Braythorne Baskets
Traditional basket making - an endangered heritage craft
Meet Fiona Arnold – Basket Maker at Braythorne Baskets
Hello, I’m Fiona – the hands, heart, and creative mind behind Braythorne Baskets, founded in 2022 after a career transition. Basketry quickly became more than just a craft for me. There’s something magical about working with willow: its texture, its rhythm, even the smell of the willow itself – earthy, sweet, and grounding. It’s a material with a quiet life force, full of stories. I simply love making baskets.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve started growing willow here on the farm – a mix of traditional basketry varieties suited to our soil. After harvesting in winter, the rods are brought into the barn to dry, stacked and stored among the tools and scent of the workshop. Later, I either re-soak them to make them pliable again or use them semi-green – in that perfect in-between state of half dryness. There’s something incredibly special about tending the crop through the seasons and then bringing it full circle into my handwoven baskets. It adds a deeper connection to the whole process.
In 2024, I was honoured to receive a QEST Emerging Maker Grant, which supports my continued training as I complete a two-year City & Guilds Level 3 in basketry. Alongside this, I’ve had the privilege of learning from some of the UK’s most skilled weavers – including Eddie Glew, Clare Revera, Lewis Goldwater (hazel split wood) – as well as European makers like Monica Guilera. Their dedication and craftsmanship constantly inspire me to grow and refine my own work.
I create from a beautiful old barn workshop that was once a milking parlour. Now, it’s home to my tools, materials – and the occasional barn owl and swallow, who share the space and soundtrack my weaving with their calls. In winter, I shift to the kitchen table, carefully carving out space between meals and life with my endlessly patient farmer husband.
At Braythorne Baskets, each piece is crafted by hand, with care, creativity, and a respect for tradition and nature. Whether you’re looking for something beautiful, functional, or both – I’d love to share my work with you.
Buying my work
Baskets, commissions and repairs
Commissions and repairs make up some of my work, as well as selling from home and at a few local fairs including Ripon Cathedral Christmas Fair. Occasionally, I teach small groups at The Limes in nearby Weeton.
Often my inspiration comes from historic paintings, old baskets and undertaking repairs, and paying deference to old designs and long-gone maker’s strokes. I also enjoy using my imagination for innovative design.
If you are interested in buying or commissioning a basket, please do make contact via my Instagram page (link below), or email me at braythornebaskets@gmail.com
Growing willow
High Braythorne Farm Willow beds
In 2023 I planted the first willow beds in an area that we call Trott's wood. Named after the previous farmer whose family were here for 3 generations – The Trotters.
I have planted a wide variety of Salix/willow for colour and variety and am experimenting with coppice and pollard willow with the aim of becoming as self-sufficient as possible.
Willow is free from harmful pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals and attractive to insects. It is a crop that is harvested annually, and some varieties grow to over 10ft. The crop is quick to establish and in 3- 5 years the willow stools will be bountiful. My plan is to expand the area I plant each year using cuttings from existing willow and register with DEFRA to sell willow helping with the farm’s income diversification.
