Chairman : Barbar a llaynard Vice-Chairman : Tom Lewis Hon.Secretary: Joy Viall

Asst.Secretary : Jill Drury Hon.Treasurer: Vavi Brinkhurst Editor : Nancy }furlong *******************************

Committee: Norma Barwis, Branda Langley, Tina Leith, Venice Manley, Jenny Sole, Susan Sykes, Fred Rogers, Meg Tapley, .Albert Williams. *******************************

NEWSLETTER NO .6 DECEMBER 1977

THE SEASu NS GREETIIJGS TJ ALL vUR MEMBERS

.A. basket of good wishes

\ •

1 1 is drifting down your way,

full of the hOpe that you'll enjoy

some happy festive dayst

.. # •• :

MEMBERSHIP LIST

Change of Address

Mrs. Lynda Thompson, Leeders Farm, School Lane, Spooner Row, Wymondham, Norfolk.

Hrs. Mary Hirons, Crows Nest, Titley, Kington, Herefordshire HR5 3RN·

Mrs. JuliB, Towner, 5 Park Rise Close, Harpenden, Herts .AL5 3AW •·.

, ,_- I{EW MEMBERS

.,_ We -vie·l~om~.'~'-the f.~llowing ·· ne.w members to . th,e .Asso,ciatici·ni:'- · ·

·;: :'¥ ' • ~ ' • ... • . • •. • "/' : : " • ~

j~.~·2r-·J,:bJs~.:r wia);§~~~:~t:~-,~~~t6'n:;"'. ;L5 lVest Yi:ew t /' Bi.a.okhill:> - ..• ·.->< ...

fii:·;:·-':~qnset~,:F',~e· _rJifU,~)8frrr; . PHS .9Ap• +.··· · .-.. ·;, ~·:;·/· .• ,~ ·~:i~~5 ~1,'· .. ~> ~.frs .. ·Ena / Ear.bel!.>., · 4.5 Tol~t:er Gt>o~e 1 . ·J3radfor~ , . Y9rks~ · ; .. : . . · •·· . ... . -.. . .. ,• . . ~ . . .•

I~s. c. s. Berry, Flat 8, 72 Copthall Gardens, Twickenham, Middlesex TWl 4HJ • .

~;>%)TJ1-•.s ~y, J9.~ii :~Q_·: ·'}'.};'$.,,: ... E;Y.~:' ~9.~ ·~_C<:>tt.~g}3, Leominster, ;1.to/~r~.~r~,;£,'tt~~·~ , .. :, ','i~'Y~~·· :l_£;{~r . . . ·1i:~?;·~I :./ 'd .. :·~ , .. · Ers. Jill F ~ G9v1ley, 9 High· S:ti-~t:~~·: Miste:rto;n~ ,

Doncaster DNlu 4BU. · - . ·

Mr. J. C. Dean, -The Rands, Burton End, Stansted, Essex.

Mrs. Ann Dendy, Sine Nomine, Church Street, Upton, Didcot, Uxon, U:xJ.l 9JB.

Vfr. Craig C. Dennison, 7 Greys Park Close , Keston, Kent BR2 6BD.

Mr. Derek Gadd, 13 Cavendish ·Buildings, Gilbert Street, London w.1. ·

Cont inued/ ••

.Mrs. Doreen Gretton, 97 Chester Road, Middlewich, Cheshire.

Mrs. Annie Harrison, 7 Hillside Avenuei South West Denton, Newcastle-On-Tyne, NE15 1RH.

Mrs. s. G. Higgins, 19 Grasmere Road, Gledholt, Huddersfield IIDl 4LH.

Mrs. Co W. Howitt, -19 Kingsmead Drive, Leeds LS14 llH.

Mr. Frank Johnson, 217 Staines Road, Twickenham, Middx.

Mrs. E. M. Knight, 23 Rawley Crescent, New Duston, Northampton.

Miss. J. Mallinson, 51 Hopkinson Road, Sheepridge, Huddersfield IID2 lNF.

Mrs. D. Malnick, 5 Ardfern Avenue, London S~W.16.

Mrs. Mary Newton, The Palace East, Much Hadham, Herts.

Mrs. K. Renwick, 35 Naseby Road, Dagenham, Essex.

Mrs. S. Rhatigan, 2 Spanish Road, V/andsworth, s. w .18.

