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Basketweaving for Beginners at Side Street Studio Arts – Theater

Name: Basketweaving for Beginners at Side Street Studio Arts – Theater
Start: 2025-07-26T10:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-26T15:00:00-05:00
Location: Side Street Studio Arts

July 26, 2025 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm

Jul 26, 2025, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Side Street Studio Arts – Theater, 15 Ziegler Ct, Elgin, IL 60120, USA

Class Tuition: $80, Materials Fee: $30, Total Price: $110| Ages 14+

In this beginner-friendly workshop, students will learn the basic techniques of basket weaving using rattan reed. This workshop will cover how to weave a square base, a continuous weave with flat reed, twining, inserting a notched wooden handle, lashing a rim and more. The foundational tools and terminology of wicker basketry will be discussed as well. At the end of the day, each participant will go home with their very own fully completed Summer Harvest Basket.

Basketry is a centuries-old art form that spans many cultures. Once students know the basics, they can go on to create their own baskets of many different styles and sizes. Join us to immerse yourself in this beautiful, functional, and meditative craft.

All materials will be provided. Minimum 4 participants, maximum 12 participants.

Please bring a snack or sack lunch or be prepared to order/pick up something to eat during class time.

About the instructor: Christine Sciortino, RYT is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and holistic practitioner with a lifelong passion for textile arts. She began sewing her own clothes at the age of 11 and went on to study Costume Design and Film at New York University. After 12 years working as a makeup artist, hair stylist, and costume designer behind the scenes of major film, TV, and theater productions, Christine published the book Makeup Artistry for Film and Television in 2020. She created and instructed the curriculum for Cinema Makeup at Columbia College Chicago from 2016-2020 before relocating to St. Charles where she learned basket weaving at a local folk arts school. She fell in love with the craft and now teaches basket weaving, hosts basket weaving meetups, and sells custom handmade baskets. Her favorite place to weave is out in her garden with her dog and backyard chickens by her side.