Courses

The graceful curve of the deer antler provides a creative springboard for the emerging folk-art form of antler basketry. In this course students learn to weave stunning rib-style baskets from dyed and natural rattan reed, incorporating a deer antler as the handle or focal point of the design. The project…

Fully experience the craft of making a traditional birch bark basket for the gathering and storage of berries or anything you please. This course includes time focused both on basket making and on material preparation. Day one includes an extended session in the woods to harvest the birch bark in…

In this introduction into plaited basketry, learn about the harvest and process of birch bark, by creating a small pouch out of birch bark. Students will learn the basics of the double diagonal plaited weave pattern and elaborate further by adding a woven bark flap to make a pouch, measuring…

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, handle,…

For those prone to picking plants and wondering what can be made of them as they wander through the forests and fields of this region, both basketry and natural dying offer many possibilities for humble leaves and sticks to become something much more. In this team-taught session, students will learn…

Traditional northern craft meets Don Draper? Fedoras are definitely back in fashion, DIY is all the rage, and in this fun course you can combine them both. Put a northern twist on a southern hat weaving tradition and make a woven cattail hat to protect yourself from the sun during…

In this three day intermediate basketry course, students will take their coiling skills to a new level. Using an innovative mold-method developed by Jean, students will use a variety of easily harvested materials to create a pouch-shaped basket. The use of grasses and needles in coiled baskets has long been…

The northwoods is full of beautiful, colorful material suitable for basketry: you just have to go out there and get it! Willow shoots, birch bark, tamarack bark, and willow bark are just a few of the options out there. In this class we will venture out to a nearby field…

Create a traditional coiled basket from locally harvested red pine needles. Starting with either a pliable birch bark base or an elegant agate base, you will work with a variation of the spiral stitch to form a basket with a distinct spiral pattern inside and out. Samples of pine needles…

Work with locally harvested sweet grass, cattails, and sedges during this two-day class while learning the art of coiling a sweet grass basket. We'll incorporate an elegant agate as a base for the basket. Hands-on instruction provides students with an introduction to the traditions and skills of basket weaving, and…

Most likely you’ve seen this type of weaving done on antique and flea market chairs and always wondered how it was done. In this two-day course you will learn how to weave the rush seat design pattern, which forms four distinct triangular envelope shapes that meet in the center. Students…

Willow has been a prized basket making material for centuries, and after this class, you'll know why. Using traditional European style weaving techniques, students will create a sturdy, beautiful basket using nothing but willow shoots. Strong enough to haul a full load of potatoes, these baskets are made to be…

Simple and elegant, a handmade willow platter is a great way to serve fruits, breads and other foods. Made with locally harvested willow, these trays are held together entirely by tension and include additional woven details as a decorative element.  In this one day course, students will learn several basic…

This is the granddaddy of woven birch bark projects: the beautiful, functional birch bark backpack. The course will begin by harvesting bark in the field learning and practicing sustainable techniques for legal harvest. Students will then use hand tools to prepare their bark strips and then weave them into a…

Birch trees are one of the most versatile trees of the northern forest. From bark to wood to sap, there are abundant uses for this easily-recognizable tree. Discover the sturdiness and the beauty of birch by weaving a medium-sized basket from its bark. In this course, students will learn the…