The joy and magic of weaving.
OUR STORY
BARE Weaving Workshops birthed from Ingrid Riverstone & Katie Rydge’s passion to share their love of basket weaving.
BARE Weaving Founders, Ingrid and Katie have spent the last 30 years exploring weaving worldwide, including weaving and eco-dyes from their European heritage.
They have explored natural dyes on fabrics and plant fibres, multiple coil weaving styles, bark basketry, twining and jewellery with countless natural and man-made materials (and numerous other nature connection practices!) since their early 20s.
Ten years ago, when Ingrid and Katie first connected, they were both living on the East Coast of NSW and actively experimenting and weaving with plants from their local area.
They began to share in this process of experimentation and spent thousands of hours developing their unique weaving styles and eco-dye repertoire. They began to specialise in making woven objects such as hats, handbags, backpacks, clothing, lampshades and jewellery. With a drive to replace mass-produced plastic items with bespoke woven objects.
Through this creative process, they made many unique East Coast discoveries with natural dyes on native plants - creating an epic colour range of yellows, pinks, reds, purple, green, blue, black and white.
These personal discoveries are what they now share through their BARE Weaving programs.
Ingrid and Katie are passionate about deeply connecting their workshop participants to the global tradition of women’s weaving. They encourage all participants to explore their unique weaving heritage.
After many years of experimentation, collaboration and teaching there is now a large community of weavers who have been inspired by their knowledge of eco-dyes.
BARE Weaving Founders, Ingird & Katie have always been very willing to share their discoveries at their weaving gatherings. As such, BARE Weaving programs have developed to include an eclectic and collaborative team of weavers from many traditions who are all keen to share in discovering new dyes and modern weaving styles.
These weavers, from around Australia and abroad, are integrating these skills into their unique weaving styles and creating beautiful modern baskets from natural fibres.
These have all embraced the power of directly sourcing their fibres from their local environment, sustainably and with deep respect for the local plant communities.
On the program front, over the past few years, Nikki Penny has stepped in as a regular teacher of the 3 Day, 1 Day and Immersion programs with Ingrid. With Katie still attending the 5 Day and Immersion Programs. All BARE Weaving programs are also actively supported by a committed group of local weavers in the role of volunteers and teacher trainers.
In addition to their journey of replacing mass-produced items with handmade objects from eco-dyed natural fibres, both Ingrid and Katie had the fortune to be adopted into separate Yolngu families who carried a deep ancestral connection to weaving.
For the past 15 years they have shared their love of weaving and many life events with their adopted Yolngu family members from The Rorruwuy & Mäpuru Homelands Communities (N-E Armhem Land, NT)
Due to their extensive connections to various indigenous families Ingrid and Katie, have often supported Master Yolngu weavers to travel to NSW to share their unique weaving tradition with European and First Nations weavers alike.
These programs focus on cultural exchange and weaving with pandanus from the NT. They are usually offered as either 1 Day or 5 Day Retreats in January, with Master Weaver and Senior Law Woman, Roslyn Malngumba Guyula and her daughters in attendance.
Information about these gatherings is shared through the BARE Weaving newsletter and social pages. All funds raised from these programs go towards supporting the expenses of the travelling weavers.
Through Nature Philosophy, Katie also guides women’s groups to visit with her adopted Yolngu family from The Mäpuru Homelands Community, where they learn directly from Yolngu Master Weavers.
These trips are run by the elders from The Mäpuru Homelands Community - who benefit directly from the cultural respect and income these programs bring into the community. These trips also support the continuation of traditional Yolngu livelihoods on their ancestral estates.
You can learn more about these cultural exchange trips here.
In NSW, BARE Weaving actively welcomes First Nations weavers to share and collaborate in their workshops through their First Nations Program.
BARE Weaving programs are regularly attended by First Nations weavers who are keen to share their creativity and collaborate in the discovery process of natural dyes.
The BARE Weaving community envisions a bright future, where all women can find personal empowerment through their unique creative expression and love of weaving.
A world where every woman holds the wisdom to create her own style of eco-dyed bespoke jewellery, handbags, hats and shopping bags!
We welcome inquiries from community groups who are interested in sharing and growing the collective knowledge base of weaving in their local area.
KATIE RYDGE
Weaver, Women’s Mentor, Co-Founder of Nature Philosophy Australia
In my late teens, I began a deep healing journey that called me away from the ‘modern world’ and towards ancient earth wisdom and ancestral skills. Since then, I’ve spent the last 20+ years seeking my own personal healing through feminine mysticism, basketry, survival skills, solo wilderness ceremonies and long immersions in wild places.
I’ve been deeply inspired in life by the magical alchemy of turning raw plant fibres into woven forms, highlighted by natural dyes.
As well as the global nature of these skills, including those I weave with that are from my Irish, Scottish and Armenian ancestry.
Weaving as an art form has always deeply spoken to me about the embodiment of feminine mastery, power and creativity.
As Co-Founder of BARE Weaving, with my soul sister Ingrid, I have been delighted to weave baskets that contain this power and to share the heart of this wisdom with our workshop participants.
INGRID RIVERSTONE
Weaver, Soap Maker, Transpersonal Guide & Mentor
I feel most at home barefoot in the forest. What feeds me is to share the magic/alchemy that happens when human hands and hearts connect with the earth to create, as well as to see how the inner terrain can be transformed by a connection to the outer landscape. As co founder of BARE Weaving I facilitate the weaving at Nature Philosophy programs. I have my BARE Soap creations for sale at most programs and also offer Transpersonal Mentoring Sessions.
I am also currently a Vision Quest Protector and through this work bring my Transpersonal facilitation skills to support women in my community weave their lives back into wholeness.
NIKKI PENNY
BARE Weaving Facilitator & Textiles Queen
Nikki started with us as a BARE Weaving Teacher Trainer and quickly became a phenomenal weaver who took her existing love and knowledge of textiles and dyes deeply into he weaving practice. She has since become one of our regular instructors at our programs.
Nikki’s love of weaving is how she connects to her Irish and West Indian bloodlines and their basketry mastery. It also allows her to honour her Indigenous Australian partner’s ancestry through appreciation, respect and practice of the ancient art form of weaving. Her passion for life and weaving is contagious. We are so lucky to have her as a part of our team.