Hi, I’m Brendan Farren from Big Green Weaving.

I have grown to love weaving baskets, the colour and smell and touch of willow. Creating a natural object, passing through the sensory weaving process, and the satisfaction of finishing the basket all add to the pleasure for me. I feel that I didn’t choose to be a basketmaker, more that it chose me.

Over twenty years ago I was driving past a field of willows, billowing in the breeze in West Donegal. I was stopped in my tracks.

What was this? Thus began my willow weaving odyssey. I soon met a local man in his seventies, who showed me how to make the ancient Irish basket known as a ‘creel’. I was hooked, and with his help I started to try other designs of baskets. It was quite a challenge at first, but with his patience and help, my weaving career developed.

I would now like to pass on this knowledge to you. I have been teaching basket weaving since 2001, and quickly realised that when the class is over, the knowledge is easily forgotten. So with this in mind I started the Big Green Art Youtube channel to enhance the learning experience for my students, and provide some reference points for them to consult.

With this Big Green Weaving website, I want to take the online weaving experience to a new level, and develop a reference library of complete weaving projects which you can consult whenever and wherever you need it.