Weaving Lagrasse

We’re delighted to present the 3rd edition of Weaving Lagrasse, taking place in May 2026.

This year, our invited teachers will lead several workshops, offering a wider choice of techniques and creative approaches.

1st COURSES : from Tuesday 19 to Thursday 21 May 2026

2nd COURSES : from Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May 2026

Bonus course : Tuesday 26 May 2026

Full details are outlined below:

Tuesday 19 to Thursday 21 May 2026: Monica Guilera – Willow Backpacks and Handbags

Create useful backpacks or handbags with a variety of weaving techniques and choices of borders and straps.

Ideal for picnics, shopping or a day on the beach these attractive and light weight backpacks and handbags feature a traditional Catalan base combined with willow sidings and either a classic flat border or a bundle border borrowed from traditional fishing baskets.

Monica will show you how to carefully control the shaping giving a more open or closed mouth to your basket depending on its function and your personal design. You will complete your basket with your own colour choice of bundle border stitching and fabric or leather straps to create your own individual and sustainable statement.

Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May 2026: Willow platters in Nansa technique

Work with willow and thread to make colourful platters for everyday use.

The Mediterranean is home to a beautiful and distinctive technique of weaving used by fishermen to make a variety of fishing baskets and traps. In Catalonia ‘Nansa’ fish traps were made in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the kind of fish they wanted to catch, the traps were usually made in the winter with a very tough kind of rush, split cane or olive stems.

In this workshop you will learn to make a round nansa platter, combining willow with different coloured threads you will start with a traditional nansa ‘grid’ base attached to a willow hoop, then move on to the sidings and bundle border.

Tuesday 19 to Thursday 21 May 2026: Tim Johnson – The Invisible Stitch – braided & stitched baskets in rush

Make bags and baskets of your own design inspired by ancient Mediterranean traditions.

In Spain and North Africa palm leaves and esparto grass are commonly woven into long lengths of braid and stitched together to make a wide variety of functional bags and baskets, these have been made since ancient Egyptian times and the tradition continues today.

Inspired by this tradition you will work with rush making 5, 7 and 9 strand braids. Once you have sufficient length you will then stitch the braids together in a special way interlocking the braid selvedges and creating a seamless fabric that you will shape to make round and oval baskets of your own design.

Saturday 23 to Monday 25 May 2026: Ply Splitting – colourful baskets with rush & fabrics

Learn how to make colourful bags and contemporary sculptural baskets using a variety of techniques and materials.

When ropes, strings and cords made up of two or more elements are divided and another element is passed through, a very simple and useful weaving structure is made. When this process is repeated with many ropes or strings there are many creative possibilities. During this workshop you will have the opportunity to explore both freeform open sculptural baskets and closely woven structures suitable for shoulder bags and woven pockets.

You will learn how to make your own two and three ply cordage and how to bring colour and pattern to your baskets in different techniques using yarn, strings and recycled fabrics.

For more information and to book your place visit https://www.beverlysmart.com/en/pages/weaving-lagrasse