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Date: 4 Thursday Evening Classes, February 5, 2026 – February 26, 2026, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Instructor: Jeff Wagner

Location: Lander, WY (Noble Hotel, First Floor Classroom – See Map)

Level: Intermediate. Prerequisite: You should have woven 1-2 willow baskets in a similar style. Groundwork is offering 2 beginner workshops in Lander in January to prepare for this series: 1-day beginner class and a month-long beginner series)

Deepen your knowledge of willow basketry through this 4-week series that explores techniques for making baskets beyond the basics. Building on your knowledge from the baskets you made before, we will learn the intermediate techniques that are used to create most willow baskets. These techniques speed up your weaving, and create baskets that are clean and even-looking. French randing is the technique we will focus on the most: weaving with 16 willows at once. The technique is challenging to set up and visualize without prior basketmaking experience, but it will transform the way you weave baskets. While most of the weaving will be completed in each 2-hour class, you will have homework some weeks (30-90 minutes, depending on your weaving speed during class). Tuition includes all materials.

By the end of the series, you will have woven 2 baskets: a circular basket with more advanced French side weaves and an advanced French Follow border; and a specialty flower-shaped basket on a full French randing base (the most difficult and beautiful round basket base).

• Week 1: The next step with circular bases: half French randing bases
• Week 2: Advanced French randing side weaves and advanced French borders
• Week 3: Adding handles to baskets. Begin a full French randing base for next week’s flower basket.
• Week 4: Specialty flower-shaped baskets. Revisit advanced borders.

At the end of the series, you’ll have all the skills to weave your own intermediate baskets and begin to explore other techniques for willow weaving, including experimenting with your own weaves and styles.

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