Courses

The sweater your mom made you years ago; the one you found at Goodwill but is way too small; the one you are tired of wearing; the one you accidently washed on a hot wash--any of these felted and cut and sewn together can be made into a beautiful skirt,…

Rosemaling means "rose painting" in Norwegian, and is done in many styles reflective of specific regions in Norway. The Os region in western coastal Norway is known for its fanciful flowers and bright colors, making it quite different from many of the other styles of rosemaling. In this course you'll…

Rosemaling means "rose painting" in Norwegian, and the Telemark region in southeastern Norway is known for the classic look of its painting with asymmetrical scrolls and varied placement of leaves and flowers. In this course you'll study and practice basic techniques of this traditional decorative painting style. Students will begin…

Spring Green! Welcome this fresh new season with the early harvest — tender greens, delicate spruce tips, fiddleheads garlic scapes, ramps, morels, radishes, tender lettuces, and herbs. Here’s how to forage and harvest the season’s gifts: Spring Greens with Herbed Chèvre and Spruce Tip Vinaigrette, Spinach, Ramp, and Gruyere Tart;…

For centuries, the circum-polar people have embroidered pewter thread onto wool and leather to embellish clothing, bags, jewelry and other small objects. Learn this technique and develop your own designs with instructor Norma Refsal, who has traveled extensively in Scandinavia and draws inspiration from the Saami people and their designs.…

The serene and dramatic landscape of northern Scandinavia is the land of the midnight sun, the northern lights and the Saami, a nomadic tribal group that follows the migration of the reindeer. Traditional Saami adornment incorporated elements of their northern landscape – softened reindeer leather and sculpted antler. In this…

Join us for an adventurous sail training expedition from Grand Marais to Knife River, MN, along Minnesota’s north shore. Potentially rigorous sailing on open water is to be expected. Each night we will stay at an all-weather anchorage along the Minnesota North Shore such as Taconite Harbor and Silver Bay.…

Ask anyone who has sailed far and wide and they will tell you the Canadian North Shore of Lake Superior is some of the best wilderness sailing in the world. The water is cold, clear and clean; the anchorages are amazingly beautiful, plentiful and incredibly secure. Add of that, only…

The Sámi are Scandinavia’s only UN-recognized indigenous people, and have a culture rich with fiber traditions. In Sámi Knitted Mitten Techniques, students will be introduced to Sami mittens and four characteristics which set them apart: cuffs, thumbs, decreases and braids (with or without tassels). We will create a sample swatch…

It's the summer season and time for a course to enable the grill master in all of us to make our own sausages for the BBQ.  Designed to teach you how to make several kinds of sausage for those easy summer meals--from andouille to Polish.  You will learn to grind,…

Don't expect to sit idly by in this class; instructor Kim Hendrickson has every minute filled with different kinds of pastry, cake and cookies for you to make. We will delve into "quick" cakes and layer cakes, yeast dough creations and learn how to make a Scandinavian braided bread filled…

Another appropriate name for this course could simply be: “Let’s Keep Carving!”  It is an inspiring immersion for students with prior carving experience, including seasoned figure carvers, as well as new-to-carving folks who have just completed the three-day Scandinavian Style Figure Carving course. Need some inspiration or a few new…

This course provides beginning carvers with the opportunity to carve several figures in the Scandinavian flat-plane style. Beginning with tool sharpening, the course provides hands-on carving experience as you complete a figure in step-by-step fashion. You will then paint the figures and apply a final oil finish. After this initial…

A handy set of canvas tool pouches is something anyone can make and use! Sew a set of two graduated, lined tool pouches that you can use to corral things like knitting notions, carving tools, or sketchbooks and pens. This course provides an opportunity for those new to the sewing…

Reports from new parents suggest that a pair of handmade, deerhide booties make a great baby gift: not only do they stay on those tiny feet, but they are awfully cute as well. Join instructor Jo Wood for a half day workshop to learn to the process for cutting and…