Skip to primary content

Skip to secondary content

Willow Baskets by Katherine Lewis

Dunbar Gardens in Mount Vernon, Washington

Search

Main menu

Home
Willow Basket Gallery
Baskets in stock
Recent Baskets
Shows & Events
Basketmaking Classes
Willow Cuttings
Basketry Willow
Farmstand
Links
Blog
Birds on the farm
Contact
FAQ

Blog Archives

Post navigation

Newer posts →

Song Sparrow in the corn patch

Image

song sparrow in the corn patch

Song Sparrow in the corn patch

October 26, 2013 by Steve Lospalluto

Posted in Birds on the farm Tagged sparrow

Three Swallows

Image

three barn swallows

Three Barn Swallow fledglings waiting to be fed.

October 25, 2013 by Steve Lospalluto

Posted in Birds on the farm Tagged swallows

Post navigation

Newer posts →

DG on Flickr

Willow Baskets by Katherine Lewis

Superb_owl Sunday
Dark-eyed Junco in the basketry willows
Northern Flicker eating apple in the orchard
Ready to fly
Anna’s Hummingbird perched in pear tree

Site Map

https://www.dunbargardens.com/sitemap/

©2007-2026 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
we prefer email or text

Find Dunbar Gardens

Instagram

dunbargardens

growing willows #farmtobasket at #dunbargardens in the #skagitvalley with @willowbasketmaker Katherine Lewis

Some photos from this year’s garden including some

Some photos from this year’s garden including some of the willows. If you have followed us for awhile, you might know that we used to sell vegetables from the farm. Having a large garden is hard to let go of even when you have health and old age to deal with.
The end of August and beginning of September is that seasonal transition when the summer crops peak and the fall and winter vegetables have to get growing. It’s a sit back and watch the willows by this time.

Zinnias and cosmos light up the summer.

Sunflowers which have already turned into giant seed heads for the birds since this was taken a couple weeks back.

Plenty of beans including many for shelling. Oh and the hummingbirds like them too.

Winter vegetables like radicchio and purple sprouting broccoli.

Some more winter greens like chard, kale and collards.

Some of the willows next to the veg and flowers.

Picking beans three days after lung surgery to remove cancer. Nice to have a garden to hide out in when healing.

Comfy spot for a Pacific tree frog.

Onions for storage.

The cat helping out?

The living willow fence.

The living willow hut.

A ladder top view of the coppiced willows.

A 360 view of the main garden area.

Some recent willow baskets Katherine has made from

Some recent willow baskets Katherine has made from willows grown on our small farm in the Skagit Valley in the Pacific Northwest. Swipe for more.
.
#willowbaskets #willowbasketmaker #katherinelewis #farmtobasket #basketsmadetobeused

One of Katherine’s garden baskets now in Seattle.

Zig zag side weave oval for Seattle customer.

Another garden basket for a California wedding gift.

Spare blanket basket for a home in Walla Walla.

A potluck basket soon off to New York.

Irish potato basket in the Joyce country style.

Large oval laundry or storage basket.

Large oval laundry or storage basket.

Another fitched shopper.

Katherine had a great class at BARN on Bainbridge

Katherine had a great class at BARN on Bainbridge Island this past weekend with 8 students making a potluck style basket. Most were learning new techniques like cutting scalloms and oval bases. Look closely and you can see some nice baskets (though not all were finished with trimming yet). All made with willows grown on our farm of course. Willow basketry in the Pacific Northwest is becoming quite popular.
.
#willowbasket #willowbasketmaker #katherinelewis #basketry #handwork2026

Two new openwork oval arm baskets or fitched marke

Two new openwork oval arm baskets or fitched market baskets as we call them. One has a solid base and one has a fitched base and both are made from the willow variety Whissender which has a beautiful color and great fragrance. Second photo pairs the fitched base basket with one made with peeled Whissender that Katherine made before her class at Willow Fest Northwest. .
.
#willowbasket #willowbasketmaker #katherinelewis #farmtobasket #dunbargardens

