Whale Tail Weaving Reimagines a Nantucket Tradition

Portrait by Joyelle West

Family heirlooms come in all shapes and sizes—as do the passions our parents pass down to us. Sometimes, if we embrace those interests, they become our own and inspire us in innovative, new ways. That’s the impetus behind Whale Tail Weaving, a company founded by Bridget Wiatrowski, who was propelled by her mother’s passion for weaving Nantucket Lightship Baskets into creating an alluring line of contemporary accessories.

Wiatrowski was drawn to the craft after watching her mother weave with a group of women on Cape Cod during her childhood. Since winters there were very quiet, she believes these “Basket Ladies” sessions (as Wiatrowski calls them) helped her mother’s community stay connected. “That’s so important, especially for women and moms. It was always a bit of a fascination for us kids because it was her thing.” But, of course, it wasn’t hers and the “Basket Ladies” alone.

In fact, the Nantucket Lightship Basket tradition, which hails from the early to mid-1800s, was originally an activity of sailors who doubled as whalers on Nantucket and manned lightships that served as mobile navigation stations. Because both jobs experienced significant downtime, crew members took to weaving rattan and wood baskets and carving whale bones. The items they created became heirlooms passed down through families—along with the handcrafted traditional techniques.

This sampling of stack-and-save bracelets is a popular staple among customers and is designed to make a signature statement for all who wear them. / Photo by Emily Elizabeth Photography

At Whale Tail Weaving, founder Bridget Wiatrowski has reworked the tradition of weaving Nantucket Lightship Baskets into a contemporary accessories line that includes Single Stave Earrings and the (Nautically) Charmed Cabin Boy Bangle. / Photo by Lydia Leclair Photography

The (Nautically) Charmed Cabin Boy Bangle. / Photo by The Aneris Collective

Fast-forward to the present day and Wiatrowski details how weaving returned to her. “I came to weaving in adulthood, and it flows with my own personal story,” she says. “I got married and became a stepmom overnight, and after living in a city with a management consulting job, I moved to the suburbs. Weaving helped me through that.” After transitioning out of her office job, she launched Whale Tail Weaving. “What I love about the baskets is that they are so traditional and fixed, but I also felt they didn’t totally fit into my own life as a product—outside of a beautiful display,” says Wiatrowski, who lives in Winchester. It was this realization that led to the development of a collection that includes bracelets, earrings, rings, necklaces, key chains, and, new this year, leather purses.

Working with a team of weavers and sourcing rattan from Southeast Asia, where it’s grown, Wiatrowski says she always has an idea for a product before she begins and finds inspiration in doing something new—as well as in her children. “I love how kids have a million key chains on their backpacks. That inspired me to make a few small baskets that I put on my own purses,” she says. Overall, Wiatrowski is interested in keeping the Nantucket Lightship Basket tradition alive by making it modern, as evidenced by her recent work with leather. “That’s what I’ve been having fun with lately. I’m working on building the material use out into a more cohesive collection,” she says. “Adding leather into the mix is an example of that. It’s not the wooden basket you have to keep on your mantel.”

Of course, Wiatrowski still makes the original product, and she says the process is meditative as well as a true challenge. “I feel the baskets are very technical; believe it or not, they create a real mind-bender when you’re trying to work through them.”

Portrait by Joyelle West