Like many of us, Anne Bowers discovered basketry – and the rest, as they say, is history. But unlike most of us, she turned her passion into her career. Anne, who lives in West Virginia, will be the 2025 Tidal Twinings Retreat Featured Teacher, and our December meeting will be a good time for CBBG members to meet her and see her work. Join us on Zoom. Anne will show us her studio, some of her newer baskets, and explain the style of ribbed basket weaving.

Join us for the Guild’s 2024 Basket Sale at Multnomah Arts Center! This event is open to the general public. This is an opportunity for any Guild member to sell their baskets to other members, friends, and the public. It’s also a chance for those with a little “inventory” to sell in a friendly, non-competitive atmosphere.

At the Guild’s November 2024 general member meeting, we will have a hands-on project. Barbara Kommer will teach us how to make Flo Hoppe’s reed medallion. This class is online via Zoom, and registrants will receive mailed materials.

In this short concept class, you will learn how to design and size a Sally bag using your preferred materials. We also will discuss the Native American origins of these bags, which were used for root gathering. This is an online, 3-hour workshop for those who are familiar with full-turn twining and, preferably, have made at least one Sally bag. Class will be presentation and discussion; we will not weave.

This online mini class will teach you a surprisingly simple twist on coiling. Beginning lower on the gourd, you will move up to the rim instead of starting on the rim. Use natural Danish cord and waxed linen thread to coil for the natural look you want.

In this online class you will learn how to start a pine needle basket on a decorative center using basic stitches and embellishments.

During October's General Meeting, we will talk with textile artist Barbara Shapiro. Barbara has created textile art for decades, combining rich knowledge of historical and ethnic textiles with broad technical experience in weaving, dyeing, and basketry. She will share with us the productive burst of artistic output inspired by moving her studio in January 2020 and by current personal and political events. The sequestration that Covid forced upon us all brought forth lots of new work in several series.

In this 3-hour class you will make a small pouch of deer hide that has been tanned in the traditional indigenous way - using the brains of the deer. We will sew it with artificial sinew and fit it with a drawstring neck band. 

Make 3 different willow frames (oval, rectangular and leaf-shaped) for future baskets. Frames, and the baskets/tray you can make from them, are seen in the accompanying photo. Willow handling and knife work will be taught. You will learn how to shape large willow rods into 3 different frames.

Gather cattails with the Guild, in Gaston, Oregon. There is a $10 gathering fee; the cattails are located on private land, and we will practice sustainable harvesting, leaving No Trace Behind.

A gifted set of instructors are gathering for Basket Day 2024. They will be offering 4 different classes using natural and abundant materials, along with opportunities to learn about preparing cedar bark! Learn to: prepare your own cedar bark; weave a basket with native blackberry vines; make a birch bark trinket canister; and/or weave a bark basket necklace!

CBBG is hosting a sweetgrass gathering for members! The cost is $10; the gathering site is located in Tillamook, Oregon, near Cape Meares, about 2 ½ hours from Portland. More information regarding the location will be sent to registrants, closer to the gathering date.

CBBG will demonstrate basket and cordage making in July and needs member volunteers. No experience necessary. Bring any basket project to work on and demonstrate to those who stop by. We also will show visitors how to make cordage and help them fashion a quick bracelet.

Join the Guild’s Summer Potluck Party at the Multnomah Arts Center. Bring your favorite dish to share (with serving utensils). CBBG will provide beverages and chocolate cake! Please arrive early and help with setting up tables and chairs, organizing the raffle tables, and distributing raffle tickets.

This class will prepare a base for the Twining Workshop with Claudia Mullek on Saturday, July 13, and Sunday, July 14. Basic twining skills will be taught so that the structure of the stitches can be studied in preparation for Clauda’s workshop. Students will twine a base of waxed linen using S and Z twining and learn basic color-changing techniques. There will be an introduction to full turn twining.

Volunteer to help maintain the willow plot and to collect willow bark at CBBG’s Our Table (OT) willow plot this Sunday, July 7, 2024, 8-10am. A hot day is predicted.

This is primarily a technique class on how to lay out a uniform pattern and do single-needle appliqué of beads. The project we will complete is about 1.25” in diameter. We will do a finish for the end and mount a pin on the back, so your piece can be worn.

In this class, we will be learning an ancient weaving technique called knotless netting to weave a net around stones. We will talk about some of the ways knotless netting has been used traditionally, and, through learning this skill, spend some time connected to this lineage of human endeavor. You will have time to weave between 3-5 stones.

Our June general meeting will feature a presentation by Shyla Spicer, President & CEO of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF). NACF is a philanthropic resource supporting the diverse arts and cultures of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities. It is headquartered in Portland. Shyla will share NACF history, its work with Native artists, grants programs, and community engagement.

We will gather the bark of the Oregon native tree Prunus emarginata (common names: bitter cherry, wild cherry, and quinine cherry). The trees on the site are mostly young trees ranging from 4 - 8 inches in diameter. We can get inner and outer bark. This is a small gathering, with a maximum registration of 7 people.

Learn how to harvest willow bark and take some home! Due to the limited amount of willow grown for bark, there will not be large amounts available. But you will learn how to harvest and be able to take some home. We will meet at the fenced willow plot, located at Our Table Cooperative Farm.

We will be gathering the bark of Prunus emarginata (common names: bitter cherry, wild cherry, quinine cherry). It is native to Oregon. The trees are located on private land; if possible, bring a small thank you gift for our host. This is a very small gathering, with a maximum registration of 3 people.

Cedar bark (Thuja plicata) gathering is scheduled for Friday, May 17, 2024, 9:30am. This gathering is at Kalama Forest Products in Kalama, Washington. These are cut trees. You can get as much cedar as you can process that day. “Processing” means stripping sections from logs and then removing the outer bark.

Dave Ketah, Tlingit artist, will present his personal journey and how his career as an artist is a product of surprising opportunities. His art follows the tradition of Tlingit carving and design; in recent years, he has become immersed in the design and carving tradition of his ancestors, working mostly in wood.