“Oh! You’re a man…..”
“I thought the tutor would be a woman.”
“I assumed you were the caretaker.”
All of these are things that have been said to me at the beginning of workshops that I’ve run over the last couple of years. None of the speakers intended to be rude and I didn’t take offence. But it did start me thinking. Why is it that basket weaving workshops seem to attract more women than men? And why should it be surprising that men weave? I should say that this is not intended to be in any way disrespectful to the many fabulous female willow weavers. I learned to weave from Leilah Vyner at Dragon Willow who creates fantastic work including the famous Woodland Wonderland at Harewood House. I keep meeting people all over the place who absolutely love it. You can read more about how I got into weaving here.
By far the majority of my workshop customers are female. I always assume that when a male name places a booking on my website, that they are booking a class as a gift for a female partner or relative. And mostly, they are. Recently, however, I have had more men attending my workshops. You'll have noticed this if you follow my facebook or instagram accounts. It is great to see. And each of them thoroughly enjoyed the process.
Bu why does it seem that comparatively few men are interested in basketry? This is a question that I’ve started using as a conversation starter and point of discussion in my workshops and, despite the combined wisdom of many minds, we’ve been unable to come up with a satisfactory solution.
There is certainly no reason why basketry shouldn’t appeal to men. It is certainly not a dainty craft and requires some considerable strength and stamina in the hands to bring the willow under control. Many of my customers are surprised by quite how physical weaving can be and often go home with aching hands. I remember making my first basket and being amazed at how wilful a willow withy can be! I’ve long since discarded my soft, office-boy hands and now sport a pair of gnarly mitts complete with toughened skin and the odd scab.
It wasn’t always like this -, basketry used to be a craft that was handed down in families from father to son. And it sometimes still is today. One of my basketry heroes, who I had the pleasure of learning from a couple of years ago, is Eddie Glew whose father was also a basketmaker.
Eddie creates the most beautiful baskets I’ve ever seen - a true master craftsman. I could only ever dream of making with such accuracy and consistency. Whilst Eddie has spent perhaps half of his life perfecting his skills, he is generous when it comes to passing them on. Passionate about wanting every weaver to be able to create better baskets, Eddie considers the skills as belonging to the craft rather than any one person.
Another father to son basketmaking family are the Hogans in Ireland. I first came across this beautiful documentary when I started getting interested in making baskets a few years ago and I just love it. It is well worth watching. Joe’s son, Ciaran, can be seen in this short video making a bread basket.
At the end of the First World War, traumatised soldiers returning to the UK were sometimes taught basket weaving as an early form of occupational therapy. Making baskets helped create space between their horrific experiences and their new reality as well as providing them with a craft with which to return to civilian life.
One of the main willow suppliers in the UK, Musgrove Willows, has been a family run business for generations since it was established in 1928. Arthur Musgrove set up the business before handing to his son Les, who passed it to his son, and current owner, Michael.
I think it is shame that more men aren’t trying this wonderful craft. There is a real sense of achievement in imposing your will on a stubborn damp stick and creating something new. It doesn’t have to be the best example of a basket in the world. It is the process that is important. Spending time bringing something into existence with your bare hands is incredibly rewarding. So come on guys, give it a go. You might find you like it…..