Not another fairy?!

Well, yes :) I am still obsessed with these felt fairies! My latest favourite is Miss Carrotta; just looove the way her hair turned out...for which, I used wool yarn this time.
She even has a little organge butterfly in her hair!
The fairy is 100% handcrafted, made of quality merino wool and recycled organza fabric.
Don't worry, I haven't given up basket making either, next time will show you some of my latest items!

Lavender maces!

I have been making these lavender "maces" lately using the lavender flowers I picked a couple of weeks ago...it is almost as relaxing as basketmaking :)
The good thing about these maces is that due to the tight weaving, they keep the dry flowers inside; the maces can be used as decorative items, or could be hung in your closet as a protection against moths.
They smell heavenly!

Lavender harvest and workshop update!

I just spent two wonderful days at Central-Europe's largest lake called Balaton; besides swimming in the refreshing water I went to pick lavender at a local organic lavender farm.
It was incredibly hot and the field was like a purple sea, busy with thousands of  bees, butterflies and all sorts of strange-looking flying insects buzzing away...this is how I imagine Provance must look like, altough I have never been there...

As for my basket making workshops, I am only running one beginner's course in the UK this summer; it will be held on 24th, August at the Foundry Wood in Leamington Spa.
Should you be interested, please let me know by sending an email!

A busy day at Foundry Wood!

We had a wonderful day yesterday at the Foundry Wood which is an urban community woodland in Leamington Spa. As part of the Woodland Fair, I held a few hours "willow wreath making" activity which was extremely popular amoung children and grown-ups as well :)
I met superb people at the event who, for over 18 months have been doing an amazing job turning this tiny piece of nature into a refreshing oasis.
I am planning to run two beginner basket making workshops in the Outdoor Classroom of the Foundry Wood this August (Sunday,11th, and Saturday, 24th).
Should you be interested, please let me know by popping me an email!

Another basket making workshop scheduled for the Northampton area!

As there has been a lot of interest in my workshops from the Northampton area I am now organizing a one day workshop which will be held in a gazebo on Woodbine Farm (CV23 8BA) on Sunday, 23rd, June.

 

As usual, the one day workshop is designed to guide total beginners step by step through each stage of the basket making process.

On this course you will learn how to weave a medium sized "rustic" vegetable basket with a handle.

Date: Sunday, 23rd, June (10 am- 5 pm)

On this course I am able to tutor 8 persons so please book your

place to make sure you don’t miss it!

Come and learn this beautiful ancient craft with me and go home with a

finished rustic basket and the knowledge to make many more! 

For further details and to book your place please contact Borbala at:

borbalahidvegi@gmail.com

Booking is on a first come first served basis.

Beware! Basketmaking is highly addictive!

This year's first basket making workshop scheduled

I am still in Hungary, but have been busy preparing my return to the UK.

The year's first basket making workshop will be held in the Oxford/Abingdon area and is scheduled for Sunday, 21st, April. Details of exact location coming soon.

As usual, the one day (approx. 7 hours) workshop is designed to guide total beginners step by step through each stage of the basket making process.

On this course you will learn how to weave a medium sized vegetable basket with a simple handle.

Price per person:  £49

(all materials, tools, step-by step handouts, plus tea and coffee included)

For further details and to book your place please contact Borbala at: borbalahidvegi@gmail.com

Booking is on a first come first served basis.

Beware! Basketmaking is highly addictive!

I am so proud!

I just received the nicest email from a student who has attended one of my workshops this summer.
I am so touched that I thought I'd share this with you:

"Dear Borbála,

'Beware! Basketmaking is highly addictive!' you said, and I agree, having just finished number 13 - see attached photos.

It doesn't seem long since it was all a mysterious art form, but your excellent workshop at EcoHouse Leicester in June made it clear and got me hooked - for which, many thanks.

And a picture of an impeccable oval basket he just finished:

 Isn't it amazing?

Willow Christmas decoration

It's only October, but I have been playing around to see what Christmas decoration I could make using traditional basket making techniques and natural materials. This is a Christmas tree made of green willow; hopefully it can be used for a couple of years; it is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

The wreath also has a willow base that I embellished with ivy and some bright red berries.
Can't wait to make more!

Autumn workshops!

I am still in Hungary, enjoying the last days of my holidays, but I have been busy organizing the autumn basket making workshops in the UK as well :)

Here are the dates and places for the courses I am planning; if there is an interest, I would hold more seasonal workshops focusing on Christmas decorations (wreath, willow Christmas-tree, etc).

Saturday, 10th, November, EYNSHAM, TOLKIEN ROOM (10 am- 4 pm)
Saturday, 24th, Noveber, EcoHouse, Leicester (10 am-4 pm) WILLOW CHRISTMAS DECORATION!

Should you be interested in any of the above workshops, please send me a note to borbalahidvegi@gmail.com

Back in Hungary

I am currently enjoying my holidays in Hungary, but will be back to the UK in October. I have started to arrange a couple of basket making workshops for the autumn-winter period; dates and locations will be posted soon.
This picture was taken on the river Danube (close to the historical town of Esztergom) where we spent a pleasurable weekend canoeing.

EcoHouse follow up

So my first (but hopefully not last) workshop at the EcoHouse in Leicester was over yesterday afternoon.
I felt lucky again to have such enthusiastic, good humoured people attending the workshop; everybody went home with a finished, medium sized wicker basket and the basic knowledge to be able to start making a second one!
The EcoHouse is an amazing place with lots of interesting activities going on; it is definitely worth a visit if you live in the area and are interested in organic gardening, recycling and other green activities!
I am definitely planning to have a second workshop here, and next time we might be able to work in the garden if the weather is nice.
Although we used mainly grown buff willow on the course, I made sure we had some colorful green willow and red dogwood to make the baskets a bit more colorful; this is Monica, preparing the dogwood sticks for weaving. The best time to harvest your own material is between late November and early March, but you can still collect dogwood in the summer if you don't mind getting rid of the leaves.

First UK workshop

Hooray!

People have been asking me about basket making courses, so I just couldn't resist and started working out the details; today I am happily announcing that my first UK workshop is all fixed up!

Here are the infos:
One day introductory basket making workshop for beginners.
Students will leave with their own finished, medium sized basket and the skills needed to continue this beautiful and therapeutic craft.
All materials and tools, plus step-by-step handouts included.

Tutor: Borbala Hidvegi, Hungarian basket maker (that's me :)
Course size: maximum 6 persons
Course date: 28th, April (10 am-4 pm)
Location: Rugby Baptist Church, Regent Place, Rugby, CV21 2PJ
Price per person: Ł 45

To book your place please contact me at: borbalahidvegi@gmail.com or call 07565231128

Colours, colours...

I have been busy collecting materials for basket weaving :)
Look at all the different shades of willow, dogwood and hazelnut! Aren't they fascinating?
I love experimenting with these materials that are partly new to me...where I come from we have slightly different variations of the same plants. For example dogwood never gets this gorgeous dark red shade in Hungary!

This is how the above sticks look like once woven into a basket base.
Like a rainbow...

First post

So this is my new blog.
Brand new, fresh, crispy!

We have been missing nature since we moved here a month and a half ago, so this weekend we treated ourselves with a little trip...drove up to Willow Withies in Moira to buy a bit of green willow for my upcoming workshop, then wandered around Charnwood Forest for a couple of hours.
What a lovely day!
PS: I wanted to take pictures of bluebell covered woods, but I guess it was too early for that...oh well, we still found a few pieces, plus it will be a good excuse for another excursion :)