Basket Weaving Workshop

Kudzu weavings & Backpacks

Learn to turn the south's most infamous weed into a supremely useful pack basket! In this class we will cover methods for harvest and preparation of kudzu vines, as well as a variety of weave patterns and techniques to make your basket unique. You will also learn to attach naturally-tanned leather straps with copper rivets. We are going to enjoy a wonderful weekend laughing, weaving, and eating good food on the beautiful Turtle Island campus. At the end, you'll wear home a comfortable, beautiful backpack, that's sure to turn some heads!

Woman dressed in earth tones holding a staff and a bundle of sticks, standing in a green, wooded landscape with trees and shrubs.

Meet Delia Fian

Delia Fian lives off-grid in the mountains of Western North Carolina and weaves invasive plants into useful items. She runs a school for rewilding and handcrafts called School of the Greenwood with her husband Joel Thorn Fian, where she teaches children and adults to meet their needs in place. Delia is working towards a handmade life, building a treehouse with wood from the forest, harvesting wild food, sewing clothes, and woodcarving, but basketry is her favorite skill as it transfers into many aspects of life. Delia weaves hats, shoes, chairs, backpacks, bowls, and is always exploring new (old) uses for the plants outside her door.

A woman demonstrates traditional palm weaving techniques to a group of five people seated at a wooden table outdoors in a forested area.
Hands weaving a basket with natural strips on a wooden table in a woodworking or craft workshop.
Small woven basket with a leather leaf decoration on the lid, placed on a wooden surface outdoors.
Person with short hair and tattoos on arms and neck facing away, wearing a black T-shirt with rolled-up sleeves and a woven backpack, holding the straps, standing outdoors near a wooden fence.
Person sitting at a wooden table under a shelter, weaving a basket with strips of wood or reed, surrounded by tools and materials. The person is wearing sunglasses on their head, glasses, a wristwatch, and a t-shirt with a tree graphic. The backgroun
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details & Registration:

Date/Time:

Available Spaces: limited to 8 adults (no unchaperoned minors)

Cost:  (all materials included). $395 per person

Cancellations: non-refundable deposit (1/2 of total) is retained for all cancellations. For last minute cancellations, a week prior or less, the total amount is non-refundable.

Road Conditions: 1.5 miles off-road gravel - watch the video

Location: 8 miles east of Boone, NC - Base camp at Turtle Island Preserve is just 2 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway - Bamboo Gap Exit 

Lodging* & Meals: A weekend workshop at Turtle Island Preserve is an all-inclusive experience where we offer hand-hewn rustic lodging, and serve delicious, nutritious hot meals in our outdoor kitchen to all participants at no additional cost. For our participants who appreciate more creature comforts for overnight stays (hot water, electricity, and wifi) our little town of Boone just eight miles away, has many hotels and airbnb options as well. *choosing offsite lodging does not change the price of the workshop

Tickets
Registration Form

After you register, plan your stay:

Workshop Packet