RUN OF THE MILL - Ruskin Mill Trust

Lucy and Bex in the Willow workshop at Gables Farm
of being able to contribute to the wider community.
Students are also given the opportunity to learn the
commercial aspects of the craft by visiting the ‘Willow
and Wetlands Centre’ in Somerset where they have a
working willow farm, workshops, museum and shop.
The experience often inspires students to take on new
challenges such as making a chair, a beehive, a helmet or
a blackberry picking basket on a hazel stick.
The experience of basket making in the workshop gives
the student an opportunity to embed their learning
in context. Encouraging students to take part in the
whole process helps to develop their relationship with
the world around them, socially and culturally. It is a
reflective process which engages their ideas, feelings
and behaviour and mirrors back to them the reality and
consequences of their actions. Some students choose to
give their craft work away as a gift or use their baskets in
the home, which can be a daily reminder for students of
the challenges and achievements that have gone into their
work.
Teaching students practical, transferable and recognisable
skills illustrates their potential to create change in the
world, encouraging them to take responsibility for
themselves, building their confidence and self esteem.
The working environment is one of mutual learning and
respect between tutors and students where we can value
diversity and look for equality of opportunities for all.
The students’ and tutors’ experience is, that each
basket is as individual as its basketmaker, reflecting
the basketmaker’s skills and struggles as they weave
a container out of their imagination and into reality.
It’s a woven story.
Ruskin Mill College
Run of the Mill ~ Winter 2010
Tom, 3rd-year
Drama is one of my favourite sessions, learning new
skills such as coping with public places, how to act and
do impressions. We do loads of games and the teacher
is really nice. We are currently doing The Curse of the
Hairy Man. I enjoy Art and I’ve done the Arts Award.
I’ve been doing basket-making for about half a year and
I’ve made dinner plate mats using a French randing
weave, and a laundry basket. I really like all of the
creative lessons. I started making a waste paper basket,
then I made a small ‘hedgerow’ basket made from
Ruskin Mill willow. I’ve also made a very little basket.
(bottom picture). I made it because Lucy told me it was
impossible and very difficult to make one and I wanted to
prove her wrong. The handle was the most difficult part.
I had to use very thin willow, both white and stemmed
willow. I’ve also made a project of five dinner mats and
a basket to put them in for my household. Each mat is
Above: Tom using a rapping iron to push the weave down and, below,
some of his work including the very small basket.
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