Mollie McMillen

02/09/2026

22/08/2026

We are OPEN!! For Hampshire Open Studios 2026 we will be open 10- 4 everyday until the 41st August.

Both Nick McMillen and myself are happy to welcome you for a studio nosey.
Nick is delighted to share the original of his monumental Queen Elizabeth Oak, a drawing of love and attention which took 5 months to complete. Do take this chance to see the original before it is whisked away to new pastures.
In addition, he has a wide range of stunning prints and cards to suit the budget.

I am sharing a wide selection of woven interiors, lampshades and vessels.
We look forward to seeing you here.

Hurst Barns, Hurst Lane, Privett, GU34 3PL

Mollie & Nick

16/08/2026

Three blissful days with wonderful humans. The team CIVIC SQUARE and are phenomenal, delivering the most inspirational and hopeful work, deeply embedded in the Birmingham community.

My part of the bigger picture was to encourage conversation and exploration of plant materials we might choose to grow in our gardens, forage in our local landscape and what we might craft with them.
Living among green nature is so beneficial to us and provides a wonderful array of opportunities in materials.
From a plaited rush belt, willow trivets and coasters to plans of fencing, raised beds and living willow, it was 3 days of weaving worship!

Thank you to everyone who supported, welcomed, joined, encouraged, laughed, setup, packed up, fed, watered, sheltered, wove, stitched, twinned, twisted, and used their hands to make magic with plants.
Until next time friends 🧡

14/08/2026

Very excited to be here in the heart of Birmingham to work with CIVIC SQUARE being part of an open enquiry Ground Lab. The team are coming together to deliver workshops aimed to inspire and encourage discussion on how we design, construct and steward our homes, streets and neighbourhoods in relation to the ground as a living strurcture.

In my workshops we will be focusing on plants we can grown in our gardens for many purposes, including the weaving of objects of whimsy and use, but also structure integral to the gardens overall design and purpose.

16/07/2026

Blending bark and rods.
I loved using willow bark in the Koboko weave for these willow baskets.
I was asked to make these baskets for the Worshipful Co Basketmakers to present as gifts at their annual Trade Dinner.
I was more than pleased to discover that one of them was being presented to Professor Mark Nesbitt. Mark is a senior research leader at Kew and among many other responsibilities, looks after the extensive collection of baskets and plant based artifacts from around the world.

It was one of those mysterious, life affirming circular moments as Nick and I had met Mark many years ago when we were just starting out in the early days of our bark weaving journey. So it was a pleasure to have woven a barky basket for him.

Mark has also just published, along with Ruth Stungo a magnificent book;
Weaving Nature: basketry from plants to people, charting the last 200 years of the Kew collection. Well worth the investment in this detailed and fascinating book.

I was also very happy to see Eddie Eddie Glew being presented with the Outstanding Contribution Award.  So well deserved for his all round basketry fabulousness, sharp edges, knowledge sharing, and the inspired conception of the Tear Up - Willow & Fibre Festival
Congratulations Eddie and lovely to see you and your good wife 😀

04/07/2026

There was a lot of joy, sunshine, companionship, knowledge sharing, plant gratitude, nature thankfulness, cathartic weaving and a little bit of bantom appreciation on my Focus on Fibres course.

We had the privilege of spending three days in my garden, getting to know each other and a variety of fabulous, generous plants.
There was much sniffing of fibres, sounds of satisfaction, comparison of textures, strength and versatility of humble leaves.

I am itching to weave now, having witnessed the wonderfully creative vessels which have emerged from their makers hands over the last few days...

Thank you to all who came, your company, creativity and openness was very welcome.
See you again 😊

28/06/2026

A symbol of landscape and woven memories for neighbours who are on the move to new pastures.

This was a very organic commission in which I worked closely with the recipient. She was not sure what she wanted, but was clear about what she didn't. Lots of chatting and getting to know each other led me to base the work on rolling landscapes from the south to the northern tip of our country.
Trees and the ocean hold happy memories of holidays for the family, this also helped me work the undulating shapes and develop the overall feeling of this piece.

Woven in Flanders red willow, iris and crocosmia leaves.

16/06/2026

It was all sharp corners and angles last week on my Square Trug course. These ladies bought the humour, softness and determination to ace it with their fabulous baskets.
It is always a special course when the group gels and enjoys each other's company, and this was one of them!
Happy weaving days 💚

I also teach bespoke courses, so if you're keen to make this basket, I take a minimum of 3 friends, max of 5.
Just get in touch with me directly and we can make a date!

09/06/2026

A pair of lampshades designed to hang together over a family dinning table.
Made from brittany green willow from Somerset, willow bark from our garden and a trim of oats from local fields.

An absolute joy to make for a beautiful couple of humans.

My next lampshade design on the table is for low ceilings...who else has low ceilings? We do in our home, so it's about time I did something about it!

04/06/2026

Dandelions and Daffs...
It was a few weeks ago I started my dandelion harvest. There were still some bluebells and stitchwort in the hedgerows and the dandelions were everywhere I looked.
I tried to only harvest the tallest stems which had already let the wind distribute their seeds. The stems were squeaky and soft in my hands and slightly sticky with the bitter smell of their sap drifting to my nose.

They have now all dried to soft pink and greens tones, ready for weaving up some sweet little projects.

These daffodils I harvested this morning.
It was a new observation that after all the leaves of the plants have shrivelled and faded, the stems offer themselves for harvesting! They were either still standing tall or showed themselves lying of the grass with a bright yellow colour.
Such a quick way to harvest without any fear of disturbing the flowering plants.

These stems will be part of my offering to students on my Focus on Fibres course in July; and to the basket mad folks .fest on the weekend workshops.