Explorations in Twining

Dates: Saturday/Sunday, March 7 & 8, 2026
Cost: $275 (includes materials)
Location: Guild House

Teacher: Cael Chappell
Website: https://caelchappell.com/

Class Level: Suitable for experienced basket weavers or anyone who has taken the Intro class (linked here)

Ready to delve deeper into twining waxed linen baskets? Join me for 2 days of in-depth instruction. If you’ve taken a class from me before, you can still learn plenty. Start with making bases, and/or I will provide a base for you to start on. Choose your thread size based on your skill, speed, and what you want to learn and accomplish. Instruction is individualized as we go so that you can learn and practice exactly what you want. Learn how to make patterns. Lots of additional demonstrations will help you decide what to focus on for your weaving. 

Materials: The teacher will provide a wide variety of Crawford brand Irish waxed linen thread, full color handouts with photographs (scissors and tools provided for use during class.)

Students will need to provide:

• sharp scissors (embroidery or similar style if you have them).
• Optional for your ease and comfort: tweezers, hemostat, seat cushion, task lighting, magnifier

About the Teacher: Cael Chappell has been working with basket weavers in Africa since 1991. In 2017 he started weaving his own baskets, primarily using waxed linen thread. Because of his innate understanding of basketry, he quickly developed his own unique style of whimsical weaving. His baskets exhibit personality and life which engage viewers.

Cael was selected as one of Fiber Art Network’s 20 Emerging Artists in 2020 and for Excellence in Fibers 2024. He has a basket traveling until 2026 in the National Basketry Organization and Studio Art Quilt Association’s “Art Evolved: Intertwined” exhibition. One of his pieces was selected for the Handweaver Guild of America’s “Small Expressions” traveling show and two others for their “Dogwood to Kudzu” basketry show. In 2023, he was invited to participate in an Australian show called “Redefining the Basket”. The American Tapestry Alliance invited him in 2023 to exhibit in “Caution! Men Running With Scissors!”

His work has been featured in many other exhibitions and publications. Cael enjoys teaching and is writing a book on twining waxed linen thread. He often does presentations to weaving guilds and groups across