Located 20 minutes Southeast of Edmonton
Weaving Communities into Resilience
Laundry Basket for 2!
Feb. 29 and Mar. 1 (Two days) 9:30 am- 4:30 pm
Bring a friend and together you will make one basket. You will learn an Oval base, Pairing, Waling, French Rand and a 5 by 2 border. Willows will be gathered by you the first morning from the Good Note Labyrinth. Bring pruning shears and a sharp knife and a weight, like a rock. And any spare clothes pins you may have. Cost for Materials (1 Basket) and Instruction for 2 (students): $220.00
Feb. 29 and Mar. 1 (Two days) 9:30 am- 4:30 pm
Bring a friend and together you will make one basket. You will learn an Oval base, Pairing, Waling, French Rand and a 5 by 2 border. Willows will be gathered by you the first morning from the Good Note Labyrinth. Bring pruning shears and a sharp knife and a weight, like a rock. And any spare clothes pins you may have. Cost for Materials (1 Basket) and Instruction for 2 (students): $220.00
Oval Willow Base/Tray - Mar 3rd 7:00 - 9:00 pm
This method uses a pre-shaped willow hoop, on which you will learn to weave the beautiful coloured basketry willows of the Ditches of Alberta roadsides. It can be used as is, a bread or cheese board, or as the base for an oval shopping basket. Good for beginners. Cost for Materials and Instruction: $30.00
A second class in which a short wall with a border added will easily turn this into a fruit basket. Ideas on when? Same week? Thursday evening? email me please. If there is enough interest it shall be added in.
This method uses a pre-shaped willow hoop, on which you will learn to weave the beautiful coloured basketry willows of the Ditches of Alberta roadsides. It can be used as is, a bread or cheese board, or as the base for an oval shopping basket. Good for beginners. Cost for Materials and Instruction: $30.00
A second class in which a short wall with a border added will easily turn this into a fruit basket. Ideas on when? Same week? Thursday evening? email me please. If there is enough interest it shall be added in.
Curvy Round Market Basket - Mar 13th 6:00 - 9:00 and 14th 10:00 - 4:00
This Round Basket will stretch you if you are a beginner and entice you if you have had one or two classes already. Pairing a round base, Waling in the 24 uprights, English rand, more waling and then the swoopy top. Bring an antler or piece of driftwood if you'd like to use that as your handle. If not, we have very nice Saskatoons that need a pruning and would make a beautiful handle. Also, for this one, Bring loads of self care tactics :) Cost for Materials and Instruction: $90 or PWYC
This Round Basket will stretch you if you are a beginner and entice you if you have had one or two classes already. Pairing a round base, Waling in the 24 uprights, English rand, more waling and then the swoopy top. Bring an antler or piece of driftwood if you'd like to use that as your handle. If not, we have very nice Saskatoons that need a pruning and would make a beautiful handle. Also, for this one, Bring loads of self care tactics :) Cost for Materials and Instruction: $90 or PWYC
Easter Basket for Beginners
(teens as well) Mar 23rd 10 - 5 pm
A basic round basket to teach you all the steps in creating functional art from local materials and your own hands' work. We will learn slath calculations,3 kinds of weave and a border. I hope we have time to do a long wrapped handle, but that may depend on the stamina of the class.
Cost of Materials and Instruction: $60.00 or PWYC
(teens as well) Mar 23rd 10 - 5 pm
A basic round basket to teach you all the steps in creating functional art from local materials and your own hands' work. We will learn slath calculations,3 kinds of weave and a border. I hope we have time to do a long wrapped handle, but that may depend on the stamina of the class.
Cost of Materials and Instruction: $60.00 or PWYC
Registration details: Deadline is one week prior to class. Please consider planning ahead and not leaving it to the last minute. Payment is due at time of registration. Pay what you can (PWYC) option is also available. Refunds are given, less small handling fee, up to one week before class. Bring any tools you have but I will have some to share. As these are longer classes (good things take time to learn!) Please consider bringing a waste free potluck snack to share. I will supply local tea! Max # of Students 8, Min # 4.
