“To make sure I gather as sustainably as possible, I started to experiment weaving with the so-called 'weeds' and invasive plants that grow abundantly and locally. I've discovered that these are often amazingly strong and flexible plants as they must be to survive—it's in their nature,” explained Grieve.
“A few of my favorite plants to weave with are dandelion, bramble and bindweed. The beauty of using these plants is that they often get removed, mowed or pruned anyway. May as well turn them into a basket instead of going to waste.”
“Being reliant on nature like this also gives you such a deep respect and desire to care for the environment around you, it's not within a forager’s interest to ever overharvest or damage the population of a plant.”
“One of the simple reasons I work in miniature, creating tiny baskets and woven necklaces, is the lack of space to grow or store massive amounts of materials, the tiniest of my baskets often being woven from a single leaf. Mostly, though, it's just my unexplainable love for miniatures, especially miniature crafts.”
“I have to admit I have a slightly obsessive nature and until I make the world's smallest basket, I shall keep on weaving up tiny vessels! Currently my priority is getting my book on wild basketry together so weaving has taken a little bit of a back step until I get that finished!”