Mrs. Iris A. Scott, 65 Mount Pleasant, Ruislip, Middlesex HA4 9 HQ.

Mrs. w. Seymour, 84 London Road, Northampton NN4 9.AP.

Mrs. Valerie Shepherd, 52 Wroughton Road, London S.W.11 6BG.

Mrs. Lilian Spicer, 10 Eachard Road, Cambrid~e. 1.f:rs., Margaret I. Thorpe, Shieling, 68 Wath Wood

Read, Wath-upon-Dearne, Nr. Rotherham, S.Yorks, 363 7TN •

4o and last but by no means least:-1:r. A. p. Williams, 2 Vanoc Gardens, Bromley,

Kent. BRl 5LB.

'>ie hope they will all derive benefit and ple :i.sure from their membership of the Association.

*"**-l<·******7H(·*****·***-J<-****** EX.A?.ITNATIJN RESULTS

City and Guilds Basketry '.::..'he fo llO\'fin0· r.w nb ers have o bta::i.ned tl~_ is · C ertific?:.:. t e Ena D~rfOrd no det ails Of

Eileen BeacOck Sylvia Chilrnan Jill Drury nancy Furlong Valerie Hardy T.Iary Hirons Harilyn I.'fachray Eileen Norman Jenny Sole_ Jenn Sullivan l.!eg. Tapley · r.:s..rina :;;ard

grades. 2 Credits, 1 Distinction. 1 Credit, 2 Distinctions. 1 Credit, 2 Distinctions. 3 Distinctions. 2 Passes, 1 Credit.

Distinction. 1 Credit, 2 Distinctions. 3 Distinctions. 3 Distinctions. 3 Distinctions. 3 Distinctions. 2 Credits, 1 Distinction.

C & G Further 2ducation Teachers Certificate

Joy.Viall 2 Credits, 1 Distinction.

Appointed as City and Guilds Assessors.

Francis Bailey and Joy Viall.

':J .r. Basic Certificate

"5'eggy Cheney - Credit in cane and willow.

Congratulations to all thE:se. ladies on their excellent results.

***************************

FVRTHCvMING EVENTS

Dates for your diary - full details later

The next Summer Meeting will be held on the 25th June 1978, at the hOme of Joy Viall in Buckinghamshire.

The next Annual General Meeting of our · Association will be held on Jctober 28th 1978

IMPvRT.ANT NvTICE FJR THE ATTENTivN 0F CvMMITTEE MEMBERS

Please make notes in your diaries tµat in 1978 the dates for committee meetings will be as fOllOws:-

3Jth January 17th April 17th July 16th vctOber

all to commence at lv.30am promptly at the London COllege of Furniture, -41/71 commercial ROad, LOndOn El ILA. The Secretary will not contact members individually unless there are alterations to these dates.

*************************** LANCASHIRE CvLLEGE vF ADULT EDUCATivN

St. Leonard's House, St. Leonardsgate, Lancaster LAl lNN.

The above college offers day and evening part­time courses for City and Guilds of London Institute Creative Studies Certificate in Basketry.

**************************

6.

COL1R.SES AT WEST DEAN COLLEGE

West Dean, Chichester, West Sussex, Pvl8 vQZ.

Weekend courses commencing

r/E4 corn Dollies - Joan HOoking - 13.1.7a

'ilE29 Cane Seating - Margery Brown 17 .3.78

·,rn43 Cane Seating - Margery Brown - 2l.4o78

4 Day Course

V4 Rush Basketry and Seating - Margery Brown -

5 Da,y Course

\137 Rush Basketry and Seating, Cane Seating and Fine 'JillOw Basketry -

- I\'Iargery .Brovm. 23.4.7a

***********************

C vNGR..>iTu.LATI vNS

TO our Assistant Secretary Jill Drury, who gave birth to a boy JOhn Michael on the day of the A.G.ll., 29th votOber 1977·

**********************

r.;.aST vF ENGLAND CRAFT EXPv

LilfOrd Hall, Northamptonshire.

