Courses

Scarves: Many of us don't leave home without them. They are imperative in the winter but they can simply be fashionable.  In this class you will learn the modern wet felting technique called Nuno which creates a durable, elegant and warm material by combining wool with silk or other lightweight…

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…

Rug hooking traces its roots to the northern colonies and Canada, when immigrants utilized textiles on hand to create rugs for their homes. Hooked rugs are made by drawing narrow strips of wool fabric through a background fabric of cotton, linen or burlap with a curved hook much like a…

North House and the north woods are full of inspiring colors and patterns for the quilter. Laura Ricketts has designed a nine block wall-hanging with thematic blocks, as well as a North House central block. This North Woods quilt class will focus on triangles: dealing with bias in fabric and…

Unfortunately, traditional sheepskin blankets with a tanned leather back require that the sheep make the ultimate sacrifice. Yet it doesn't have to be so! Instructor Becky Utecht has developed a modern approach to an age-old craft. Using felting techniques, students in this course will start with an unwashed sheep fleece…

Learn to screen print your own unique designs and dye fabrics, all using natural dyes! Forget depending on textile companies or synthetic dyes—you'll be free to find rebellious color in your local environment, your kitchen, and from natural sources around the world. You won't need a lot of special equipment…

Rug hooking is a textile craft, born out of necessity and the desire to bring beauty and warmth into the home.  Often, using mainly thrifted materials.  In this class, we will use the natural surroundings of the North Shore landscape to design a rug that is uniquely your own.  We…

In Scandinavia, fringes from yarn were traditionally used to embellish the edges of mittens and of woven textiles like tablecloths or cushions. Students will learn three different techniques hands-on: one using a stick and small heddle; a two-person Swedish technique using a wooden rod; and a looping-style technique using a…

Combine wool, soap and water, a felting needle, and agitation, and the sculptural possibilities are endless! This is a day to experiment with the amazing sculptural flexibility of wool and to go beyond the basics. Using a variety of fill or building a wire armature, students create a sculpture of…

There are so many functional things you can sew! Spend a weekend helping us with a few projects around North House; from canvas covers that will adorn the Hjordis dock and protect her hull, to seat cushions and curtains to spruce up classrooms, you’ll get to make a mark on…

It works! Sew your own Scandinavian work shirt, designed for comfort and for your favorite outdoor activities. Learn a lifelong skill while creating a shirt you will love to wear. Traditional shirts in the Scandinavian countries are great for layering and designed for outdoor life. Natural fiber striped fabrics of…

The idea of slöjd—using natural materials, simple tools, and your innate creativity to craft the things you need and use every day—applies just as much to cloth as it does to wood! In this course we'll build skills for sewing slöjd as you make a kit to hold your essential…

The classic Saxony-style spinning wheel was invented over 500 years ago, and is still a symbol of the “olden days.” Although the spinning wheel is no longer a household necessity for the production of the family’s clothing, many crafters, knitters, and fiber artists find great satisfaction in spinning their own…

Feel the presence of your ancestors as you experience spinning flax—one of the most ancient and elegant of all fibers. When spun, flax magically becomes the linen yarn we revere for exquisite weaving and knitting. The instructor—fiber artist and author, Wendy J. Johnson—will discuss how flax and other bast fibers…

Woven tapestries are said to bring the northern landscape alive through geometric, curved, representational or abstract images. Using the North Shore landscape as inspiration, you'll explore this colorful craft and create a landscape tapestry of your own. In this three-day class, you will assemble and warp a frame, then weave…