Workshops
Classes are from 2021
Birch Bark Bead Necklace with Beth Homa Kraus
Enjoy the many colors that come from the beautiful birch tree by splitting into the layers of bark and weaving darling beads. Master the three-fold and four-fold bead pattern by making a couple dozen beads during class. You will also learn how to make a birch-bark cube. Kits that include flex wire, copper snap closures, crimps, and a variety of colorful glass beads will be available for you to string up your birch-bark-beaded necklace. There is a $20 materials fee that is included in your registration.
This class is offered as a half day course in the morning or afternoon.
Kolrosing with Chelsea Bowen
Kolrosing is an ancient art form practiced by the peoples of Scandinavia. It was used to add embellishments to handcrafted wares and traditionally, a pattern was incised into wood, antler, bone, and then a darkening agent like coal, ash, or bark was used to highlight the design. In this class, students will learn the history of kolrosing, and try their hand at the very techniques used more than 1,000 years ago. Students will experiment with different types of darkening agents like coffee, bark, ashes, and spices, while discovering traditional geometric patterns as well as their own freehand patterns.
Tools: Speciality kolrosing knives and practice wood will be provided, but students may bring their favorite craft knife, or purchase a kolrosing knife ahead of time here.
Materials: $15/student covers practice materials and one final project: a wooden plaque or hand carved butter spreader. Students are also encouraged to bring wooden items that they are comfortable experimenting with. Wooden spoons, bowls, knives, and frames make great kolrosing canvases - bonus if you carved it yourself!
Spoon Carving with Jess Hirsch
Learn how to carve a spoon from a fresh cut tree using traditional Nordic carving techniques. We cover tree anatomy, axing out a blank (roughed out spoon shape), knife holds for the hook & sloyd knife, drying, and finishing. This class is great for the beginner or the person wanting to learn Sloyd style carving. All tools, materials, a finishing kit, and safety gloves are provided to use during class. Please wear pants and close toed shoes. $15 material fee is included in the registration.
This class is offered as a half day class, morning or afternoon.
Drop Spindle Basics with Josie Cooke
The drop spindle, predecessor to the spinning wheel, is estimated to predate written history. This technologically simple, easily portable device is used to twist fiber (wool, fur, plant, silk, etc) into yarn for use as cordage, for knitting, or in weaving. The effect this had on the shaping of our history cannot be overestimated; spun fiber can be found from clothing and bedding to shelter, bridges and boats.
In this class students will get a chance to experience top and bottom whorl spindles as well as Turkish style spindles to make yarn. We will work through the park-and-draft, supported spindle, and drop spindle techniques. Further processing yarn on a spinning wheel, yarn swift, and ball winder will be demonstrated, as well as their primitive/tool free alternatives. Whether you’re interested in reaching back to a connection with the past, connecting with a modern meditative craft, or producing modern marvels in fiber creations, this is a great place to start.
Material Fee: $15
Book Binding for Beginners with Skyler Hawkins
Do you want to bind your own journals and notebooks, but don’t know where to start? In this class you will be introduced to a few different non-adhesive bookbinding techniques and leave with a few of your own books. We will go over tools, materials, making templates, binding and prepare you to continue your bookbinding at home.
Materials fee for this class is $10. All tools and materials are provided by the instructor, but if you have a special paper that you’d like to incorporate, feel free to bring it with you and we can see if it will work for these bookbinding styles.
This class is offered as a half day class, morning or afternoon.
Intro to Woodblock Printmaking with Jessie Merriam
Students will learn the basics of Western-style block carving and printing with tools that translate to other kinds of wood carving and printmaking. We will learn about how to think in relief (carving around the lines/areas to be printed, and the mirror-image effect of printing), adapting your design to wood and utilizing grain, how to transfer designs to a block, the techniques and different effects of the five basic carving tools, and the different possibilities for inking and materials when printing the block. We will print in black, but go over how to add color to a print. Resources will be available for further projects with your block and other simple materials.
To maximize our time together, please bring some 4x6 sketches or prepare a 4x6 design (landscape or portrait) for your block in advance. The double-sided block can be carved on both sides, if you want to bring multiple ideas. A pencil drawing can be transferred to your block and we can start carving together sooner! Printing is in black and white, so shading must be conveyed by the use of line or texture. Your design on paper will be in the same orientation as the final print due to the image transfer technique; so all lettering can be standard orientation.
Course materials include:
1 set of 5 carving tools. 1 brayer (ink roller). Water-soluble black block printing ink. 1 4x6 block of shina plywood (double sided), 1 small testing block for practice. Newsprint for proofing and acid-free printmaking paper of various types (Japanese and cotton, including cardstock). Barrens/wooden spoons for printing. Materials fee is $10 per student.
Wild Clays, Wheels, and Tools with JD Jorgenson
(Studio visit with John Schellinger)
In this workshop, join JD Jorgenson for an exciting collaboration between wild clays, pottery wheels and tools. Designed to add to your technical vocabulary, explore a range of approaches for forming ceramic objects on electric and Karatsu style kick wheels. This half day class focuses on making objects with different techniques, throwing, coiling, pinching, casting. Surface processes include stamping, inlay, and slip work which emphasizes experimentation and finding unique expressions in wild clay. Participants will use a sampling of wild clays during the workshop. There will also be a field trip to the studio of artist John Schellinger who is a self taught boat builder, woodworker and Korean/Japanese pottery kick wheel maker (right next door to the folk school!).
Workshop includes clay, bisque and glaze firing. Materials fee of $20 is included in the registration sign up.
Introduction to Casting with Pewter with Shane Mahon
In this exciting class, You’ll learn how to work molten metal. You’ll learn basic concepts, make molds, pour and cast. Possibilities include buttons, drawer pulls, pendants, ornaments, small sculptures, and more. Because modern pewter is lead-free, the objects you create can be functional and safe. You’ll leave with several finished pieces and a kit to continue casting at home.
Material Cost: $25 (included in the registration)
Materials Include:
¼ pound Lead Free Pewter*
Casting Sand
Sand Casting Frame
Easy Mold Silicone Putty
and more!