Easter 1978 Sat.25th, Sun.26th, Mon.27th Mar ch

Anyone wishing to take part in what is clc:dmed will be thelargest ever crafts exhibition held in the U .K., shOuld write to Joan r,:. Bean, vrganising .Secretc.ry, Ec:..st of i~ngland Crc:.,ft -:Sxpo BlO_ckgrand Limited, 15 Park Road, Wellingborgugh,. Northants. Tel: Wellingborough (v933) 22352\J , . fo :r;> details and application form NuW.

*************************

.A.DDITivNS Tv BvvK LIST

Bas_}cetry in Easy Steps - Barbara tlaynard, ~UPli~d_by Studio Vista ~977 at.£2.5v

Beautifully p:res en ted bOOk .o-n Cane and Bush baslfetry~ with approximat ely 2u pattern instruc­tions in addition to- technical . details, this is go 9d value •

Ceil.fr~ .Cane · Basketry - Hazards and Hints -_ ~~ , DB,D:~)J avail.able a ·t ~l + l ':'..11-Postage if ordered direct from 41 JacksOn _ROad, East B~rnet, Herts ~ Also available frOm Jacobs, Young and Westbury aJ.so fro m Smit & co., Ltd.~(at £1 if included with your material orders.)

The complete BOOk Of Baskets and Basketry -Dorothy ~'fright published by David and Charles at £5e95

Another well-presented bOOk profusely illustrated in colour and black and white, covering history, techniques and materials, care and repair and cons ervation. s ome patterns are included. We feel this excellent bOOk is more suited to the serious basketmaker and/or teacher.

8.

THE ANCIENT CB.b.FT VF BASKETMAKING ' ---~.W~.3':..-~

A • P • WilliarD.s

The earliest known reference to basket makers re00rded an -.1.rC-:er of the cornmb:n co-oncil in vet Ober 1463, during tb~ .r-eign Of Edward IV, nhen Orde:c-s were made ff>:· an allOtted place for the dwell:tng of basketmakers in the ma.n01· Of Blarwh Applet on o This Old Man or was s:i tuat ed on the ::.1 jte whi ch is 110..v knOVm as Ma.rk Lane.

Ez)e.:ts say that baskets ·which have been disc Ove:::·ed in s ome Egypt:ian diggings are th Ot1gh t to be a."i !1 11.rnh 3.S 7 1.1vv· years Old t

A .P. Wi1 J..iams

Llany strange t hings us ed to b.a.Ifen in the basl:et sh Op Of H ~I1" I.iris 1Jz1 where I was an Ins t:::."'110 t O:• , Al th cv.gh the --1'f ioial Secrets Act )revents urn f·rom 1·evealir 5 some Of the ]noid ents, there is a hume1"' Ous e-veni: which I can relate e

'.'ie were rr.aking literally thousands of s t1·cight bar fi tched w-a'8te-paper baskets. The prisoners used to make these on a, piece-work basis. ..i.bout twice a week we would check out the r: o:rk which rias plao ed in stacks of twelve, a,nd found on many oocoasi ons that the baskets betv1ee11 the t ou a..."1.d bottom one had their bottoms cut :Out, just to get a ready-made ba se for their next basket to help w:i th the piece-work wages t

***-!<•**************

[QSH HA.TS AlIJL~T~ELER..§.

Muriel Baines

I was interest~d in the various rush bearing traditions still practised in churches round the country, 'Nb. .n I read in a book "Toys from the Tales of BA&.,:::·ix Potter" by IZargaret !1utohings~ that :rush n~~.:ts a.:i.d lc:n.eela:rs we:re .::tiJ.l to 1.;e t'o" ... 112'1 i r 3l'vcVJ.::J,:r~dn r:t-u.i.•·ni1~ Romney .~.rrr-i,,.,.,,,;,., Ii'~"''r· mr"· , .. F ,.. , o,,·,(l~,~ ·1 "!-e.-, ..... ::."'·). i .. -,,.,. "'n T 6" 1 G:.i .. , i..) !...!. ' . ~ v.·. 4 1 J j -.1~ 1""' , -1 '·-·· " • ... .4 .J. _,,, .,.. ' _ . ~ ...J .1 .-h ....... , • !,1 :.. r .. ;.,f~.. r · . -.,; ~ ..