Register by sending an email to Maryann at borchfam@hotmail.com
Register by sending an email to Maryann at borchfam@hotmail.com
We want to welcome you to our website, but even more, we want to welcome you back to the land and a Regenerative Connection to your food. We are a community of gardeners, gleaners, and pastured chicken tenders. We hope to connect the eaters of food to their food and have everyone participate in the growing process. There are gardens, fruit trees, prairie landscapes, really free range chickens, a few families of Muscovy ducks, a family of 2 cows and calves, and a half dozen goats and their kids. We are welcoming those who want to connect, to come here and see what they can create with their own hands. We also love to host Wwoofers, Children's groups, and Community organizations with a taste for Social Justice and Environmental Stewardship.
We acknowledge we are located on Treaty 6 territory, a traditional gathering place for diverse Indigenous peoples including the Cree, Blackfoot, Metis, Nakota Sioux, Iroquois, Dene, Ojibway/Saulteaux/Anishinaabe, Inuit, and many others. We hope to honour and act on the shared stewardship that these treaties intended.
There will always be time for music here.....fiddles, guitars, pianos, harmonicas, banjos, recorders and singing around the campfire. Live music, people harmonies and great food are what makes life worth living!
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter for Interesting links and classes
Other Upcoming Classes and Workshops:
Soup Jam - Twice Monthly Beginner Fiddle Jam Every 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. Bring a Stone soup ingredient at 4:20. It will slowly simmer away while we jam for about an hour til 5:30. We can then enjoy a quick tasty soup and still get home in time for quiet time before bed! Starting in January we will be practicing at Good Note on the 2nd Thursday and playing somewhere in the communiyt , likely Seniors residences, on the 4th Thursadys. Contact Maryann at borchfam@hotmail.com for the current list of tunes and links to the sheet music. Cost: Free Facebook event
City Arts Centre Basketry Classes: Willow Wreath, Cattail Dolls, Basic Willow Platter and basket, - Here
Fort Saskatchewan Heritage Precinct Classes: Willow Garden Trellis, Coiled Cattail Baskets and Sourdough - Here
Open Weave Basket Practice Sessions Has resumed: First Saturdays of every month, except Feb which will be the 8th. Pick your project, cut your willows or choose cattails or Bullrushes or grasses etc. I will be weaving as well and this way we can motivate each other and learn together. In return for mentorship and materials, you can help with Labyrinth maintenance throughout the summer. Cost: Free Facebook event Please Follow back to facebook page if this link becomes out of date.
Our farm's focus includes Food production using Permaculture principles and Regenerative Agriculture, Cooking "from scratch" workshops, Basketry workshops and growing healthy heritage Chickens, Ducks on a local, slow diet. We are continuing to reach out to children and families needing space to grow. Our wwoofers have made it all possible and we thank them so much!
Want a Garden?? Want to learn and grow in our shared crops??
Garden Plots (50 feet x 4 feet) are available to rent in the summer for $50. They are aligned North/South and will not be tilled or sprayed (except with rain!). There is also a $50 weeding deposit that is returned once the gardens are left in a state worth using for next year! We share our Asparagus Patch, Rhubarb Patch, Garlic patch, Strawberry patch, Raspberries and the few Saskatoons with anyone who wants to help us weed them. The Honeyberries, Cherries, Apples, Plums and Currants are happily growing up and now also ready to share.
We rent out five incubators throughout the spring and early summer. The cost of $40 includes, 30 eggs, incubator, thermometer, instruction sheet, feed for the first few weeks, waterer, heat lamp and shavings. There is a $50 damage/cleaning deposit. You're welcome to keep the chicks for as long as you like or return them as soon as they wear out their welcome! Use the contact form above to state your preferred time to host these cuties. Count on at least 21 days to incubate and as long as you want to keep them once hatched.
Workshops that we are willing to host include Soap making, Mozzarella making, Wool Felting and Spinning and Weaving, Basketry with willows, bulrushes and cattails in winter, Sourdough Bread Baking, Gardening and Primitive Clay Firing.
Please contact us in the "Connect" tab above to set something up.
