Jewel-Like Baskets from Belgium: Jeanny and Jefke (Part 2) 宝石のようなかご/ベルギーよりジェニー・ジェフカさん（後編）

2026/01/31

The woman on the left is Jeanny, and on the right is her son, Jefke.

Jeanny has been weaving willow baskets for around twenty-five years.
She first learned basket making from a book she found in a library, and from there became deeply drawn to willow as a material.
Since then, she has continued her work while seeking what she calls “true craftsmanship.”

She learned ideal methods for cultivating willow and basket weaving techniques
from a basket maker in the Netherlands.
She also says that “many people have helped ignite my passion” along the way.

Jeanny says that her passion for basket making naturally passed on to her son, Jefke, who had been by her side since he was very young, and that this was something she could clearly see.

Jefke made his first basket at the age of five, and by the time he was eleven, he realized that what he truly wanted to make was delicate willow basketry.

Moved by his strong determination,
Jeanny and Jefke decided to train together for two years under a master of fine basket weaving in the Netherlands.

We first met Jeanny and Jefke in the summer of 2023,
when we took part in the World Wicker and Weaving Festival held in Poland.

They were participating in the competition as a mother-and-child team, each demonstrating the making of their own basket.

Jeanny was working on a basket made from willow and oak, while Jefke was making a small, finely woven basket resembling a little pot.

Although they were creating different types of baskets,
it was striking to see how they supported one another— with Jefke helping to prepare the splints used as material—working together in a quiet, cooperative rhythm.

Willow is one of the most representative materials used in European basketry.
The wood is soft and flexible, and for centuries it has been used for a wide range of purposes.

In European basket making, there is a phrase, “from cradle to grave.”
It refers to the idea that everything needed for daily life can be made from natural materials.

Jeanny has truly worked with willow to create baskets for everything from cradles to coffins,
and for all the practical needs that lie in between.

What Jefke is especially known for is his finely detailed basketry.

This delicate work begins by splitting slender willow branches with a metal tool resembling scissors.
He then shaves the splints on a small plane, adjusting their width and thickness with millimeter precision,
before weaving the basket around a wooden mold.

This technique requires an extraordinary amount of time and care, and Jeanny refers to the baskets created in this way as “jewel-like baskets.”

The willow used by Jeanny and Jefke for their basket making is grown almost entirely by themselves.
All harvesting and processing are also done by hand.

They cultivate four varieties of willow that take on warm, natural tones once dried.

One-year-old branches are pruned in winter, after the leaves have fallen.
They are then carefully sorted over several days according to ease of use, thickness, and length,
with each type bundled thoughtfully and precisely.

After that, the willow is placed in a drying room.
Drying after harvest helps stabilize the wood and allows it to contract naturally.

When they begin weaving a basket,
the willow is selected specifically for each piece,
then soaked in water for about two weeks.
Once it has softened sufficiently, the weaving can begin.

Before becoming a basket maker, Jeanny worked as a teacher and as a care coordinator.
In that role, she led teams and traveled together with children who had special needs.

In addition to training as a basket maker,
Jefke also received training as a carpenter,
learning the skills needed to make furniture on his own.

He hopes that one day he will be able to create works that combine basket making and furniture making.