Courses

Bobbin lace making is one of the traditional forms of making lace. In most lace techniques such as crochet, knitting, tatting and needle lace, a single thread is used to make the lace. Bobbin lace is the only technique that uses multiple threads at one time to create the lace.…

Building a book is like building a a timber frame - the parts are smaller and they do bend easier, but they must all fit together for it to work!  In this introductory bookbinding class, students will bind a 7 x 10 hard-cover, multi-section book, perfect for recording details of…

Side-sewn binding is one solution for binding together single sheet pages. Any number of sheets can be bound, and additional sheets can be added or removed even after the book is bound. Using a sewing machine, and a Dremel drill, students will make two versions of side sewn bindings -…

Boro is a Japanese folk textile with an indiscernible eloquence and aesthetic that was originally created out of necessity, in which small scraps of precious fabric are carefully stitched together to create a larger cloth or repair a garment. In this course students will review a brief history of Boro…

Make the wood chips fly!  This course is for students ready to stand at the chopping block and learn to use classic wooden bowl-carving hand tools – the adze, axe, gouge and push knife.  During this class, topics including selection of wood stock, elements of bowl design, strategies for hand-hewing,…

This course takes students through the step-by-step process of crafting a wooden longbow, wooden-shafted arrow and bow string. To facilitate learning about constructing a traditional bow, students start with a rough-cut stave of hickory. Bows are backed with flax-fiber linen. Arrows include field point and feathers. String is made using…

Commercial liverwurst (braunschweiger) can’t hold a candle to the real thing. Learn to make your own healthful liverwurst out of ingredients that you choose, with flavors that you can adjust. Craig and Dianne Peterson have always enjoyed eating various forms of liver, in gourmet recipes, liver pate and of course,…

Pick up your hammer!  This course is designed for students with little or no building experience who want to build a tiny home, small cabin or workshop. The techniques for building a small frame building are not only for the skilled carpenter; nearly anyone can come away from this course…

There’s that old saying about teaching a man to fish, but this course lets students go a step beyond fishing and build their own fishing rod. We’re not talking sapling, string and safety pin: under the guidance of professional rod builder Kris Kristufek, students will build a technically perfect spin…

Create yourself a comfortable living space: a spare bedroom, office, studio, sauna or whatever else you can dream up.  The 18-foot yurt is an excellent shelter option that provides comfortable living arrangements for all four seasons. Working with skilled yurt builders, you’ll build a simple yurt, complete with a door…

Since at least 300 AD, the birch bark and sod roof has been the most important roof type in Scandinavia for heated homes. The sod both insulates and protects the waterproof bark layer from sunlight and wind. This combination can last 50-70 years before the birch bark needs replacing. The…

The Norwegian countryside is scattered with eye-catching wooden structures with sod roofs, steeped in the history of families making their living in the beautiful but harsh landscape. Reaching back centuries, each structure was designed and constructed for a specific purpose: storing grain, livestock, textiles, or even serving as the wedding…

None of us are getting out of this alive, so we may as well bury ourselves in our work!  Put your hands to work making something truly useful while also building a strong base of woodworking skills. The above-ground applications of your resulting project are numerous – a bookshelf, coffee…

Considering when and where to start on that big cabinet project you want to build and install?  Start here.  Before you jump into a big project, learn the basic techniques, tools and equipment used by both traditional and contemporary cabinet makers.  As a class project, each student builds a pine…

Pockets full of pebbles from the shores of Lake Superior? Ready to turn them into jewelry? Pebble drilling has long been a popular course at North House, but not all pebbles are meant to be drilled. In this three-day class, students will learn several different ways to capture and display…