BA Autumn School 2026 – Ash Splint Shoulder Bag

Tickets available from 10am, Saturday 30th May, 2026
Our Autumn School at Waterperry House and Gardens, near Wheatley, Oxfordshire, offers three days to immerse yourself in basketry with top-class tutors. It is also a great chance to unwind and connect with fellow basketmakers from across the UK and beyond.

This year teaching will start at 1pm on Friday, 2 October and finish with photos at 4pm on Sunday, 4 October.

The ticket price for this residential event is £430, which includes all meals (vegetarian) and single-occupancy bedrooms.  There will also be an option to purchase accommodation and breakfast on the nights of Thursday, 1 October and Sunday, 4 October for an additional £85 per night.
Only one ticket is available per BA member, and material costs are payable directly to tutors at the end of the week.

There are three bursaries of £395 available, with an additional amount to go towards travel expenses, all generously funded by the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers’ Charitable Trust.  Applications for bursaries open on Saturday, 14th March and close on Sunday, 19th April.  Successful candidates will be informed by 16th May.  Please click here for more information and to apply online.

By purchasing a ticket you are agreeing to the cancellation policy as detailed in the Basketmakers’ Association’s Terms and Conditions

Course details

Spend this workshop discovering how to weave a shoulder basket or wall basket made from ash splints.  The techniques you will learn have their roots in the traditional basketmaking of North America, using European Ash.

Each ash splint used to weave the basket starts as a section of the tree’s growth ring and is created through pounding an ash log.  You will go through the process yourself and learn the different tools used to prepare the splints.  You will also learn how to do basic weave, understand form and tension and how to attach leather handles/straps.

During the workshop there will be a discussion about identifying ash and choosing a log for pounding, the pounding process itself, and the threat of ash die-back to the species.

Suitability: all levels but you must have good physical strength and endurance as the first day is very labour intensive and will be outdoors.

Estimated cost of materials: to be confirmed.

Your tutor

Michelle is a greenwood worker and ash splint basketmaker based in Usk, Wales.  Most of her work focuses on ash splint basketry, but she has recently expanded her knowledge into oak and hazel splints.  She works from log to basket using locally sourced timber from sustainable managed woodlands.