There is an allotment in Battersea that looks like no other. It is
a withy bed - a willow grove - planted and harvested each year by
Susie Thompson for basket making. Susie is particularly fond of the
chequerboard effect, achieved by block weaving stripped and unstripped
willow, which gives her hand-made baskets the look of rippling water.
She delights in the different tones and colours of various types of
willow. Her baskets feel alive and creak in a friendly way, as if
they want to be stroked and spoken to. They look equally beautiful
empty as filled with fruit, logs, cats or crochet. Ranging in size
from a 14-inch tray to a 33-inch storage basket, the hand-made baskets
can be bought direct from Susie Thompson herself, or from Egg in Kinnerton
Street, London SW1.
Susie Thompson, 15 Ursula Street, SW113DW, (0171) 223 4806. Egg,
36 Kinnerton Street, SW1X 8ES, (0171) 235 9315.
