The Basket Case and Leola's Studio

The 2013 ANWG NW Weavers Conference Marketplace Mall will be June 20-22, Carver Gym, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA.  We will continue to feature some of our outstanding merchants on our blog. 

This week we are featuring 2 Marketplace Mall merchants  -- The Basket Case and Leola's Studio.

the Basket Case

This is what I do . . . My handmade baskets are to picked up and used. Some baskets are made with gathered materials such as birch bark, vines, driftwood and antlers. The main material I use is reed, a vine that grows quickly in tropical regions. Reed is a wonderful product to dye with natural or commercial dyes, and stain. I also enjoy incorporating other mediums with reed such as clay, wood and yarn.

I've been in the basket making business since 1978. This has been a passion that have woven in and out or raising four children, with pets, while being the Art Instructor at a couple of local elementary schools. I've taught all ages to weave baskets and always enjoy the excitement they get out of the finished product. I'll never forget the young boy taking an after school class that looked at me with amazement and said, "Out of all these straight things you can make this!" while holding out his basket in his hands. He couldn't have said it better. I feel the same way.  

All step the steps of basket making are fun for me: receiving a large order of reed; dyeing as many colors a possible; finding or collecting 'treasures' while out and about; forming clay pieces to combine with basket weaving; loom weaving 'basket cloth' from my stash of yarn.

Among my basket weaving I’ve incorporated, fabric dying, basket structure watercolors with paint or coffee, and being a dabbler of fiber arts.  Sharon Gunter

Leola's Studio

“Tromp as Writ” People are drawn in to Leola’s Studio to discover and experience the textile arts. 

Leola’s Studio is located in two beautifully restored buildings from the 1900s bursting with energy, ideas, textiles, looms, and friendly conversation. People wander in and out, from experienced weavers working on individual projects, to students just discovering the world of textile arts.

Leola’s love of weaving began when she ordered her first loom at 16 years old. She studied and apprenticed with a renowned Swedish weaver and went on to study with weaving masters from around the world. Her journey into teaching began 38 years ago and included establishing a textile arts studio at Shawnigan Lake School before opening her own studio. 

"I don’t see creating and running this studio as a lot of work,” she says. “I experience it as a process that I engage in, step by step. Every fibre I touch, every fibre someone else touches, serves to connect and create, and day-by-day, a community is woven.” 

Over the years, her community has grown significantly. Leola offers classes to students of all ages and incorporates the rich textile history of the Cowichan Valley into her practice.

“This studio is a place where people can come, take creative risks, reconnect to their expressive side, and share and be supported by others,” says Leola. “Almost everyone lights up when they walk through the door I never know what I’m going to learn from people. Every day is different. How fun is that?”

The public is invited to shop during all Marketplace Mall open hours.  The Marketplace Mall open hours will be:

·         Thursday, June 20 - 12 noon—6 p.m.

·         Friday, June 21 - 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

·         Saturday, June 22 - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.