Wheatcroftwillow

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Wheatcroftwillow

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I make all kinds of traditional English baskets for commission and other willow items such as sculpture and plant supports.

I also provide workshops to all ages and abilities in willow work and basketry.

08/10/2026

🌿 Returning artist: Rachel Evans of Wheatcroft Willow 🌿

We’re delighted to welcome Rachel back to SCADF! Rachel creates beautiful traditional and contemporary baskets using sustainably harvested willow, wood, bark, oak, chestnut and hazel from the Churnet Valley.

Beautiful, natural and made to last. 🧺🌿

03/10/2026

I have a few ose baskets for sale on my website, made this summer and another one in progress. I make them curvy and rotund, delicious shapes that I love coming back to in my work. I use fine weavers and they need to be well soaked to go around those tight turns without cracking.
I cut my willow in January and I usually spend 3 or 4 days in spring making up hoops for courses for the year ahead.
These two are up on the website now to buy.
Alternatively you can book onto my course on march 19th and 20th next spring to make your own. Link to my shop in the bio.
This Sunday I will be at the Festival of wood and Country crafts / the Stick Show in Bakewell if you fancy a little trip out.
Also enjoy this photo of Tess and Jess enjoying the sunshine outside the workshop 😀

28/09/2026

Big old hoverfly, Volucella pellucens on the ivy that is just flowering outside the workshop in tge sunshine. It was was a mass of hoverflies, hornets, butterflies and the odd bee.
Also the biggest oak leaf I have ever seen. Hardly any acorns this year but some big leaves!!

23/09/2026

A lovely week ( and a bit) . The staffs basketmakers group paid a visit to the flax project of Karina at .at.highleas and had a go at all stages of the process from extracting seed, crushing and winnowing ( obviously went down a rabbit hole of researching winnowing baskets), to processing the flax.
Heartwood is a wonderful project championing people and wildlife friendly regenerative farming. I definitely need to return!
Then I ran a mini hazel in a day course with Tara Sills and Russell, we had all weather's, but we were kindly loaned the new bbq shed Foxtwood Holiday Cottages delightful holiday cottages next door hidden in the lovely woodland. They both made lovely little mini bowls with the hazel they processed.
I also got to go down into the bottom of the lock by my workshop with Paul and Steph from StephPaul Dudley
And Emma from Hettys Tea Shop and Clive and Alison from Foxtwood Holiday Cottages. The project manager showed us the skilled work needed to replace the lock gates.
Autumn is upon us, the Equinox today. I love autumn, cold swims, beautiful leaves, apples and jumpers. Yum.
Thanks to Emma, Angela, Kelly and Wayside Willow for some of the pics.

17/09/2026

I've had a busy few weeks ( and weekend) so I took the morning off, lay in bed til 9 (disgraceful) and then took the doggies out for a lovely 2 hour amble in the woods, stopping for spaniel ball hunting and taking pictures of lovely things, seeing, smelling, listening and breathing. I could feel my shoulders relaxing and my busy brain untangling. Just what I needed. Back to normal service tommorow.

13/09/2026

Here at Venue 34 Wirksworth Festival today. Come and say hello to me and HARRIET ECCLESTON LTD with her responibilty crafted garments, heavily inspired by her great grandfather's tailoring work. Her materials are ethically sourced.
I have a selection of willow and wood baskets for sale.
It's also my BIRTHDAY so come and make my day and buy a basket !

11/09/2026

Found this huge, vivid green, beautiful liverwort on a rock in the stream by my worksop yesterday morning. How beautiful. I am hugely inspired by my daily walks and the nature I find around me in the quiet, hidden places of the ChurnetValley
It's almost temperate rainforest in the bottom of the valley and it feels like time forgot. I spend many hours foraging for old pottery, interesting sticks and plants and there are a couple of places where I'm allowed to cut hazel for my work.
See me and hundreds of other artists at the Wirksworth Festival this weekend. See the website for all the details, me and HARRIET ECCLESTON LTD are in the Glenorchy Centre in the town chatting to visitors with a display of our latest work.

05/09/2026

My next event is the in Derbyshire next weekend 12th and 13th September.
I am so looking forward to this event. I once appeared there many years ago in the market place but this time I have a beautiful venue the Glenorchy centre in town kindly hosted by Ray.
I'm sharing the venue with HARRIET ECCLESTON LTD so I'm in good company.
I'm making behind the scenes, splitting wood, weaving willow, creating new products and thinking about how to display everything.
Looking forward to seeing customers old and new

02/09/2026

When I was younger and skint, I used to buy the odd copy of Country Living UK | magazine and lust over the pretty cottages, gardens, artisans and their studios and dream of having my work featured in its pages.
Well, I was really excited to be told that one of my backpacks was possibly going to be featured in the October edition on seasonal buys for embracing autumn's riches. And my friend Claire Parton messaged me to say did I know it was in there when she got her early edition as a subscriber. Thanks Claire x
My 15 year old was mildly impressed 😆
Photo by Jenny Harper

Address

Stoke-on-Trent
ST102HL

Website

http://www.wheatcroftwillow.co.uk/

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