“Invasives, by any other name, just reach out quickly trying to find someone that loves them. That would be me. When I’m gone too long, they look for me, even inside my house! What other cultures live with kudzu and wisteria as respected friends?  Seeing potential baskets waiting to be fashioned, instead of weeds to be exterminated, could change your life.”

~ Nancy Basket

Class Description

Join Firefly Gathering’s beloved Cherokee elder and friend,  Nancy Basket, as she weaves a tale of humor, wisdom and indigenous stories, all while instructing us on the ancient tradition of making a random freeform basket. Students will learn what vines split, which branches can be bent to make rings, and how to use processed kudzu and wisteria to make a mushroom/plant gathering vessel. Students will leave with a small mushroom/pant gathering basket!. 

These classes are process oriented, and learning will be at your own pace.

Want more Wild Basketry? Check out our All-Day Basketry Bundle to combine this class and Nancy’s afternoon class, Wild Basketry: Coiled Kudzu Baskets for a deep-dive into basket weaving with locally available invasive vines, indigenous stories, and as always, lots of laughter! Plus, if you sign up for our bundle you’ll get a discount on both classes!

Photo Credit: Sarah Tew Photography

Workshop Details

This class will be held outdoors under a covered pavilion on Saturday, September 3 from 10:00am – 1:00pm in Weaverville, NC and is beginner-friendly!

About the Instructor

Nancy Basket is a beloved elder, basket maker, and storyteller. After many years of making baskets and establishing basket-making guilds across the country (including the Vi Phillips Basketry Guild / Northwest Basket Weavers), Nancy took her grandmother’s last name. Nancy weaves baskets with pine needles, kudzu vines, and other wild plants that bend and form and adapt to the rhythms and stories of her wise hands.

Website: http://nancybasket.com/

Check out this sweet article about Nancy!  It also shows off her coiled kudzu baskets: https://towncarolina.com/dream-weaver/

Equitable Pricing Model $70 – $30 (Class price includes $15 materials fee)

In order to make our workshops more accessible, we offer two price options for each class, with an additional Equity Discount for qualifying individuals. Please consider these options and select your price at checkout.

• Sponsor Price $70: For those who have enough to share, thank you for being a Sponsor. This is an opportunity to contribute towards the cost of the class for someone else.
• Standard Price $50: The Standard reflects one person’s share of what it costs to produce the class and cover basic expenses.
• Equity Discount $30: We offer an additional Equity Discount for those from the following communities who support reparations and/or an equitable redistribution of wealth and would not have access to this workshop without this discount:
  • Indigenous or Native American, Black, Latino/a/x
  • Other peoples of the global majority, or racialized communities
  • Ethnicities underrepresented in the Southeastern earthskills community

Thank you for helping to transform the world into a culture of abundance, resilience, and opportunity for all.

Which Price Option is Right for You?*

*Please check your pricing options before you register for your first Perennial Workshop. The pricing options are the same for all events, so you only need to do it once!

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