Preparation of material
For someone who enjoys instant results, I’m not sure that I picked the right trade. Not only has it taken me years to learn and hone my craft, but the weaving itself can’t be undertaken without a fairly significant element of preparation.
It starts, interestingly, by having to work backwards. What am I hoping to weave? What is the design involved in this piece? What is its desired size and from this, how many rods of varying thickness and length will I require at each stage of the making process? Every variant has its place in a basket, and the result is a list of willow requirements which I take to the draughty barn that houses all of my willow.
From here I work through the next part of the process – selecting the correct number and lengths of rods according to my list. This is an exciting step, as I get to select which varieties of willow I want to use - what tones do I want to come through in the finished piece, and if using more than one variety, which varieties work well together? I have favourite colour combinations that I often return to, but there are a surprising number of possibilities when selecting across multiple varieties.
When the rods have been chosen, I tie them together in bundles according to size and variety, and then start calculating soaking times. This is another level of nuance that can only be acquired over time. As a rule of thumb, brown willow (willow with its bark on), requires 24 hours in water for every 1 foot in length. Depending on the project, I might be working with anything from 3 to 9-foot lengths, so my soaking times might vary from 3 to 9 days. However, some varieties take a little longer than this to soak, and I have learnt over time how to manage these varieties. So far, so good. Seasonality also plays a part though, with soaking times elongated in the winter, and shortened in the summer, according to water temperature, so this is another level of calculation to be taken into consideration when working out soaking times. If I am working with white willow (which has had its bark stripped), the soaking times break all of the above rules, requiring just a few hours. However, this type of willow (quick to soak) is also quick to dry, and can become dry and brittle far more rapidly than brown willow.
I generally start by soaking the variety/length of willow that requires the longest time to soak, placing the bundles into a 10-foot-long galvanised animal drinking trough, which is sited next to my studio and used only for the purpose of soaking willow. This has a great capacity, and also offers the length I need to house the longer rods that require soaking. I then add the remaining varieties/lengths over the next few days, each according to its own requirements, so that they are all ready to be removed at the same time.
Once removed from the tank I stand the rods upright to drain off the immediate water for an hour or so before wrapping them in an old duvet cover and leaving them to mellow for a day or so before weaving. This gives the water time to penetrate to the core of the rod, allowing for maximum pliancy.
There are Basketmakers who choose not to be so selective, or don’t need to be if they are undertaking vast quantities of material heavy weaving, simply placing whole bundles of willow into the tank at once. Indeed, I have done this with smaller volumes when I want to experiment – just grabbing what needs using or is leftover and playing with shape, form or weave when it is soaked. It’s a great way of learning. Conversely, I know of people weaving in America where willow can be hard to source or is in very short supply and they literally count every rod before they soak it to know they will not be wasting any of their scarce material. They cannot believe how seemingly lavish we can be with it in this country!
It follows then, that in order to have a constant supply of material, I always need to be one step ahead with willow. I need to know what I am planning to weave week by week, so that I can be sorting and soaking next week’s willow while I am weaving this week’s pieces. Everyone has their own way of managing this, but I tend to make a monthly plan and organise all the willow each month at the same time so that I can simply drop it into the tank as the days go by without it interfering too much with my daily weaving time. I always allow slightly more willow than I know I will need. This allows for broken rods or slight changes in the plan as I am weaving and also means that anything left over can be used for other projects, or most commonly for me, to practice techniques that I want to sharpen up on or try out.
Finally, when the weaving is done and as much material used as possible, I sweep up all the offcuts and leftovers. They get bagged up into old animal feed bags and left to dry out once again for a few months before being used as kindling. Living in a house that has no heating other than a couple of wood burning stoves, these precious scraps allow for a quick lighting fire, instant warmth, and a surprisingly beautiful aroma (I always feel the scent of willow is underrated). It also ensures that nothing is wasted, which is perhaps my favourite thing of all.