Willow Baskets at Sanborn Mills Farm

This summer was my first time teaching at a beautiful school called Sanborn Mills Farm in Loudon, NH.

They contacted me last year because they have a good basketry program and are growing their own willow (to my surprise). I’ve come to learn since that Sanborn is all about teaching people how crafts work from start to finish; it’s a concept that you really don’t get in many places. We can talk about willow and how you weave with it, but most people come to these workshops thinking that willow means Weeping Willow Trees, and I can’t blame them because that is what I thought at the beginning as well.

Sanborn has a small patch of willow (that we will be expanding don’t you worry) but it’s the perfect start to a workshop when we can say “hey lets go for a little walk into the gardens and show you how willow grows and what it looks like”. Students can touch it and ask questions about growing and harvesting. It’s a magical moment when you can make the connection with the plant that you are weaving with and it’s just one of the special things about taking a class at Sanborn.

The next special thing about Sanborn is the location, buildings and the teaching spaces. My first class we did in the huge barn that is really at the heart of Sanborn. This building holds the cafeteria, the working space and dormitory rooms for students who wish to stay on campus.

Look around Sanborn and mostly everything that has been hand built, down to every table in the cafeteria that was harvested and milled on the property. Can you identify the type of wood used to make the tables? Every table is build from a different type of wood harvested from the property which is hundreds of acres big. Every bit of metal, hooks, toilet paper holders, etc. are all made in the blacksmith shop. The water mills, animals, and working farms (CSA too!) that make up this beautiful place are just the beginning.

My first class was a Stake and Strand Class and I marveled at how the days went so smoothly. Conversations were such a joy and everyone was so motivated and excited to learn.

Did I mention how AMAZING the food is. Kelly is in charge of the kitchen and all the fresh produce in her hands just makes me so happy. As a craft artist, when you come to schools like this one you don’t want to focus on making meals, and to have someone to prepare delicious meals, makes the experience that much more enjoyable. The french toast for breakfast is my absolute favorite!!! She even made it again for my second class and it’s all I could think about the first night.

The kitchen garden off the cafeteria is stunning and most days we would sit outside to enjoy the sights and sounds of the birds playing in the water and the bees humming about. We were asked if we could provide a basket for the Sanborn Auction to support the scholarship program so I worked after and before class to make up a little, lets call it a “berry basket” with a huge handle. I wasn’t able to make it to the auction and farm to table dinner this year but I hope I’ll be able to next year.

The first time I was teaching there was also a bit of Flax harvest and processing going on. We had to take a little peak in the original blacksmith shop and we were astonished at the history and beauty of this Farm. Check out all the offerings the school has because the line up is impressive. I think what made me love this place so much was that it reminded me of the John C. Campbell Folk school in NC with some spectacular New England flair. The Founder and Executive Director of the School, Colin Cabot is so knowledgeable and quite the craftsman himself. He is a wealth of information about how everything on the farm was built. We’ll have to convince him to do tours of the farm one day because every time you turn around there is some sort of special detail that went into the planning, building or set up of the buildings.

My second class of the year was definitely a special one too! I had a great group of 8 and we just laughed and chatted all day and night. We did Rib (frame) style baskets and it was interesting to see how my returning students took to this new form. Some loved it and some, not so much! Again I got to make my own basket, started as just a teaching tool, but because I wanted to have a fun night weaving with my students it grew into life.

For this class we worked in Fifield Hall, which can you guess? was completely made from milled wood from the property. That gorgeous staircase on the left side of the picture, once finished will lead up to the student dormitory rooms. Some of my students couldn’t stop their hands and went on to make a second basket. This was the first time I’ve ever had anyone in a class do a second rib basket. Everyone had such great energy and they were a true joy to teach.

On our second day of class there was a big event going on at the school and we were lucky to enjoy some live music on the patio next to the studio. Attendees got to see the class in progress which was really great, and we even had some really cute interested kids come and peek into the classroom.

I’m super glad I was contacted by Sanborn and we are talking about classes for 2023. More willow will be planted to help facilitate the classes.

My good friend and fellow teacher Jes Clark of Willow Vale Farm, is also teaching classes here at Sanborn. This last year our classes were back to back and we are going to try and set that up again for next year. It’s a wonderful way to take classes with us both and it’s a great way that I get to spend some time with Jes planning our next steps in what we can offer to the willow weavers of the northeast!

I’ll be dreaming about Sanborn all winter and can’t wait to be back again next year.