Courses

Discover the designs, color, styles and technique of traditional bead embroidery while crafting moccasins designed for baby feet. Create a gift that will be treasured for years to come (and that will stay on those adorable little feet). Students will design and sew a pair of moccasins using quality tanned…

Minnesota's history is interwoven with the history of hat-making. Europe's hunger for beaver-felt top hats drove the voyageurs into the heart of fur country. Most of the fur traded at Grand Portage eventually became felt hats. There is no softer, warmer or more pliant fiber than fur-felt. We will use…

A blanket coat made from a Hudson Bay-style blanket is an inspiring and distinctive example of style and craft. In this skill-building workshop, students will gain the patterning, fitting, and sewing skills they need to create their own unique blanket coat. Made from new or recycled wool blankets, these coats…

Great fabric lurks in closets, trunks, attics, and thrift shops: learn how to turn garments you don’t wear into a garment you will wear with the help of a pair of scissors, a sewing machine and some creative inclinations. Dig out your mother's wool skirt or the kilt you found…

Up north, there's a saying that there's no bad weather, just the wrong clothes. In this course, you'll outfit your hands to protect them from the elements by designing a comfortable and warm pair of deerskin mittens to wear during the winter months. The mittens are ideal for daily wear,…

A simple pair of hide and canvas mukluks is a joy to wear. A fancy pair trimmed with colorful braid, rick-rack, tassels, pompoms, or strips of fur is something to behold! This course provides an opportunity to create your own pair of hide footwear with enough time for the addition…

Remember the last time your feet were too cold to enjoy wonderful wintry weather? Do away with rigid, non-breathing 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…

Forget about stepping out of bed onto cold floors on wintry mornings; these hand-crafted cozy slippers will keep your feet toasty all year long. Sew your own custom pair of leather slippers, lined with soft fur and finished with non-slip soles to make them perfect house shoes. Leatherworking and shoemaking…

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…

Stylish, cool and durable, these are a far cry from a farmer's straw hat! Craft your own personalized straw hat using millinery parasisal or Panama straw blanks. Over a two day period, you will block and finish at least one straw hat. Starting with a “blank,” finely woven straw that…

Discover the designs, colors, styles, and techniques of traditional bead embroidery as you work with Ojibwe cultural specialist and Grand Portage band member Marcie McIntire, sewing and decorating a pair of moccasins in this course co-sponsored by the Grand Portage National Monument. The course begins with an overview of the…

Discover the textile craft tradition known as nålbinding and explore its Scandinavian roots. As a course project, students choose to create their own pair of mittens, socks, or a syltemjölkskopp – a “milk strainer” cap. Or draw from tradition to inspire a project of your own design in consultation with…

If you’ve ever picked up a rough stone and wondered what’s inside, it’s time to try your hand at the magic of stone cutting! Veteran goldsmith and stone cutter extraordinaire, Michael Seiler, will lead students through the process of cutting, finishing, and polishing a variety of agates—perfect for your next…

Bring a garment that you love - or cannot live without. You will not have to take it apart! You will learn to make a pattern that duplicates the cut, and even adds features such as more pockets or design details. Three techniques for copying patterns from existing garments will…

Learn two different techniques to set your favorite pebbles or cabochons. Students will set one stone in a bezel setting and the second in a prong setting to create a unique two-tier necklace. With time permitting, there will be the option to create a pair of earrings using these new…