BA Spring School 2027: Rush Hats – Rosie Farey

Tickets available from 10am Saturday 9 January 2027

Spring School at Duchy College (formerly Harrogate Ladies College) offers four full days to immerse yourself in basketry with top-class tutors. There is also plenty of opportunity to relax and get to know fellow basketmakers from all around the UK and beyond.

Both residential (single-occupancy room, shared bathroom, all meals) and non-residential (includes lunches and Sunday evening meal) options will be available. In 2027 the ticket prices are:

• Residential: £670
• Non-residential: £415

Only one ticket is available per BA member, and material costs are payable directly to tutors at the end of the week.

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

Bursaries

There are 5 bursaries of up to £670 (sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers’ Charitable Trust and the Basketmakers’ Association) and a travel bursary of £400 (sponsored by an anonymous donor) available for the Spring School.   Members of 2 continuous years’ standing may apply.

Please go the Bursaries, Awards and Cups section in the Members’ Area of the Basketmakers’ Association website for further information.

The course

During this course, students will learn how to make a made-to-measure rush hat in a decorative open weave.

Rosie was very generously given a rush hat made by Czech weaver Iveta Dandova, and this design is Rosie’s interpretation of it. Using packing techniques, she has adapted the original design from a fully open weave to incorporate a more covered top, alongside an eye-catching and unusual lattice pattern.

Students will have the opportunity to develop new skills working with rush, creating their own made-to-measure rush hat, with a choice of designs including beautiful latticework patterns.

Suitability:  Some experience required

Estimated cost of materials: £20 payable directly to the tutor.

Your tutor

At the age of eight, Rosie made her first rush basket. She collected a bundle of rushes from the field in front of her house and made it up as she went along.

She moved back home to North Wales in 2012, after graduating from the University of the West of England, Bristol, with a degree in Drawing and Applied Art. It was then that she rediscovered the little rush basket she had made all those years earlier and was impressed by what her eight-year-old self had achieved.

With some guidance from her mother, Mandy Coates, who is also a basketmaker, Rosie taught herself how to make rush baskets.