Talented makers in wood from around the country will converge on the pretty Borders town to display and sell their wares. The Woodmarket makes its annual return this year in October.

HARVEST: Contemporary Craft Fair is a major new addition to Scotland’s cultural calendar for 2025.

At the heart of HARVEST is a celebration of contemporary craft and conviviality where the joy of gathering is brought to life through a curated gallery and retail experience.

Anna Liebmann will be showcasing her baskets during the week-long exhibition.

Come and meet Anna Liebmann (weaver) as part of Art Walk Porty, discover and purchase beautiful handcrafted items from both renowned makers. Demonstrations, exhibition, coffee and homebaking.

Come and meet Anna Liebmann (weaver) as part of Art Walk Porty, discover and purchase beautiful handcrafted items from both renowned makers. Demonstrations, exhibition, coffee and homebaking.

Join master basket weaver Anna Liebmann for four fun and sociable days of Willow Basketry Summer School and create a selection of willow masterpieces. With Annas expert help we will learn all the fundamental techniques of basketmaking, completing a traditional willow shopping basket and then a selection of other small projects over the course. Your completed shopping basket will be based on an extremely time served traditional design, and given due care should be outlasting you to hand down the generations! There will be lots of opportunity to experiment with colour in the sides of the baskets, using different varieties of willows grown for their varied bark colours. Once we’ve completed our shopping baskets we’ll move on to learn a few of Anna’s smaller projects such as platters, woven stars, or nut baskets.

Anna will be part of the team running the Permaculture Tent in the Garden of Eden area and will be offering low cost (to cover materials) Square Platter Basketweave workshops as part of the programme, probably 2-4 each day

Nature and history pass through Anna’s hands as she weaves using willow she grows, cuts, sorts and prepares herself. She also uses willow that was grown elsewhere in Scotland organically or conventionally in Somerset. The baskets are things of beauty; sturdy and precise.

Nature and history pass through Anna’s hands as she weaves using willow she grows, cuts, sorts and prepares herself. She also uses willow that was grown elsewhere in Scotland organically or conventionally in Somerset. The baskets are things of beauty; sturdy and precise.

Creating and managing basketry willow beds at Lauriston Farm Agroecology Co-op.

It is my plan with these ongoing sessions that we will gather a group together each time, and if there is no work to do (😂) we can just have a nice time in the willow patch admiring their incredible growth and flexibility and colours, but by getting some sessions in the calendar we will keep on top of the weeds etc and the willow will thrive!

Please dress for the weather. You don't need to bring secateurs for any of the cutting work as I have plenty and I will have them nice and sharp.

Please don't feel you have to stay for all the slot you sign up for, likewise feel free to stay on for longer or sign up for mulitiple slots in the day!

Basketry: Rescuing, Reviving, Retaining‬

‭ A touring exhibition showcasing the designs, skills and techniques of traditional basket making

Join master basket weaver Anna Liebmann for two fun and sociable days of beginners willow basketry and create a beautiful round frame basket followed by other willow projects of your choice. The basket form we will work with is versatile and infinitely adaptable, letting you dictate your own outcomes and create your own personal basket design.

This year, 2025, the new 1 year old willow bed planted in late Winter/ early Spring 2024 will get its first cut as it has been so successful and is growing strongly. We will make new cuttings from the material we harvest to infill any cuttings that haven't taken. We will weed around the edges and amongst the plants.

The original bed, planted in early 2022, needs some consideration as it is really weedy and our mulching efforts haven't come to much- so, more weeding, probably pollarding of the now 3 year old 'Carl Jensen' willow which is at the East end, and some head scratching about the other two varieties (Norfolks and Harrisons) and their management.

Ideal Living reinvents the home to showcase specialist makers and people that elevate out everyday experience through meaningful design and craftsmanship.

Join master basket weaver Anna Liebmann for two fun and sociable days of beginners willow basketry and create a beautiful round frame basket followed by other willow projects of your choice. The basket form we will work with is versatile and infinitely adaptable, letting you dictate your own outcomes and create your own personal basket design.

Talented makers in wood from around the country will converge on the pretty Borders town to display and sell their wares. The Woodmarket makes its annual return this year in October.

Nature and history pass through Anna’s hands as she weaves using willow she grows, cuts, sorts and prepares herself. She also uses willow that was grown elsewhere in Scotland organically or conventionally in Somerset. The baskets are things of beauty; sturdy and precise.

Learn how to make creatively but with order and success a lampshade with willow, with the option of working on a former or scalloming onto a hoop or lampshade ring.

Over 2 days we will cover all the skills needed, starting with selecting your willow hoops to creating an armature, adding ribs and controlling the shape, grading the willow as you meditatively weave this traditional Scottish basket.

Basketry: Rescuing, Reviving, Retaining‬

‭ A touring exhibition showcasing the designs, skills and techniques of traditional basket making

Come and meet Anna Liebmann (weaver) and Michelle Lowe (potter) as part of Art Walk Porty, discover and purchase beautiful handcrafted items from both renowned makers. Demonstrations, exhibition, coffee and homebaking…

On this course you will learn the techniques needed to make a medium-sized oval willow trug basket that will be ideal for foraging and gathering. You will be able to choose between adding one central handle or 2 side handles to suit its purpose.

Join master basket weaver Anna Liebmann for three fun and sociable days of Willow Basketry Summer School and create a selection of willow masterpieces. With Annas expert help we will learn all the fundamental techniques of basketmaking, completing a traditional willow shopping basket and then a selection of other small projects over the course. Your completed shopping basket will be based on an extremely time served traditional design, and given due care should be outlasting you to hand down the generations! There will be lots of opportunity to experiment with colour in the sides of the baskets, using different varieties of willows grown for their varied bark colours. Once we’ve completed our shopping baskets we’ll move on to learn a few of Anna’s smaller projects such as platters, woven stars, or nut baskets.

On this course you will learn the techniques needed to make a medium-sized round willow basket that will be suitable for several uses, such as a small shopping, picnic, or foraging basket. You will be able to choose between adding one central handle or incorporating 2 side handles to suit its purpose.

Creating and managing basketry willow beds at Lauriston Farm

Join master basket weaver Anna Liebmann for two fun and sociable days weaving foraged frame baskets and create a round or oval willow masterpiece. You can choose to add a handle to create a fabulous foraging basket, or go without to create a beautiful fruit basket for your home. This basketry technique is a vernacular style that was traditionally used to build Scottish fishing baskets, a great heritage skill that we are proud to continue.