Judith Needham discovered a talent for weaving willow when she took it up as a hobby. Since then it has become her career, and she now creates small-scale decorative and utilitarian and pieces which she sells through her Folksy shop Wove, alongside large playhouses and dens built for lucky children (and even luckier adults)...
The Onion Playhouse, £800, by Wove
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your work?
Craft is my third career. I originally did a degree in electronic engineering and ended up in fundraising and project management for various charities. During a career break looking after my daughter I built her a willow playhouse in our garden using basket-making skills I’d learned as a hobby years earlier. It was much admired and friends suggested that I should build more and sell them. This has developed into a business which includes making baskets and smaller items, bespoke on-site work (particularly in living willow), and teaching both adults and children to weave with willow.
How did you learn to weave willow?
I began to learn the craft of willow weaving while living in Scotland in 1997. I was very fortunate to be taught by the brilliant Danish basket-maker, Lise Bech.
Hedgerow woven basket by Lise Bech (photograph by Shannon Tofts)
Who or what inspires you?
I look to nature and architecture for inspiration on shapes for playhouses and baskets. I also get inspiration from looking at other craft work - particularly ceramics. It’s always a great starting point to look at work in other materials and see whether any lessons can be applied to your own medium. I am very lucky to live in Farnham, Surrey – recently rebranded as ‘Farnham: Craft Town’. There’s such a lot going on here and plenty of support and encouragement for craftspeople. Just a short walk from my house is Farnham Maltings, which has done so much to promote crafts over the last few years; the Crafts Study Centre – a nationally important archive and permanent exhibition of craft; the University of the Creative Arts, Farnham Museum with its examples of the pottery for which Farnham was once famous and the New Ashgate Gallery. All great places to go when inspiration is needed.
Woven Basket, £38 on Folksy
How do you start a piece, and can you talk us through the process?
I make quite a wide range of products employing a variety of techniques which keeps it interesting for me. I get bored of making one thing over and over, but it’s actually the only way to perfect a technique. So I’ve been forcing myself to do that recently with a couple of products that I feel could be improved. A significant element of the success of a basket is determined before you even start weaving. There is a lot of preparation involved in working with willow. The rods (sticks) have to be sorted into similar sizes, soaked for a period of time that varies a lot with temperature so is a whole art in itself, and then mellowed or rested for a time before use. Some of my work starts with making a jig so that the work can be set up correctly. Some baskets are made on a table so that the weaving can be ‘rapped’ down. Other work starts with just two sticks held in my hands in mid-air. There’s a lot of variety, which I like.
Willow Reindeer, £6, by Wove on Folksy
We'd love to have a peek inside one of your dens...
Imagine a basket turned upside down and scaled up so you can sit inside. You feel enclosed and protected. Light filters in attractively between the weaving. You can see out but feel hidden and safe.
Do you prefer working on a large or small scale?
I do find myself drawn to making large-scale work despite the logistical issues that creates! It's very exciting to be able to create an artwork and then literally step inside it. From a business point of view though it would make much more sense to just make small things that fitted in a jiffy bag for online sales!
Can you give us a tour of your workspace?
I really wish I could but sadly I don’t have a dedicated space. I have an office in the corner of our living room with a rack of baskets above it. I make baskets and other small stuff on the kitchen table and the playhouses are made in a covered space in the garden.
As they are made from January to March I get very cold while I’m working! I would really love to have a huge dedicated workshop. There isn’t room to build one at home and at the moment, with a school age child, it makes sense to work at home rather than travel to a separate studio. I hope someday I’ll have a perfect studio of my own!
Hanging Garlic Basket (available on Folksy, £20) in use in Judith's Kitchen
What's the best part of your making day?
I tend to start the day with admin before getting out any willow. I find I really get into my stride mid-afternoon which gives me about an hour of productive work before I have to stop to do the school run! If I lived on my own I would probably keep weaving into the evening and get lots more done!
Willow Stars, £5 for a set of five, by Wove on Folksy
Do you have a favourite piece?
I would say the ‘onion’ playhouse is my favourite piece. It’s lovely to sit in. There’s something really special about sitting in a circular, almost spherical space. I also enjoy making them – although not the beginning! I find setting up the shape very stressful because it’s difficult and has to be just right, but once I’m weaving it’s lovely to see the shape filling in.
