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Next Sunday (7/26) I'm teaching this cute little asymmetrical willow basket in Catskill at @catskillmontessori. There are just few spaces left (and this is the last public willow class for me this season.) So if you're looking for a sign, this is it! Details and registration under "workshops" at link in bio. taken in Catskill Montessori School by @renee_makes_things

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8 days ago

I love backpacks (And I love teaching basket making!) this pack is a new design I came up with teaching my workshop at @snowfarmcraft this spring. Over time, I've found that you *can* make long-lasting baskets from cattail leaves if you use the right techniques. (Spoiler alert: it's mostly about hinges and allowing motion where it's needed.) We all made cattail bags with different straps and pockets. Swipe to see what everyone made!

For this design, I love the detail of pack straps being attached to the outside center of a bag (please look up the incredible traditional Pasiking packs woven in the Philippines). I misremembered the detail and thought I might make the straps convertible to a shoulder bag- I think this might be my own twist on a convertible pack/shoulder bag. (Though please let me know if I'm wrong) The bag is made entirely of cattail leaves using twining, lattice twining and several different braiding and cordage techniques. by @renee_makes_things

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a month ago

I am happy to announce my newest endeavor, The Working Vessels Project, has been awarded a Rural and Traditional Arts Fellowship! And (even more exciting) this is a collaborative project that will involve farmers and farms in the Catskills and Hudson Valley.

I'm currently looking for farmers who would like to have a custom basket (or other woven vessel) designed for use on their farm. (Maybe it's a tractor caddy, or something to hold long, delicate flowers for cut stems, or even a sun hat that provides shade in the right shape for harvest days- I want to know what the thing is that you want to exist and don't have.) In mid-May three farms will be selected, I'll work with them to design and make a custom basket specific to that need on the farm. Later, I'll return and give a one-on-one tutorial to each individual farmer on how to make that basket. There is no cost for farmers to apply or to participate-- the funding for this project is made possible through the grant. More details are available in the application form (link in bio!) Application deadline is May 5th - please feel free to pass this along to other folks you think might be interested!

(Continued in comments) by @renee_makes_things

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3 months ago

Excited to have Renee Baumann as an instructor this summer for Willow Basketmaking!

Renee is a Catskills-based designer, chef, and nature enthusiast with a passion for wild plants and fungi. Trained as both an architect and a chef, she brings a creative, interdisciplinary flair to everything she does—whether she’s crafting baskets from local plants, illustrating mushrooms in watercolor, or whipping up delicious meals from foraged ingredients. Renee teaches workshops and techniques working with local fibers, with an emphasis on creating three dimensional forms from bioregional components. Her work varies from traditional basketry practices in cattail and willow to sculptural felt and spinning foraged fibers. Renee teaches workshops on identifying, cooking with, and even weaving with plants and fungi growing in the Catskills. Find more of her work @renee_makes_things on instagram.

This 2 day course will take place August 14 & 15 from 10am - 4pm in Wassaic, NY. Check out our website for more details and to register.

#basketweavingworkshop #willowweavingworkshop #reneebaumann #hudsonvalleyworkshops taken in Wassaic, New York by @renee_makes_things

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5 months ago

After years of wild harvesting (modest) quantities of willow, this year I am helping to steward the willow planting at @catskillmontessori. This weekend enough snow had melted to harvest some of the lower field. If you're interested in learning how to harvest willow, there are community harvest days posted under events (link in bio.) Harvesting is work, for sure, but how beautiful to be tending to these plants and creating material for art all at once? In related news I'll be teaching a few Willow weaving classes this summer... Stay tuned! by @renee_makes_things

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5 months ago

Working on catching up with some leather fittings for a few baskets that I have been patiently waiting for their final leatherwork. These straps are made of acorn-tanned deer leather, which I (happily) traded for doing some basket repair and production to help support future acorn harvests. I think for a long while I bought into the vision that doing everything yourself was the ultimate expression of art/craft. These days I am so much more inspired when I can be part of a reciprocal community, offering my skills and in exchange getting the inspiring skills that other friends are cultivating. I haven't worked with vegetable-tanned leathers much, but I'm really excited to have this beautiful material to connect with my bendy stick creations. 🌰 by @renee_makes_things

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5 months ago

This spring, I'm teaching a cattail weaving intensive at @snowfarmcraft in western Mass. Over the course of a few days we'll make a vessel, then learn to make and attach custom moving parts- things like lids and hinges and pockets and straps. If you've ever wanted to make a backpack, handbag, tool carrier, fanny pack that holds exactly what you want, this is your chance to make that happen using only plant fibers. After making vessels out of cattail for years, I've learned that you CAN make sturdy and functional components, you just need the right details & technique. My tool basket is probably on of my most-used vessels, and it comfortably stores a wide variety of heavy& sharp tools. I'm super-excited to see what everyone dreams up.

