Courses

Rings on fingers have been around since the beginning of civilization. Egyptian and Greek legend place the wedding ring on the third finger of the left hand, because of a belief that the vein of that finger traveled directly from the heart. The Romans extended this description and called this…

Masonry heaters originated in Northern Europe where winters were cold and fuel wasn’t always plentiful.  The natural response?  Create a wood-fired presence that was at once incredibly efficient and highly attractive, capable of generating abundant heat, and ideal for cooking/baking.  Masonry heaters are built with fire bricks and utilize their…

You eat meat, you love meat, but it is hard to find (and expensive to buy) meats prepared without unnecessary preservatives or from responsibly sourced animals. In this class, you will revisit time-honored skills that have fallen out of daily use and learn important lessons about how meats have been…

Individual breads are fun to make, a pleasure to serve and a joy to eat. We cover a range of cultures with savory Jewish bialys with the filling of sautéed onions and poppyseeds; some salty Scandinavian rye buns called sigteboller that are both crunchy and delicate, and English scones that invite endless…

A chicken crosses the road. A leaf falls in the forest. How do you turn day-to-day events into an engaging narrative? How do you gather and share stories and then use those stories to express ideas in a readable and enjoyable format? Join Dr. Jon Turk, author of 35 books and dozens…

Needle felting is fun and therapeutic...and who doesn’t have a little frustration to work through in a creative and positive way these days? In this virtual class with fiber arts instructor Laura Berlage, we will mail you a kit with all the supplies you need (just bring a scissors), including…

Combine bead embroidery and needle felting to create a unique landscape “painting,” while learning the basics of both in this two-day workshop. Participants will bring a landscape image (photo, magazine image, postcard etc.) to inspire their beaded piece. First, you will create a simple needle-felted wool background fabric. Then, you…

Healing traditions, like all crafts, reflect the landscape and stories of the people who create them. Explore Norse and Sami-inspired herbal medicine in this workshop based around the handcrafting of seven herbal medicines, each tethered to a particular story and made from northern plants. Rooted in her own Nordic ancestry,…

There is something incredibly enticing about the process of combining silk and wool to create a completely new fabric, called Nuno. This isn’t an ancient craft but it has an exciting future because it is such a beautiful and practical material for creating wearable items. Students will learn the basics…

Learn to turn on both power and pole lathes and explore the historical continuum of bowl turning in this unique course offering. Students will move back and forth between the foot-powered pole lathe and modern electric lathe to delve deeply into a study of old world Norwegian ale bowls. This…

Explore the magic of needle felting with a delightful Old World style Kris Kringle and take your colorwork skills to a new level. In the first session of this class, students will learn how to stretch a felt backing onto an embroidery hoop and keep it tight for ease of…

Penny rugs use felted wool scraps to create a textile feast for the eye. Multicolored scraps are arranged in contrasting and complementary colors to create table runners, placemats, and more, making a room come alive with color. Shapes of descending sizes are layered onto a wool background piece and stitched…

We all spend a lot of time sitting so how can we do a better job of it? The key ergonomic feature of a perching stool is the forward sloping seat which rotates your pelvis keeping your back aligned in its natural s-shape. It makes for a comfortable rest at…

Dive into pewter thread braiding with exciting techniques that open windows to all sorts of artistic possibilities. Explore a variety of braiding techniques incorporating leather strips, beads, and silk cord! Create braids for up to four single braid bracelets or two wider bracelets with multiple braids. Students are encouraged to…

Cast a love spell on your beloved this Valentine’s Day! Explore the magic and mystery of ancient Celtic design. Whether you are a beginner or want to expand your pewter thread braiding techniques, try your hand at this Irish pattern inspired by the ornate page borders gracing the famous Book…