Saturday July 18th, 2026 | 10am
Set Price: $40 per person
Kudzu has a reputation. It swallows fences, climbs telephone poles, and takes over whole hillsides without asking permission. But here’s the thing: it’s also one of the most workable natural fibers a beginner can get their hands on.
Nancy Basket has been weaving for decades. She founded two basket guilds before relocating to South Carolina, where she discovered a deep affinity for the plants most people write off. Kudzu and wisteria, two vines that can feel like a full-time problem, turn out to be something close to a gift when you know what to do with them.
You’ll get the feel of the material in your hands before you start shaping anything.
Split kudzu has a texture worth knowing, and can be used in many other applications including cloth production.
Then you’ll build a ribbed basket from scratch.
In this class, you’ll cover:
- The ribbed construction method and why it’s important to know how to make a ‘God’s Eye’ lashing.
- How kudzu and wisteria differ in the hand, how and when to gather and process them.
- The Native American traditions that inform Nancy’s approach and the old stories woven into the techniques
No basket-making experience required. No particular skill set. Clippers are needed to cut sharp rib ends if you have them.
You’ll leave with a handmade basket, a new relationship with a plant you used to resent, and a few good stories.
Nancy Basket is a Cherokee fiber artist, master basket weaver, and storyteller based in Walhalla, South Carolina, whose work draws on decades of learning from Cherokee elders and a deep reverence for the plants growing right underfoot. She is perhaps best known for transforming kudzu, the South’s most notorious invasive vine, into stunning baskets, paper, sculpture, and cloth, and has spent more than 30 years teaching these traditions in schools, galleries, and workshops across the region.