Courses

Discover the designs, color, styles, and technique 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. You will design a pair of moccasins to make, choosing from either a baby or…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

For centuries, the circumpolar people have embroidered pewter thread onto wool and leather to embellish clothing, bags, jewelry and other small objects. Learn this technique and develop your own designs with instructor Norma Refsal, who has traveled extensively in Scandinavia and draws inspiration from the Sámi people and their designs.…

Learn the age-old art of being a cordwainer. Using the original patterns designed in the mid-1930s by Paul and Edward Mathews of The Cordwainer Shop, Molly will teach you to hand-stitch and hand-lace your own pair of Cordwainer Classics of the same design worn by Hollywood legends such as Caesar…

If the shoe fits…maybe it’s because you made it yourself! Learn to make the Squire boot with professional shoemaker/cordwainer Molly Grant. Students will choose from an array of colors to make their own leather boots, learning a variety of leatherworking skills along the way, including skiving, folding, glueing, lining, lasting…

Do you have a sewing project that never quite got started or that needs some TLC to get it off the shelf and into your closet? Bring it to North House for our ‘Unfinished Wardrobe’ sewing festival. Enjoy the company of others who love sewing, while making progress on your…