Courses

Without question, the Adirondack chair is a timeless classic - its high back, large armrests, and contoured seat and back are unmistakable. For many, the Adirondack chair defines the ideal deck or lawn chair for a well-deserved break. This course is the perfect opportunity for you to learn and expand…

Please note this is an Online Course. Get festive with Scandinavian Folk Painting on a wooden Dala horse plaque. Kim has designed a new holiday-themed Dala horse that will give painters with some painting/rosemaling experience a chance to practice skills. We'll gather on Zoom to paint together over a Friday…

Make your own sausage flavored the way you like it using your favorite meats. As a class, we will make and take home 4 to 5 kinds of sausage of your choosing from a list of about 10 varieties. These will be fresh, non-smoked, non-cured sausages like bratwurst, breakfast sausage,…

Discover the designs, color, styles and technique of traditional bead embroidery while crafting moccasins designed for baby feet. Create a gift that will be treasured for years to come (and that will stay on those adorable little feet). Students will design and sew a pair of moccasins using quality tanned…

Lace-up your baking shoes and get ready for an artisan breads baking marathon. Combining the skills of our popular Artisan Breads I and II courses, this two-and-a-half-day intensive course allows students to dig deep into hand-crafted, long-fermented, and hot-hearth baked breads. We’ll explore pre-ferments and a long cool rise to…

Cranks wind, gears turn, dragons chomp, and birds fly. Welcome to the whimsical world of automata: simple wooden machines that delight and amaze. Join Cecilia Schiller for a four-day exploration of the art of making wooden machines and the mechanisms that make things move. Starting with the design process in…

We will welcome esteemed woodcarver and instructor Mary May as our Featured Instructor for Wood Week 2022. In this course, Mary will teach a variety of relief carving techniques, beginning with basic shell and floral motifs. She will discuss how to work with the grain and address issues that arise…

Learn the planning, layout, and joinery necessary to construct a traditional timber frame (post and beam) structure, such as North House's blacksmith shop, bread oven shelter, fish house classroom, and other structures around campus. The course begins with the basic mortise and tenon joint, and then expands on these techniques…

Discover the historical craft of hand carding and spinning on a spinning wheel. Beginning spinsters will strive to “get the feel” for the simple act of creating consistent yarn. Those with some prior experience will work to improve their techniques. Class will include ample time for discussions of many topics,…

We know that butter makes it better. But which butter? And what’s behind the magic? We’ll explore the wonders of lamination and see how only a few folds of butter and dough result in dozens of flaky layers. Croissants will be the main attraction, as we make both the classic…

Birch bark holds a multitude of uses, and has been widely used across the world wherever birch trees have grown for much longer than anyone can remember. Even now, it is a common material for making useful things that utilize the locally available materials. What can be done with birch…

From birds to beads, there are so many possibilities when it comes to birch bark. Join accomplished weavers Jack and Julie to learn to weave a variety of small projects, including garlands and a three dimensional star and more. Learn about the ecology of this iconic northern tree and leave…

This course will introduce students to the world of bird carving. This is a great class for beginners and experienced carvers alike. We will focus on song birds commonly found in the sub-boreal forest of the Lake Superior region. Of course, each bird is different but the general form, anatomy,…

The black ash pack basket: It's beautiful, highly functional, and can be made using simple materials. The first part of the class will be spent preparing black ash splint for your basket by pounding a locally harvested log. Next, you'll weave the basket and finish it with a rim, and…

This class will demystify the traditional practice of boat lofting and help students general skills at reading and understanding boat plans. Boatbuilding requires the brain to break down complex three-dimensional shapes into two-dimensional representations of shapes through a traditional pattern-making technique called lofting. In this class, we will work as…