the farm on Friday afternoon. . #basketrywillow #salix #coppice #willowcuttings #farmtobasket #dunbargardens #skagitvalley #skagitgrown
Another basket that Katherine brought home to fini Another basket that Katherine brought home to finish from her trip to the UK. This oak basket was made with @lornaweavesoak at the @tearup.fest. Lorna calls this the “L’al Yak” basket bag. The oak bark tanned leather lid pieces were cut at the festival but there wasn’t time to finish. The nice awl Katherine purchased from Dave Budd at the festival also came in handy when stitching the leather lid.
Katherine’s finished rush basket that she made w Katherine’s finished rush basket that she made with @janeybaskets on her trip back in September. She lined it with fabric and added four strand round leather handles for a nice shoulder bag.
Some farm photos from a beautiful autumn day. Firs Some farm photos from a beautiful autumn day. First two are looking at rows of basketry willows. Leaves drop off the different varieties at different rates, but a lot of stem color is starting to show. These have been coppiced so that is the annual growth. The next two photos are of the living willow fence and archway. The second view also shows the woven Blue Streak tree. The fifth photo shows a living willow structure made from Continental Purple in front of chestnut trees and a large broad Melanostachys willow which keeps green leaves well into the year. The sixth photo show some rows of large Salix daphnoides. Last photo is a view of willows and chestnuts on the west side of the barn. You can just see the living willow hut on the far left near the full grown Britzensis trees. In the middle are some willow pollards. . #basketrywillows #farmtobasket #dunbargardens #skagitgrown #skagitvalley #salix #livingwillowstructures #coppice
Have a view of some of the willows from a ladder. Have a view of some of the willows from a ladder. Leaves are dropping and some are turning a lovely yellow but we have a way to go. Not even a frost yet. For those who are wondering I am selling and shipping willow cuttings this year. I will start taking orders in December. There is plenty of info on our website to get started. Remember I’m always happy to answer questions from previous customers as well. . #basketrywillows #salix #coppice #willowcuttings #dunbargardens #farmtobasket #skagitvalley
We visited the 2024 Festival Winners exhibit at th We visited the 2024 Festival Winners exhibit at the Pacific Northwest Quilt & Fiber Arts Museum in La Conner yesterday. It was great to see Katherine’s willow bark purse being shown with the lid open so people can get a good view. Many outstanding quilts and fiber art works to see in this show. . #willowbark #willowbarkpurse #willowbasketmaker #katherinelewis #dunbargardens #contemporaryfiberart #qfamuseum #iqfaf2024 #nbomember #nwdesignercraftartists
Yesterday the NBO shared a link to a video about t Yesterday the NBO shared a link to a video about the exhibit “A Measure of the Earth: The Cole-Ware Collection of American Baskets from 2013. Katherine had several willow baskets in the exhibit and three of them are in the permanent collection of the Renwick Gallery. It’s a good video but Katherine wasn’t included probably because we live out here on the west coast. Here are a few images for a throwback Thursday post. 1) We were thrilled at the time of the exhibit to see Katherine’s “rope coil” used on the Smithsonian’s website ‘slider’ to promote the exhibit. 2) Katherine next to her Irish potato basket at the Renwick Gallery. 3) Photo of 4 of the baskets before they were shipped to collectors Steve Cole and Martha Ware in 2011. 4) Screen shot of Katherine’s page on the Smithsonian’s website with the three baskets in the permanent collection. 5) Photo of the zig zag weave shopper that was part of the exhibit at the Renwick. 6) Willow bark tray made in 2012 that was also in the exhibit. 7) Fitched shopper that Katherine loaned to the Renwick for the “hands on gallery” during the exhibit. 8) The “hands on gallery” at the exhibit which included several baskets and images. 9) Two photos of our willows that were included in the exhibit book by curator Nicholas Bell. 10&11) Katherine’s Irish potato basket was displayed again at the Renwick Gallery for a year in 2022. We’re still hoping that some day the entire exhibit will be displayed somewhere in the country. . #willowbaskets #willowbasketmaker #katherinelewis #dunbargardens #farmtobasket #skagitvalley #craftinamerica #renwickgallery #smithsonianamericanartmuseum #nbomember #basketry
Some recent sightings on the farm. 1) I was pickin Some recent sightings on the farm. 1) I was picking up some chestnuts when I realized a Barred Owl was supervising. 2) One of many nice basket fulls of chestnuts though they are smaller this year perhaps due to the cool August we had. 3)Also using a chestnut tree was a Sharp-shinned Hawk. 4) In another chestnut high up is a Bald-faced Hornet nest. It’s a little high so it might get torn into by a Jay relatively quickly as the season winds down. 5) Nearby I spotted two Pacific Tree Frogs about 3 feet up in a Salix purpurea ‘Nancy Saunders’. The bigger one obviously got the comfy spot. 6) Last Monday I spotted this Western Flycatcher (until last year these were called Pacific-slope Flycatcher) on the farm migrating through on the late side. 7&8) Finally a couple of photos of a little brown bat hanging from a wire in the barn tool shop near the light switch. Spent a couple of days in that location and then found another spot. . #birdsonthefarm #chestnuts #dunbargardens #skagitvalley #barredowl #sharpshinnedhawk #westernflycatcher #pacifctreefrog #baldfacedhornet #littlebrownbat
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