Weaving Lagrasse

Creative basketry in the Corbières

We’re delighted to present the 3rd edition of Weaving Lagrasse, taking place in May 2026.

This year, each of our invited teachers will lead two workshops, offering a wider choice of techniques and creative approaches.

1st COURSES : from Thursday 21 to Saturday 23 May 2026
2nd COURSES : from Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 May 2026

Full details are outlined below, and bookings will open on 10 December.

Opening the schedule in advance gives you time to consider which courses speak to you, without any pressure to decide immediately.

We look forward to welcoming you to Lagrasse next spring.

THE SETTING

In one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, come and enjoy French hospitality, stunning scenery and local food and wine in the company of our expert basketry tutors

TIM JOHNSON and MONICA GUILERA

Tucked into the heart of the Corbières in southern France and bathed in sunshine for around 300 days a year, Lagrasse attracts an extraordinary variety of residents, complementing its salt-of-the-earth locals. It is a community of creators, with artists, potters and makers tucked away in its narrow, cobblestoned streets. 

The tiny population of 500 people live in this medieval listed village surrounded by olive groves and vineyards, its backdrop dominated by an 8th century working Abbey and views of the distant Pyrenees. Situated in a valley surrounded by Mediterranean hillsides full of rosemary, thyme and cypress trees, the river Orbieu - in which one can swim - meanders through the village.

Lagrasse attracts thousands of visitors each year, some of whom never leave, falling in love with this picture postcard example of rural France and changing their lives to allow them to pursue their dream.

Cafes and restaurants are plentiful with all tastes and budgets catered for from pizzas to Michelin Guide cuisine. Saturday morning is market day with organic and locally produced foods and wines.

Each basketry course will run for 3 days, but I urge you to stay a while longer and enjoy everything that this stunning corner of France that I call home has to offer.

BeverIy

COURSES from 21 to 23 MAY 2026

  • Willow Backpacks and Handbags with MONICA GUILERA

    Create useful backpacks or handbags with a variety of weaving techniques and choices of borders and straps.

    Ideal for picnics, shopping or a day on the beach, these attractive and light weight backpacks and handbags feature a traditional Catalan base combined with willow sidings and either a classic flat border or a bundle border borrowed from traditional fishing baskets.

    Monica will show you how to carefully control the shaping, giving a more open or closed mouth to your basket, depending on its function and your personal design. You will complete your basket with your own colour choice of bundle border stitching and fabric or leather straps to create your own individual and sustainable statement.

    The course will be taught in English, Catalan, Spanish and French.
    Beginners and experienced.

  • The Invisible Stitch – braided & stitched baskets in rush with TIM JOHNSON

    Make bags and baskets of your own design inspired by ancient Mediterranean traditions.

    In Spain and North Africa palm leaves and esparto grass are commonly woven into long lengths of braid and stitched together to make a wide variety of functional bags and baskets, these have been made since ancient Egyptian times and the tradition continues today. 

     

    Inspired by this tradition you will work with rush making 5, 7 and 9 strand braids. Once you have sufficient length you will then stitch the braids together in a special way interlocking the braid selvedges and creating a seamless fabric that you will shape to make round and oval baskets of your own design. 

    The course will be taught in English.
    Beginners and experienced.

COURSES from 25 to 27 MAY 2026

  • Willow platters in Nansa technique with MONICA GUILERA

    Work with willow and thread to make colourful platters for everyday use.

    The Mediterranean is home to a beautiful and distinctive technique of
    weaving used by fishermen to make a variety of fishing baskets and traps. In Catalonia ‘Nansa’ fish traps were made in a variety of shapes and sizes depending on the kind of fish they wanted to catch, the traps were usually made in the winter with a very tough kind of rush, split cane or olive stems.

     

    In this workshop you will learn to make a round nansa platter, combining willow with different coloured threads you will start with a traditional nansa ‘grid’ base attached to a willow hoop, then move on to the sidings and bundle border.

    The course will be taught in English, Catalan, Spanish and French.
    Beginners and experienced.

  • Ply Splitting – colourful baskets with rush & fabrics with TIM JOHNSON

    Learn how to make colourful bags and contemporary sculptural baskets using a variety of techniques and materials.

    When ropes, strings and cords made up of two or more elements are divided and another element is passed through, a very simple and useful weaving structure is made. When this process is repeated with many ropes or strings there are many creative possibilities. During this workshop you will have the opportunity to explore both freeform open sculptural baskets and closely woven structures suitable for shoulder bags and woven pockets.

    You will learn how to make your own two- and three-ply cordage and how to bring colour and pattern to your baskets in different techniques using yarn, strings and recycled fabrics.

    The course will be taught in English.
    Beginners and experienced.

The cost of each 3 day workshop is €330.

As an optional extra, we have organised lunch each day at a local restaurant (vegetarian/vegan choice available) for 25€ per meal, which includes a main dish, dessert, wine and coffee.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

MATERIALS

Materials and tools are provided, as well as drinks during the workshops (tea, coffee etc.)

Each participant leaves with their own creations.  (For those travelling by air, we can arrange to post your creations to your home).

HOURS

The workshops run from 9.30 to 17h (with a 90 lunch break included).

TRAVEL & ACCOMMODATION

The nearest train stations are Lézignan-Corbières, Narbonne and Carcassonne, all of which are a 20-40 minute drive from Lagrasse.
Taxis and lifts can be arranged on request.

Airports: Flights to Carcassonne and Perpignan airports are via Ryanair.  Toulouse and Montpelier airports are further away, but offer a wider range of departure airports and airlines across Europe. It would be necessary to hire a car or catch a train to the above stations.

ACCOMMODATION
Lagrasse has a number of hotels, B&Bs and self-catering accommodation, for example

Chez Shona B&B
L'Hostellerie des Corbières
La Bouquerie

Booking.com and Airbnb have several other accommodation options.

We will organise a WhatsApp group for anyone who wants to make shared travel and accommodation plans.

Lagrasse on Google Maps

BOOKING

Booking opens on WEDNESDAY 10th DECEMBER 2025.
No pre-booking will be accepted

Once bookings have opened, to book your workshop places at Weaving Lagrasse 2026 please click on the booking button. Within 24 hours you will receive a Paypal payment request for the non-refundable 50% deposit (you do not need a Paypal account to pay).  We will send you a Paypal request for the final payment one month before the start of the course.

Cancellations:
If you need to make a cancellation of your workshop place after the second payment has been made we will refund your second payment if we are able to find a participant to replace you.

We are unable to make any refunds within 2 weeks of the event as at this stage it is difficult to find participants and for them to make short notice travel arrangements.

Any questions? Contact Beverly at weavinglagrasse@gmail.com
There are 10 places per workshop.

  • STUDENTS 2025
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