A Conversation with Skye Weaver Laura Cunningham

At her croft here on Skye, Laura transforms home-grown willow into beautiful, functional weaves that draw on Scottish basketry traditions and nature for inspiration.

Laura is now one of our wonderfully talented makers here at Òr, so we took the opportunity to visit her croft to discover how her crafting journey began and what she loves most about this slow, handmade method that’s steeped in tradition.

Laura, can you take us back to the beginning? What inspired you to start weaving baskets?

In 2016, I heard about a weekend course that was being taught by Monique Bervoets, a local basket maker. I just completely fell in love with willow and weaving during that weekend and wanted to continue. Soon after, I began planting basketry willow on our croft, and I bought a book or two and watched videos online to develop my skills.

I don’t know where the initial pull towards basketry came from, but as a child I remember spending hours weaving bracelets with embroidery thread that my mum had in the house. I loved playing with the colours and patterns and creating something I could gift to my friends. I think basketry satisfies the same things in me that making those bracelets did back in the 90’s.

Tell us a bit about your making process and how it comes together from start to finish?

Growing baskets is a slow process, beginning with planting willow beds and tending them over the growing season then harvesting the rods in winter once the leaves have dropped. The harvested rods are graded in spring and sorted into bundles of different lengths for soaking.

I grow around 30 basketry willow varieties here on Skye. I have small willow beds which are nestled amongst the native trees and wildflowers here on the croft. I’ve used cuttings in the past and now I’m able to plant new beds from my own willow going forward.

Once the willow has dried the next step is selecting the right rods to soak for each project. The rods are soaked, then steamed and left to mellow for a day or two. The weaving part comes at the very end of that process.

We’d love to know, what is it about basket weaving you enjoy most?

Willow is such a gift from nature. I love that I can make something useful from these beautiful plants. Weaving a basket requires focus too, and I enjoy getting into that flow state where I don’t think about anything else. The process of weaving definitely helps to calm my anxious brain. I also love working with the seasons; harvesting in winter and watching the rods grow throughout the year. It makes winter really enjoyable for me, and something I look forward to more and more these days.

Does Scotland and any of its traditions inspire your work?

I love to look at old photographs of people using baskets, and the many other ways plants were woven together and used in people’s work and daily lives. I enjoy learning about the various baskets that were used in different parts of Scotland, and the particular baskets of each region and industry. I’m keen to look through the old photos my mum has of our family to see if I can find any baskets being used by my ancestors – I would love to find that!

And what about Skye, does the island have an influence on your weaving?

Skye definitely influences my work. I take a lot of inspiration from the natural world and choose colours to reflect those of our native birds, or the hills I see from our house. I like to try and reflect the shapes and colours I see in the landscape here. This island fills me with creativity – the people, the landscape, the wildlife, the wide skies, the patterns I see in the sand at the beach or in the clouds. There is so much here to inspire!

And finally, for people taking their first foray into basket weaving, what advice would you give them?

Really well soaked willow makes all the difference. This has taken me a long time to figure out and still challenges me. Each variety of willow has different requirements, and the time required to soak varies over the year with the changing seasons. I don’t always get it right.

I’ve found attending courses in the last couple of years has helped me improve hugely. I’ve found Hanna Van Aelst’s online resources invaluable and I’ve been lucky to spend some time learning from Hanna in person, too. The Scottish Basketmakers' Circle is a great resource for finding teachers in your area as well.

We’re so proud to share Laura’s handwoven baskets with you here at Òr! You can now find them in our collection on our website.