Christine Brewster

I have been a teacher of chair seating and basket making for more than twenty years and am a full-time practitioner of these crafts.

For 25 years I was a freelance computer analyst spending 12 or 14 hours a day in offices and commuting up and down the country until the job market for freelance IT workers began to shrink and I had a feeling that it was time to try something new. Taking the plunge was quite difficult.

I learnt cane and rush seating at Missenden Abbey and I knew from that first day that this was how I wanted to make my living. I had already been involved in conservation work and I’d learned about tree felling and hedge laying, so basket making was a crossover between all these skills. I loved the creative element and using raw materials, all I needed was the willow, my hands and some traditional tools.

I didn’t think I’d be a natural teacher but in fact I enjoy it very much. I am particularly interested in the therapeutic value of practical crafts and the vital importance of continuing and passing on traditional skills.