Jeanette Gray – Weaving Wild

I began weaving in 2012 when I attended my first willow basketry course- it was love at first basket! Since then I have continued to develop my practice through short courses and a two year professional training in basketry at City Lit College in London.

Originally from Scotland, I am now based in Machynlleth in Mid Wales. My work centres on weaving as a way of supporting wellbeing, connection and time spent outdoors. My primary focus is on designing and delivering free to access, nature- based programmes- in partnership with local charities and community organisations- that gently support mental health, build confidence and create space for people to reconnect with themselves, each other and the landscapes around them. Much of this sits within a wider social prescribing approach.

For those wanting to go deeper into the practical skills, I offer a paid flagship course series, Weaving the Seasons, held at the Woodland Skills Centre in Denbigh https://www.weavingwild.co.uk/courses-and-events. This series focuses on weaving with wild materials- guiding participants through identifying, gathering, preparing and working with fibres found in their local environment at different times of year, using different basketry techniques.

I believe weaving offers a tactile and grounded way of engaging with the world around us. By working with local materials, we come to understand their value through direct experience. Time spent making with our hands, particularly outdoors, can be deeply restorative, and basketry opens up space for reflection, conversation and connection.

I also take on a small number of commissions, creating pieces that are made to be used and lived with. This often includes water- bottle holders, designed for time outdoors and woven from wild materials gathered from the landscape.  It’s important to me that basketry remains accessible, so I’m always happy to discuss commissions and offer payment in instalments where helpful: https://www.weavingwild.co.uk/shop

My practice is rooted in traditional skills, but shaped by a strong focus on community, accessibility and shared learning. Basketry carries a rich and complex heritage, with techniques and knowledge passed between cultures over thousands of years. Working with these traditions in a contemporary context, I’m interested in how making can help us feel more connected- to place, to materials and to one another.

• Basketry
• Natural Fibres
• Rush (Basketry)
• Willow (Basketry)