Details & registration are in my bio! by @renee_makes_things

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5 months ago

RESCHEDULED FOR MARCH DUE TO SNOW
Weave a Hen Basket with cattail and willow with @renee_makes_things @kaaterskillmarket on Sunday, March 15th 10 am-4 pm. Comment HEN for the sign-up link

This workshop is designed to introduce you to the structure of a ribbed basket, and to quickly dive into weaving a sturdy, functional crescent-shaped basket.

Participants will also learn how to harvest and prepare both cattail leaves and willow withes for weaving. At the end of the course, everyone will leave with a basket made entirely from local plants.

Comment HEN for the sign-up link taken in Kaaterskill Market by @renee_makes_things

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6 months ago

BASKET/PAPER- MAKING WITH CATTAILS
Workshop this Saturday 1/17 Greenpoint, Brooklyn with @renee_makes_things and @bluesprucewanderings
This hands-on workshop will introduce two traditional craft practices using cattail leaves: basketry and paper making. Renee Baumann will teach a small leaf-shaped rib basket, introducing foundational weaving techniques. Roberta Trentin will guide teaching paper making, and participants will get to experience transforming plant matter into a workable pulp, and how to make handmade sheets of paper. Together, these complementary practices offer a practical, beginner-friendly way to work with natural materials and to understand how a single plant can support multiple forms of making. Expect to leave with a small completed basket and several sheets of handmade paper, and the skills to try your hand at creating with plant material. Tickets are 60$ and include all materials. No prior experience required. by @renee_makes_things

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6 months ago

I had such a lovely time teaching this 7-strand braiding technique this weekend at @kaaterskillmarket. This might be my new favorite technique for making with cattail leaves- the part twill braid comes together faster than you think, and double leaves with staggered joins make a nice sturdy construction. I can’t decide if I should make a big tool basket with pockets or a laptop backpack next.

And for everyone who has been asking me about willow barrettes, there are now some lovely ones up for sale (in-person only) at @kaaterskillmarket!

I’m also working on getting together some workshops to teach how to make these guys in the new year, both in-person and online. (Stay tuned.) by @renee_makes_things

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8 months ago

I’m very excited to release this one out into the world! I’ve made a series of willow barrettes, which draw from construction details of traditional Polish tatza baskets. My design uses just the smallest and slimmest whips of willow and twists them into an extremely functional and versatile hair clip. These are made entirely by hand and out of local willow from the Catskills and Hudson Valley. (some have a carved cherry pin). Their gorgeous range of colors is the natural colors from the willow bark from different varieties.

Edit to address some FAQs-
These barrettes are woven from willow that is a part of the weaving and basketry practice. I’m not selling them online, as I would like to prioritize in-person sales. Info is available about local markets in the Catskills I’ll be at through my feed.

For the willow weavers out there- I’ve learned a lot playing with this design and would like to know if other weavers would be interested in a workshop. DM me if you’re interested! by @renee_makes_things

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8 months ago

Sign-up is open for our last basket weaving workshop of the year with @renee_makes_things

Sunday, December 7th 10am-4pm

Comment BRAID for the link.

7-strand plaits and the invisible stitch.

Learn a versatile, practical technique that you can use to make bags and vessels out of an abundant plant, cattails. We’ll learn to braid a 7-strand plait and how it can be stitched together to make everything from market tote bags to rugs! You’ll get ample opportunity to practice and refine and you can leave with a small completed project, or the beginning of a larger project to work on a little at a time. This is a great technique to work on if you have winter crafting on your agenda and would like a project that you can work on a little at a time. You’ll leave with a darning needle and more cattails to finish a larger project, if you like. taken in Kaaterskill Market by @renee_makes_things

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8 months ago