. ,, ... ,,ot& J..,1 ~:",,. v-·;0 .. 1· ,-""'k·'rry f').'· .1-,.\.-=i~ i~-·a.rv'1 ..... - -~ \. '· ,lJ.C:,, - r!.. ~,, £. ::'I.; .• ; -~.,,, • J,..t":; " \~ ' ' .,..., \.::• ~ \ ,, •--·---' .~.. -

lJ~;?.'hs,ps :=JOt11e pb.~i .-().s , .. _, ~".(Id 1. ·~ ,1;_y .• 'Gc:..-·rna.?:r;lJ.. no: .. .ss '·

IIELPi A new member of our Association Derek Gadd, of 13 Cavendish Buildings, Gilbert Street j LOnd on \q ~ Tel: 629 2752 is very keen to 1earn basketmaking in :.rush, but is u.nab:l.e to Obtain any of the soft English I~shes to get started. Can anyone help please? EYen .J srria.1.1 ouanti ty wnuJ..d help~

lU. SOUTHERN ARTS ASSUCIATI0N

Bursaries for Craftsmen 1977/78

This association invites applications for amounts up to £5UU from craftsmen living or worki:O:~ in the regioz:, (B,~,rkshire, Hampshire, . Isle of \Jight Uxfordshire, 1rnst Sussex, . l'liltshire, and the Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch areas of Dorset.

These bursaries are int ~ded to Offer direct support to practising craftsmen in the region for materials and equipment or to provide the

· time off for new work or to enable a craftsman to explore new techniques and materials.

Students are not eligible to apply for these awardse

Closing date for applicati ons: 2Uth February, 1978 Q

For further infOrmati on and applioati Jn f Orms please send a stamp~d addressed envelope to the Visual Arts Ufficer, southern Arts Association, 19 Southgat e Street , Winchester, Hampshire SU23 9EB. Telephone No. Winchester ( v962) 69422 e

******************** HembershiI?...Qards and SubscriI?tions

Membership cards are enclosed for those members who have paid their subscription for 1978.

These subscriptions of £2 for individual members and £5 for firms for 1978 are now due, so please send as soon as possible to the Secretary using the returnable slip at the back of the Newsletter.

1Jev1 r.18mbers who joined at the latter part of 1977, will be deemed to have paid their subscription for 1978.

MATERIALS FvR HEDGER0W BASKETS

Joy Viall

11.

Now is the time of year to gather material to make baskets from yoUr garden or the hedgerows. Most of the leaves have now fallen and it is possible to see the shape and type of suitable twigs. .

IJ.Jany of these have beautiful colours in the winter time. Perhaps the most spectacular is the garden dogwood with its glistening r ed st ems, although the wild form has a charm of its own, part red and part green.

Then there are all the wonderful fawns and ~rowns - the rust coloured spiraea Anthony Via terer, silvery snowberry, dark brown elms -now alas difficult t o obtain after t he devasta­tion of Dutch Elm disease.

The gr een shades vary from the pale colour of the poplar , the apple-green of the lime, grey-green ash, and the emerald of wild plum suckers, to the deeper almost bottle green colours of the su mme r jasmine and spind le treeo

Best of all are the willows ; gold, red, brown and the lime-green of the weeping willow.

Look for long slender pliable first-year growth. Particularly suitable is the sucker­like growth found at the base of hazel, lilac and lime trees, especially those which have been previously pruned. Choose quick-growin~ material (e.g ., poplars and willOvJS) and avoid sappy woods and stuff which has side -growths ~

You will find that most of the usable wood is from t r ees that lose their leaves in wint er, although an exception to t his is the privet. It should nevertheless, be harvested at the same time as the other woods i.e., between Novemb er and March in most counties, when the sap is downa

12. Besid es those woods already mentioned, the

following may be tried : bullaoe, buokthorn, wayfaring tree , wy oh elm, hedge maple and the wild plums and sloes s (The l@t·ter do not hmre thorns on the fi rst - year wood).

I have f ound tha (; all :~n.e woods au ot ed can be used in most parts r.:1.. a Oadl::; !:: , Lu£ -~here a2~a other variet i es wbj,r b. a::ce s~,ri::a.:<.:" :[0-c the s·t1'ing, For instanc e ~ I b.a,y .:: i:2ej e ... :,·h;m ' .. ila, -r sou·i~.h0,•:1woc·d J

some variet ies of spi_:-.'s, ,::i,, ph.i:! c~i1'31:~>J rn <monk orange) s.nd other ga.~0r] _::· 1. slr.r:~'.'1 bs ·i:.1 :~. wri .:_,ff,:)() i': ·1J\ this way. Even la1'oh 1 ··11td_.c b. £~{_; ib,,:··; :j_f!;hL i ·.i a most unpromising n1-,·sc/~:L.1. J g} ,r,,-3 e. i',r.wh;J::.l'lJ ~. nubbly texture ·(;o a uJ.::kct 1_1 ~·nJU ~£.,:.:_r:, .:J,·. 1 ~rn:c ;::,rra.nging .

