Colette Basketry

I am a basketmaker who lives and works in Monmouthshire, Wales. I weave beautiful, traditional, and contemporary baskets, from English rush and other natural materials. I enjoy using a range of techniques including plaiting, weaving, coiling, and stitching.

I have a particular interest in using plant materials that I either grow myself or gathers in my local environment. I am inspired by the natural world around me and the details I find in organic forms. I enjoy immersing myself in the changing seasonal rhythms, which is integral to the way I work when gathering and processing plants for my baskets. Exploring the play of colour, lines of stitching and the texture of plant fibres is fascinating to me, and my work often crosses over into what I describe as textile baskets.

Over the past few years I have become more involved in rush basketry, spending time with other Basketmakers Association members in June, cutting rush from a river in Somerset.

I am a member of The Basketmakers Association, The Heritage Crafts Association and The Makers Guild Wales.