Saturday, March 15th 2025.

A dreary Saturday morning on the south end of Whidbey Island… is a pretty standard sight as we sway between the winter and spring seasons. I’m driving to pick up my friend to head to Oak Harbor for a perfectly adequate rainy-day activity: basket weaving.

Nestled between Coupeville and Oak Harbor proper, is Basket Works N.W. by Reggie, one of the many resident fiber artists on Whidbey Island. We pulled up a little earlier than 10 AM, when our class would start, signed in, and explored her little studio where her basket collection resides. All sorts of shapes and sizes of baskets are stacked upon each other: earth tones, bright mixed colors, and solid-colored baskets are carefully nestled about the room.

Baskets with lids, baskets with silk sashes, baskets with beads worked into the design… the patterns of possibility genuinely are limitless. There’s just a question of materials: what color and how much? Reggie fell in love with colors and can make just about any basket style.

“I source my reeds out of New York and then dye them myself to achieve the colors I want,” Reggie explained. “You can purchase colored reeds, but often its more expensive and why not just do it myself as part of the process?”

Now how did I end up at a basket weaving class? I didn’t think it would be on my list of hobbies to try but here we are. I’m a serial crafter. I’ll try various things until I find a niche that jives with me. With my self-diagnosed Reynaud’s Syndrome, I figure bending and twisting wooden reeds in hot water sounds great to me!

Reggie’s home is set up for an intimate class. Coils of colorful reeds are carefully arranged near the front door across from all of the Whidbey Island artist brochures. There is a small circle of five chairs for her students, bowls of hot water, plyers, and clothes pins… all necessary items for basket weaving.

“My sister taught me to weave in 1983. Later, I had a doctor that asked me if had any hobbies. I said I can weave baskets. He had me bring one in next time and he said, well I can’t see why you couldn’t sell them at Redmond Saturday Market, so I started selling there.” Reggie said.

I can tell she’s an integral part of the arts community in the north and south end of Whidbey Island. When you approach her house, signs for the Oak Harbor Art Trail direct you to her studio. For a long time, Reggie did the grueling, yet rewarding task of vending at farmer’s markets, craft shows, and various other festivals.

“First Saturday in May 1988 I started selling, then added more markets and then art shows. I traveled all over the state doing shows, I loved it. Later I dropped the farmer’s markets and only did art & craft shows. I was in a gallery in Kirkland, called Kirkland Art Store. There are 100 different artists and I was the second-best seller there.” Reggie remembers.

As we dove into our weaving task Reggie took us on an adventure of how she eventually landed on Whidbey Island.

“After our period in the Kirkland/Redmond area, we moved to Whidbey Island and joined the Whidbey Island Art Council. I have been in the Whidbey Working Artists studio tour several times and the Whidbey Art Trail (WAT) every year. This program features studios open all-year to the public. So, I sell here with WAT, Artworks Gallery in Langley, and partake in shows on and off the island. I also teach workshops when there is interest.” She explained.

Your first basket may not be perfect, though you will leave with the foundational education to weave just about anything into a basket.

Reggie is a gracious host and will help you throughout the process and believe me, I needed some help. I slipped up a few times having to overcompensate on a couple of rows, but hey, we MADE BASKETS by the end of the class.

“I would not know what to do if I didn’t do this. I love it so much!” Reggie exclaimed.

If you’re looking for the next challenge, craft experiment, or something homemade to add to your home… Basket Works N.W. by Reggie is top-notch. It’s the perfect rainy-day activity for your friend group to do together. My friend came out with a gorgeous piece for her home. Mine is a bit funky… and has handles, perfect for gathering the garden harvests.