Hopewood Baskets

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Hopewood Baskets

www.hopewood.co

Willow baskets and sculptural vessels handmade by Sarah Loughlin and Marcus Wootton in Worcestershire, UK

14/06/2026

A recent Lantern Basket from our latest collection
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Last month marked a small but significant moment, 8 years since I made my very first willow basket. The first few years I created baskets in my spare time between my teaching job, and learned a lot through trial and error (much of the latter).

Over the last couple of years I’ve made a conscious decision to focus on curved forms - a shape that captures my attention. These lantern baskets continue to be a form and style I enjoy exploring. They are slow to make, with particularly small weaving spaces as the shape funnels inwards, and although there are certainly more efficient ways of creating a woven basket, I have been weaving for long enough now to know how important it is for me to make objects that bring me joy…and hopefully it comes across in the work too.

Sarah

08/06/2026

New work from our latest collection, a fitched waste-paper basket woven with Brittany Green willow from Somerset.

More details can be found on our website.

06/06/2026

DISPLAY AND FUNCTION - now open at Gallery 57

We’re delighted to be showing work in this wonderful group show - Arundel, Sussex.
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‘In previous curated shows, we have included very few functional items, having focussed on sculptural pieces for display. This exhibition takes a different approach and includes both.

Bringing together the materials wood, metal, textile, clay and plant materials, the 12 participating artists have worked in their individual way to create pieces that have either a display or functional purpose’. Ann Symes - owner and curator of Gallery 57

The exhibition continues until 18th July.
Tuesday - Saturday 11-4

31/05/2026

A modern take on the traditional ose (or hen) basket, handcrafted using frame basketry techniques.

Traditionally, these baskets served many purposes, including carrying broody hens between neighbouring farms. Popular throughout the 1950s and 60s, they were known by different names across different regions, and are even thought to have Celtic origins.

This smaller version is part of our spring collection—a practical basket with a rich history behind it.

For more details, visit our website.

Sarah

28/05/2026

Our Spring Collection is now available on the website.

We’ve loved slowly bringing this collection of new baskets together over the past few months. We began weaving the first pieces back in early March, and as we’ve been busy making, the seasons have unfolded around us — from the first crocuses and daffodils, followed by bluebell-filled woodlands, and now with the final weeks of spring we’re fortunate to have peonies flowering in the garden.

We hope you enjoy browsing the collection. You can find it on our website and via the link in our profile.

With thanks,

Sarah & Marcus

21/05/2026

We’re really looking forward to sharing new work with you soon.

Our Spring 2026 collection will be available on our website from Thursday 28th May, 6pm (BST)

Marcus & Sarah

18/05/2026

As a maker, I’m always curious about how other makers and artists work — from their routines and rituals, to how their practice changes through the seasons. It’s helped me reflect on the way I like to work myself.

I remember reading in a basketry book that David drew, a master basketmaker, once said, “I tend to make in batches of 10, 12 or 20 baskets, this way I can get the best out of the material and myself, and create a rhythm in my work’. That sentiment has stayed with me - both practically, but also the confidence in knowing what works for oneself.

Now in my fifth year as a full-time weaver, I’m beginning to recognise my own patterns and move away from the idea of “how I should work.”

This year I’ve been making works in series, whether sculptural or functional pieces. I’ve found creating multiples of the same style gives me a sense of rhythm - but rather than making exacting identical pieces, I’ve realised what I enjoy is discovering subtle variations, and that there is much freedom to be found in this way of working - exploration within limits.

With this series of what I call “lantern baskets,” I’ve loved exploring colour combinations and uncovering the small nuances within the design. They will form part of our Spring Collection, coming later this month.

Sarah

Address

Bewdley

Website

http://www.hopewood.co/

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