. . .

'_If you us e· C8.X28 r~t:ypd baske ';)::] tE 1hniqt18t; • . • • 1- " ') I n • " J <' ' l 6 • • ::: er:.uJ.r1Dg , on_ger .1 eng·1~ns, you w~i.J..~. :cL:'tL vns ;:,:;,:r:u:i .. j

honeysuckle (gath~r bef'o:ee the .1eav eo :ipl'.'out :l.Jl January- ) 1.ilild o:r, culti·v'Hted cl~m1;;i;t;:1,~1 O? oli'l ma .. :n 9 s beard. 2,re t he- beer!:; • to use. Clematis 2L::1 perhe"ps be.st used rli th t he ba::rk stripped off~ a,s i "(; is

.r.2,ther clumsy" ·. lt is .possi9l e to use blaok be:r:z::·y ~ but "t :1is j n\rolve~ removizig. the p:r'tokl~J'3, Som :.:i '"Or1 ~er 0 use an· ol d' m' at. ·f>od moo·L'1 P"''i ·-f uc•r)r~..,., "' "'d ~ >I.(\. 0 "' 1 _#~}V'<•\h' • c.........,.;,_;.! ... . .j ~.l. ~!~.Jca-) Gl.JJ.J. ,

- J , • d . f ~ , . d ' ., • + . " ucL1ers pierce 1 ~L er:ir.t.g, $1.ze _ .an L·.: 1s .L:. a .,J.:n a:ua drcv,1 the brambles t:b.1;ough"

In my opinion howe--r U'"' willcw ba E'~.:e+.;:cy te chnifq_ues are more ,suit.able owing (/) i:b.e sho:::fa.ess L)f -Chi:: rods, and the need fo~.c Ga:t.'.~ i:.1 g:ading.

Having gat hered your stuff, ti e it i nto bllndles and label witn its name (if Jr..novm ) location :'.nd date. It i s surprisingly easy to f,Jrget these de t a ils, cmd if J-ou subseg_uently find that some ;,12,rtiouJ.ar ·,·J OOd is good for working, it is frustrat­ing l1Gt to be aole t o identify it fO:r f"Jrther US8e

13-Leave the bundles outside, under the shelter of a hedge or shed VJhere the air can circulate, but do not put them in direct sun or wind.

Most .should be ready for working after three or four weeks, but dogwood and lime take longer, sometimes over two months.

The wood nay be lef't unworked until April, but after that it will be too brittle to :we. Do not bring it inside a shed or garage and let it dry out com~~letely, or you will have to soak it before use. and this will cause the bright colouring to be lost~ -

The colours of your basket wil1 fade ·with tj_me, but to my mind are none the worse for that as they fade into lovely soft sb.ad es and the baskets still retain their individuality.

A word of warning - please ask permission of the ovmer before gathering your' hedgerow material ~ particularly if the hedges are "laid 11 •

The far.au:: has done this to encourage the new young growth to keep in his livestock, so please do not g< ·i;her yotir stuff' all from one particular spot. I find it best to keep my eyes open for the hedge=.eutti:o.g operations in the district, and ask for ~he out material before it is burnt - it saves a great deal of timeL

So come on, he:ve a go do some experimenting. Should yo1n· first baskets turn out a disaster, the country vrz- lks will do you a powcI.' of good t

Happ~'" hunting~

14·

Fred Rogers

After rrzy firRt demonstration of Bas e ry rec ently, I found that my pupil worked very tight, and I was unable to help. her. ArrJr advice please?

Answer: It is n ot easy to answer this question ui thout seeing the piece of work and metliod of vrorking as there · a1~c ...,eve:r.al reasons for' the vrnaving being too ·.:;:t.ght, and presumably drawing ·:he shape in ~ · .