One of Katherine’s large Irish skibs is part of th

One of Katherine’s large Irish skibs is part of the current virtual basket exhibit of National Basketry Organization members work online. She titled it “Skagit Sunset” (we live in Skagit Valley). There are many interesting art works to look at in the photo gallery. Jurors gave out quite a few awards too. Unfortunately there wasn’t an award for best basket hanging on the side of an artist’s barn. The first photo is the one submitted and the second is the basket hanging in our house today. Nice thing about a virtual exhibit is not having to ship a large 32 inch diameter basket. All of those colors are of course willows that we grow and coppice here where we’re always inspired by nature and traditional basketry. Link to exhibit: nationalbasketry.org/exhibitions/every-1-2026/.
.
#willowbasket #willowbasketmaker #katherinelewis #dunbargardens #nbomember

Flashback to August 2015 when Katherine had an exh

Flashback to August 2015 when Katherine had an exhibit of her baskets at the Pacific Northwest Quilt and Fiber Arts Museum in nearby La Conner. She had a nice variety of her work available for it. Over the years she has had baskets in many different group exhibits at the museum. Although she doesn’t have a piece in the upcoming International Quilt & Fiber Arts Festival in September, she will be demonstrating her basketry there on Sunday the 27th in Maple Hall.
.
#willowbaskets #willowbasketmaker #katherinelewis #dunbargardens #basketry

Katherine is on her way to teach for four days at

Katherine is on her way to teach for four days at Willow Fest Northwest. In the past week she made a couple of paniers à jour for samples for that half of the class time. You can see the finished baskets in photo 2. Two different base styles that could be made. Although they are different in size, they are made on a base hoop the same size. The white basket was made from mostly peeled Whissender which won’t be an option in the class. We also loaded a third one into the car this morning that you can see in photo 3. That one was originally made for a “hands on” exhibit at the Renwick Gallery back in 2013. Last photo shows all of the willows getting loaded for the class. Lots of small rods for the rope coil weave baskets leaning up against the back. Quite a haul on a hot day here in the Pacific Northwest. Weaving begins tomorrow!
.
#willowbaskets #willowbasketmaker #katherinelewis #nwbasketweavers #willowfestnorthwest

We did a little bark peeling recently. Katherine w

We did a little bark peeling recently. Katherine was getting a willow bark supply together for a couple of classes that she will be teaching in October at North House Folk School in Minnesota. You can see we have a size range of willow rods to peel. Taking advantage of the sunshine to dry the bark rolls. Last two photos are class samples.
.
#willowbark #willowbasketmaker #katherinelewis #dunbargardens #handwork2026

Katherine has been busy preparing for Willow Fest

Katherine has been busy preparing for Willow Fest Northwest at the end of the month. Yesterday she was weaving a rope coil basket as a sample for her class. Lots of sorting of willows too. It should be a great event with five excellent teachers with four full days of class time. All the teachers grow their own willows so the classes will have a farm to basket atmosphere. Besides the rope coil weave, Katherine will also be teaching a fitched oval market basket.
.
#willowbaskets #willowbasketmaker #katherinelewis #dunbargardens #willowfest

Black-capped Chickadees and Swallows have used the

Black-capped Chickadees and Swallows have used the nest boxes this year. I have seen the Chickadees using 4 boxes, Tree Swallows in one and Violet-green Swallows in one after the Chickadees had fledged. I was worried for awhile that the Swallows would try to force the Chickadees out since they were so persistent in going to the box even after I moved and placed 2 more boxes in the same area.
First two photos show the Chickadees with insects for the nestlings. Third photo shows the nest with their eggs and the next two photos shows the nestlings later. Sixth photo is the Violet-green Swallow claiming the box the day the Chickadees fledged. The seventh photo shows the new Swallow nest built on top of the Chickadee nest. The Swallows are lucky that the Chickadees are such good house keepers.
.
#birdsonthefarm #dunbargardens #skagitvalley #blackcappedchickadee #violetgreenswallow

Follow on Instagram

Like Us On Facebook

Visit Dunbar Gardens's profile on Pinterest.

Proudly powered by WordPress