Lakeshore Willows

If you have been following along with Lene at Lakeshore Willows you will know that she will shortly be placing her farm up for sale and retiring from the business. The future of Lakeshore Willows is uncertain, but with luck, perhaps the perfect buyer will come along and take the reins from Lene and continue to sell willow and hold classes. If it doesn’t happen I know I will have the wonderful memories I have made in this place and the wonderful friends I have made. Lene is so very special to me and over the years she has become my biggest supporter and my greatest inspiration.

Covid has messed up so many plans to visit Lene and purchase willow or cuttings or just have another experience with wonderful teachers from Denmark. After the last canceled plans we figured enough was enough and it was time for me anyways to go and get dried willow and cuttings for 2022. The border was now open and Lene was gracious to host me and a few other of our friends to a couple days of weaving and willow gossip and lots and lots of laughs.

Lene was super gracious to help me work through a Catalan style purse that I had wanted to learn with her for years. I put off taking classes in this basket because I always figured I’d always have the time to make it with her. I really should have taken more notes and pictures but honestly I was so happy that I didn’t. The two days I was there I didn’t take many pictures, just the few you see here. I really was soaking in the whole experience and I tried my hardest not to think about how it would be the last. The things I have learned with Lene are the foundation of where my life, learning and own business will stand upon.

I was able to pick up cuttings for this years planting and I purchased as much willow as my bank account would allow in hopes that I’ll have enough to cover my classes this year and hopefully by next year I will be working with my own willow.

The beautiful purse that I got to make this trip will always be mine and it has so many of Lene’s beautiful willow varieties woven into it. It even has two strips of ash bark that I mistook for willow bark woven into the sides. We might have raided Lene’s freezer and we all had so much fun getting to choose all the lovely colors. I was like a kid in a candy store.

With Lene no longer hosting teachers to her place I have a feeling my learning will need to travel further now. Trips to Ireland, Scotland, England, Denmark, Poland and beyond might one day be in my future but I know I have a solid foundation of skills that I have been so lucky to have learned close to home. I’m hopeful for the future of Lakeshore Willows and I’m so happy for Lene to be at a place in her life where she can choose to do the things she loves and spend more time with her family and friends. Cheers to new beginnings!