For eJ:e.mr.:J :~ it ma.y be that the stakes rE;'t' G too 10s e,· !J.·J·;, c.J."tOv1ri:ng :rOOm fOr the W$avers ·o sit neatJ:v· :.:« ·~hf" ~;:;aces between , or they ;

. ey not have~ b r-.i-. ·~ tL::>~k o:touk_;h to 1wl thstand the .J:J'8S SUXe Of·. 1.;h~ ·~rna.--. 'C .. cfi" . S'r&,kes ehOuld generally

~. t wo or evEtn \:;::.:.:'Bf. ·;imes the. thi ckness of .the .. ·SaYeI'S US 3 Q: .. ,- ,.. . . • .

· The.~\1n:t·:.co:.J:· r:1a,y ?·i.:YVE been pulling the-, r 0 >=i vers to r) +i ,,1 .. .,:..1 <y ::--e·i~ e·v> all the word we use ~~_,; -·"stroke·~, ~;:~·.·i····~\, ~;.:'.~;"' s~~e time the left ha.D:d {hould be sup}/·,'.' t.:L.~.~-:. i:.h.i1 r:ri;akas :round ·which you ·~·te weaving ..

. The -i.;is,.~. ;~± :1 h;op can help to keep the ·e q_i.dred shapej it is necessary to rap down the ':-·aving to help . :J..t bit.e .against previous rows, , J beaten down too m1rn.n then the work becomes ' ) O tight and p1.111s in,

* )\·li·o··;f.1-**********

Tools for Wil.lOw skeining .a:re a·vailable :o ord er again~ D18ase send your Orders to -he Secretary ..

15 . The Annua l General Meet i ng of t h e Basket-

11akers Association took place on 29th 0ctober 1977, and was well attended with some members travelling from as far afield as Devon , Kent, The Lake District, Sussex and the ';Jest I!iidlands.

After a review of the year's activities and achievements (most of which have be en re ~j orted in ~:revious Newsletter.s) our Chairman Barbara f:Iaynard addressed the meeting as .follows:-

110ne of the most wonderful things about basketry is that it has held its head up through­out the ages - always ?roducing what was needed in any walk of life - and in Britain to the highest degree of craftsmanship.

But now we all need to take a new look at our approach to the craft, it is no longer enough to turn out superbly made baskets if those being imported are more int eres ting, more fun, more in keeping with the 'razamatas' style of l ife that we lead today.

As a basketmaker said to me onl;y t he other day 'we don't seem to be able to catch t l1e customers eye anyrnore '. I'm not su ggestin~ for one moment tbz.t our oraftmanship should slip · even one notch, but I do believe tha t i t is quite possible to combine STYLE wi th CH;,,}'TSlfANSHIP.

We all need to experiment more vvi th dyed cane, more intricate borders (for example the Italian basket with the follow-an tra c t o the footing sold like hot cakes for a while ). Childrens games, delicate little miniatures (dolls house stuff etc., ) and the combining 'of other crafts with our basketry.

Some items I've seen recently that bave possibilities are:-

A child's swinging chair Sets of miniatures representing childrens

books (Wind in the riillows ; Beatrix Pot ter books ;

16. Imitation Fruit and Vegetable -

much better than plastic. Wendy House and Doll's house Wig-wa.m and other children's games Jewelry_· Bird tables and feeders

All these would be able to command a realistic price f.or the idea alone.

I believe that techniques have to be mastered while designing is s~ill a baby 1eia:-d that we have rather a lot of techniques to get into our heads - no, I don't mean hands, it really

' does come from your brain - and that we should do all we can to learn and perfect them • . Confidence will then be gained and your next brilliant idea will be easier for you to carry out.

There is no doubt that we practice the most wonderful craft of all • ·wonderful in ·many ways but not least is the fact that we make our. creations from material which comes direct from the ground and into our hands - just a bundle of dried sticks or grasses. There are no lustrous jewels, silks, paints or glossy polishes and no intermediate craftsman between the grower and ourselves. Jewelry clothing, and millinery, furniture all have a host of people playing a small part whilst we do the whole lot ourselves.

When this room in the Artworkers Guild was built and consecrated, . Thomas Okey our illustrious predecessor was Master of the Guild, and I feel that he wouia have heartily approved of our efforts in the Basketmakers Association and would wish us to continue.

