Courses

When northern European emigrants came to North America they brought with them a host of crafts and skills necessary for survival in their new world. The basketry tradition known as ‘stake & strand’ was one such craft, as baskets were used to store nearly everything around the homestead. Learning to…

Thanksgiving is around the bend, and your cranberries deserve much more than just being cooked into a sauce, or worse, being scooped from a can.  Join Chef Graden to learn how to infuse fresh and dried cranberries into a wide variety of foods that can grace your Thanksgiving table, or…

Bring your old worn clothes and textiles, and leave with them repaired and looking better than ever! Everyone is welcome in this course, from beginners who have never sewn a stitch before to experienced fiber artists looking for more ways to add unique touches and extend the life of their…

A pair of sandals that fits just right is a highly prized possession—and all the better if they are attractive and one-of-a-kind. Create a pair of custom hand-stitched leather sandals to enjoy for years to come. Students will sketch ideas and discuss execution, working from a few basic designs the…

Combining blacksmithing and jewelry-making, this course offers an opportunity for beginning and advanced students of any interest to develop their skills as they forge and craft a Damascus ring with a silver liner. Students will begin by forging a piece of damascus steel, a particularly beautiful and ornamental steel filled…

Highly prized for centuries for its uncanny strength, ability to hold an edge and distinctively beautiful swirling and flowing patterns, Damascus steel is art: forge welding at its finest as you combine different types of steel, forge them through fire and hammer into one solid billet. Like a baker uses…

Up north, there's a saying that there's no bad weather, just the wrong clothes. Outfit yourself with the right sort of clothing to protect your body from the elements in this course, in which you will design a comfortable and warm pair of deerskin mittens to wear during the winter…

This little antler tray basket is perfect for holding your loose change, trinkets, or to hold your mail. It can also be hung on the wall as an art piece. Students will be weaving on a pre-set round rattan reed framework, which incorporates two pre-drilled antlers. The weaving material is…

Woodworkers know the value of a tool box, but craftspeople from knitters to carvers to cooks will find plenty of use for a sturdy tote in which to carry the tools and materials of their trade. In this course, we’ll build a dovetailed pine tool tote with a center divider…

For thousands of years in Europe, the only way to create blue textiles was to use the now little-known dye plant woad. From the wraps found in ancient Egyptian tombs to the clothing buried in the Oseberg Viking Ship in 834 AD to the 16th century mansions of merchants who…

Berry or custard, savory or sweet, in a tin or on a cookie sheet, pies offer endless possibilities. Discover why this versatile dish has been around since the ancient Egyptians (and other fun pie trivia). We’ll learn how to turn butter, lard, flour and water into a flakey crust, get…

Travel across Europe from the comfort of your own kitchen in this intensive, hands-on one-day exploration of beloved ethnic pastries. We’ll make a classic Danish pastry, a German kasekuchen or cheesecake, and French arlettes, also known as elephant ears. We’ll use the commercial ovens in the North House teaching kitchen,…

A summer in the garden can be enhanced with some creative woodworking. In this 2 day course we will create some of the common objects that get used in flower and vegetable gardens, making them ourselves using simple tools and re-purposed sticks, branches, or inexpensive split cedar. Students will be…

Make a sweet little firewood/kindling carrier from three pieces of firewood, straight from the woodpile. We will cut, split and shape using hand tools, and refine our skills with a carving knife for the joints and smaller details. A fourth piece of wood will be split up to load the…

Remember the last time your feet were too cold to enjoy wonderful wintry weather? Do away with rigid unbreathable footwear and discover the traditional footwear of the north: mukluks. The flexibility of the natural materials used in construction allows the foot to generate heat, and a breathable layering system allows…