SCOTLAND
basket weaving workshop
June/July 2026
trip waitlist below
Join Thread Caravan & Hannah Haworth of Handa Textiles in Scotland where we will be taught the ways of willow by veteran local weavers Anna Liebman and Catherine Davies. All experience levels welcome.
Willow weaving has a long history in Scotland, deeply rooted in the country's social and economic life: Many essential tools for domestic, social, and economic activities were woven from willow. The baskets were integral to the crofting and fishing communities, used for storing, carrying and merchandizing various items, from peat and seaweed to fish and animal fodder. In historical construction, willow was woven for wattle and daub walls in dwellings as well as used for fences. Willow weaving is an important part of Scottish cultural heritage, reflecting the ingenuity of past generations and their connection to the natural world.
Our trip will take us via road, steam train and local ferry from the gothic city of Edinburgh to the picturesque Isle of Eigg; where we will immerse ourselves in the traditional basketry of the region. Our breaks will be taken on scenic hill and beach walks around this stunning inner Hebridean island led by our mountain guide Martin Haworth- an expert on local ancient history and folklore.
cohost,
hannah haworth
Hannah Haworth has been interested in textile making since she was a child, fortunate to grow up in a small indigenous village in the Philippines with a very rich weaving culture. As a teenager she returned to her native Scotland and she became more and more interested in knitting and its ancestral practices there. She studied sculpture at Edinburgh College of Art where she knitted several large-scale sculptures of animals and other natural forms, which she continued to produce and exhibit throughout her 20s when she moved the US. At that time she began working in design in NYC and started really enjoying making (mostly knitted) garments for herself and friends whilst learning more about clothes.
In 2016, she moved upstate to the Catskill mountains and founded her textile company ‘Handa’ where she currently offers a small range of knitting patterns that she designs in partnership with small farms/yarn producers that work with minimally processed and naturally dyed wool. Handa also offers handmade textiles from all over the world, beginning with the textiles of the village she grew up in.
