From My Workshop to Your Home: Introducing Weave Your First Basket
Watch the full series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2N7qKrr5fG_EMXOpZB2MVI_-qa84JPjm
Hi, I’m Joe Gregory, a willow weaver based in the UK and founder of Creative with Nature.
For almost 20 years, Creative with Nature has grown from a simple idea: helping people reconnect with nature, creativity and themselves through making things by hand.
My own journey began through forest school, outdoor education, gardening and permaculture. I’ve always been drawn to practical skills, natural materials and the quieter satisfaction that comes from creating something useful with your own hands. It was during this time, while recovering from a serious illness, that willow weaving came into my life and became much more than a pastime. It offered me a way to heal, to steady myself and to slowly rebuild. In many ways, weaving helped me recover and find myself again. I haven't stopped weaving since. That experience still shapes how I teach today.
What started with teaching workshops at the Offshoots Permaculture Project in Burnley gradually grew into something much bigger. Over the years, Creative with Nature has grown into a busy and varied practice. I’ve taught for organisations across the UK including the Royal Horticultural Society, Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The American School in London, alongside community groups, schools, charities, private workshops and sessions for people in all kinds of circumstances. More recently, I’ve also had opportunities to teach internationally, including work in Saudi Arabia in 2024.
Today, I continue to teach from my home studio in Yorkshire and further afield, working with people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. I’m available for private bookings, nationwide and internationally for workshops and events through the Bookings page.
Why Willow Weaving Matters
We live in a busy world. Many people arrive at weaving during moments of change — retirement, burnout, stress, grief, recovery, or simply wanting something more meaningful to do with their time.
Willow weaving offers something rare. It asks you to slow down, focus, use your hands and to solve problems gently all to create something tangible.
There’s a grounding quality to weaving that connects body and mind. Many students tell me they feel calmer while weaving, more present, and proud of what they’ve made. I understand that feeling myself. I’m naturally quite introverted, and much of my happiest time is spent quietly weaving, experimenting, tinkering and working things out in the workshop.
Bringing Creative with Nature Online
Over the past few years, my daughter and I have been working hard behind the scenes to bring Creative with Nature online so what we do here in Yorkshire can reach people wherever they are.
That means more free teaching resources, more tutorials and eventually full online paid for courses for people who want to learn from home.
Introducing Weave Your First Basket
I’m delighted to share our first full free YouTube series: Weave Your First Basket.
This six-part beginner series teaches you how to make a simple willow foraging and berry basket from start to finish.
We chose this design because it’s practical, beautiful and genuinely useful in everyday life. Once finished, it’s the kind of basket that quickly becomes part of your daily routine, perfect for gathering berries and herbs, collecting eggs, storing fruit in the kitchen, hanging up as a peg basket, holding garlic, or carrying bits and pieces around the home.
Across the series, I guide you through each stage slowly and clearly, beginning with choosing and preparing your materials so your willow is ready to work with. From there, we build a strong base, weave the sides upward, shape the basket as it grows in your hands and finish with a neat border and handle that brings the whole piece together.
Along the way, I explain the small details that make weaving easier, how the willow should feel, where to place your hands, how to keep good tension and how to work calmly through each step.
The aim is not simply to finish a basket, but to help you understand the rhythm of weaving so you feel confident to keep going.
It’s designed especially for complete beginners, with calm pacing, clear demonstrations and simple explanations. If you already weave, it’s also a useful refresher to revisit core techniques and build confidence in your making.
Why We Made It Free
My in-person workshops are often fully booked and I’m regularly asked:
- How do I keep learning after a class?
- How do I prepare my willow properly?
- How do all the stages fit together?
- Where do I begin if I’ve never woven before?
This series is our answer.
I’ve always believed the basics of a craft like this should be open to anyone who wants to try.
If you’ve ever wanted to learn willow weaving, this is the perfect place to begin.
You can watch Weave Your First Basket now on my YouTube channel, and stay connected through the newsletter to hear about future tutorials, resources and upcoming online courses.
Thanks for being here.
Joe xx
https://youtu.be/RkvWfBxBDGs