***********************

17.

The main speaker in the afternoon session of the .AoG.M., was Ur. Karl ShOwler, who was formerly an agricultural research worker e.nd is now Administrative vfficer Of the Internativnal Bee Research Association. This is a world-'.vide organisation with members in lv3 countries. He is also an Executive member of the British Bee Ke~pers Association.

He has kept bees for 3vyears, o.nd took up· skep making as a hObby . He has kept bees in skeps in order to expl ore Old methods of bee­keeping to te3t their relevance to developing o<>untries.

':'le were treated to an interesting talk on the history and development of beekeeping all over the world, and vrnre able to examine many types of straw skeps etc., which came from the IBRA collection, and the tools which K:.r. ShOwler uses to make the skep s which he uses.

We thank him for an insight into one of the lesser known aspects of Basketry.

******~'-*-X*************

DESIGN C vMFETITI vN

The winning article of the competition to design and make aizy basketry article suitable for selling in quantity which must be coQmercially v~able 1 was ~ peanu~ holder for ~eedin~ gard~n birds. Basically it was a 6" high spiral fitched cane cylinder with trapeze type handle for hanging, with an attached lid which slid up the handles when replenishing the container.

The basket won as it was a novel idea, combined vdth excellent techniqueo Time will tell whether it is in fact commercially viablel

A signed copy of 'Basketry in Easy steps' was awarded to the designer.

*********************

18. Research into professional status

of Craftsmen.

In order that the Federation of British Craft Societies can speak with more authority on our behalf, they need to know how important the cra.ftman's work is in terms of moneyi and ';o what extent each relies on these skil s to make a living. If it applies to you, please fillin the enclosed form and return it to our Secretary Joy Viall by 6th January 1978 at the latest. The names involved will be entiFely confidential it is statistics they need. Thank

,YOU.

************************* SCHEME FOR TRAINING CVURSES TU

BE VRG.lu""JISED BY THE BASKET11AKERS ASSvCIATI uN

By this Summer we exp.eat to put into Operation the aboVe scheme. Details are not yet finalised by it should be broadly as fOllOws:-

Six people may get together and request a class to be held in their district. The tuition reo_uested may be of any Of our related subjects and at any level. The du1~ation of the proposed course to be agreed upon between the organisers and the tutor.

The Association for their part will find a suitable tutor and pay for the travelling expenses Of that tutor, and pO§sibly subsidise the hire of the ball. The students should then be prepared to open the class to a further six students who are at the same level Of competence. All the students will share the cost Of the tutorial between them. The scheme will be open to non-members Of the Association .

A team of travelling teachers will be required so if anyone feels tbat they would be capable, experienced enough and ~~lling to give the time, please fill in the slip at the end of the Newsletter.

19.

RETURNABLE SLIP SHEET

To The Secretary: :Mrs. Joy Viall, Bierton House, Dean riay, Chalf ont St. Gi~s~ Bucks.

Please .return this sheet iIT~ediaiBLy, deleting those sections whi-ah do n ot apply to you.

1zy name is . . . . . . .. ........ -· . ... . • ... . .... . ..... . °' • I 1!;y Add ress is ..... .. ; ••••••• • ••• • ••• • • • •• • • • ... . ,'

I I enolose !DJ' su,bs-0:t'i pti-oll fq;r 1978 ¥ ·. ' .. .

·,f .... ( £2 .. JrJ.pi:'viQual . rriem.he~$hip , £5 professionFil ·: .. ,,f · · f and commer cial me)n bership.) · · ,. .

f. ~ ~ ~~~----~~·--------~~~~~~~--~----~~

~ t I require a s et of skeining tools

t I do .hot reqµir ~ ~ ,set Of $lkein~~ to?~~

t ~ Enclosed h erewit h is the coeiplet ed form for ; inclusion in the statistics for the Federa tion I of Bri ths Cr aft Societies (Professional Sta tus ·

of Crafts men )

I wish my name to be add ed t o the l ist of Travell ing Teachers.

' 1~tr s pe ciali ty is .•..... 0 •••••••••••••••• "e • ~ • 9l ••

My qualifications are ••..• ". 0. ~.G ••••• 9 a ....... 0."

I am availa:~·le ... .......... a •• o ............ " . g •• o