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Mini-Courses
Sat, Jun 15, 2019 – Marcie McIntire - Leather Bag
Sat, Jun 29, 2019 – Cheryl Larsen - Decorative Needle Case
Sat, Jul 6, 2019 – Oz Grinager - Joinery 101
Sat, Jul 13, 2019 – Josh Tolkan - Making a round shaft/handle
Sat, Jul 20, 2019 – Jess Hirsch - Natural Dyes on Wood
Sat, Jul 27, 2019 – Julie Kean - Make a Birch Bark Star
Sat, Aug 3, 2019 – Beth Homa Kraus - Make a Birch Bark Star
Sat, Aug 10, 2019 – Mary Logue - Rug Hook the Rings of an Agate
Sat, Aug 17, 2019 – Candace LaCosse - Hand-Stitched Leather Card Holder
Sat, Aug 24, 2019 – Elise Kyllo - Needle and Wet Felt a Finger Puppet
Sat, Aug 31, 2019 – Anna Ruhland - Tapestry Weaving on the Shore
Sat, Sep 7, 2019 – Tasha Miller Griffith - Spin and Dye Magic

Program Overview

Take a mini course with one of our instructors in residence! These 2-hour classes make a great introduction to a new craft, or a fun opportunity to spend a couple hours doing something you already love.

The instructors will be demoing all weekend with the mini courses offered on Saturdays at 10am. 
$20/person or $30 per adult/child pair. 
Registration required, stop by or call us at 218-387-9762.

Leather Bag - Saturday, June 15th

with Marcie McIntire

Make a leather bag! A kit will be provided with beadwork and leather lacing.

Minimum age: 12
Materials fee: $10

Decorative Needle Case - Saturday, June 29th

with Cheryl Larsen

Participants can assemble a small cloth needle case used for storing sewing needles. The process will include decorating the front of the needle case from a choice of different kinds of embellishment techniques, then sewing the front and back pieces together. Ties and a button can also be added for a closure.

Minimum age: 8 with adult
Materials fee: $8

Joinery 101 - Saturday, July 6th

with Oz Grinager

We will use hand tools to make a mortise and tenon sharpening stone holder. This will be a good introduction to joinery and woodworking hand tools.

Minimum age: 16
Materials fee: $10

Making a Round Shaft/Handle - Saturday, July 13th

with Josh Tolkan

Students will use hand tools to turn a square piece of wood into a 16 sided piece and then scrape it round. This is how paddle shafts are made, but the finished piece would also make a wonderful broom, rake or shovel handle.

Minimum age: 8
Materials fee: $5

Natural Dyes on Wood - Saturday, July 20th

with Jess Hirsch

Learn how to color wood using natural dyes. Using turmeric, indigo, and native plants we will experiment on wooden beads. Feel free to bring your own raw wood objects.

Minimum age: 8 with adult
Materials fee: $10

Make a Birch Bark Star - Saturday, July 27th

with Julie Kean

Weave a decorative star from strips of birch bark. We will make the basic star to decorate for use on your holiday tree.

Minimum age: 8
Materials fee: $5

Make a Birch Bark Star - Saturday, August 3rd

with Beth Homa Kraus

Get your hands on fresh birch bark while learning about how the materials are locally and sustainably harvested. Each student will fold and weave one birch bark star ornament to take home.

Minimum age: 8
Materials fee: $10

Rug Hook the Rings of an Agate - Saturday, August 10th

with Mary Logue

The north shore is a wonderful place to go rock hunting. Why not bring home an agate that you've made yourself?! In this short class you will be given a wooden hoop filled with fabric you can hook through and a basket of cut strips to use and create an agate with all its swirling lines.

Minimum age: 8 with adult
Materials fee: $8

Hand-Stitched Leather Card Holder - Saturday, August 17th

with Candace LaCosse

Learn how to hand stitch your own 100% leather wallet.

Minimum age: 8 with adult
Materials fee: $20

Needle and Wet Felt a Finger Puppet - Saturday, August 24th

with Elise Kyllo

Get creative with wool and create a finger puppet character while learning the basics skills of needle felting and wet felting. This class isn’t just for kids!

Minimum age: 8
Materials fee: $5

Tapestry Weaving on the Shore - Saturday, August 31st

with Anna Ruhland

With the beauty of Lake Superior and the forest surrounding us, we will let the colors of the natural world inspire us to create a miniature landscape weaving. In this course you will learn the basics of tapestry weaving as well as various decorative techniques so that you can take home a North Shore woven coaster or small wall hanging of your own.

Minimum age: 13
Materials fee: $10 - $20

Spin and Dye Magic - Saturday, September 7th

with Tasha Miller Griffith

Try out spinning—the ancient and essential skill of making yarn from fuzzy wool fibers. As if that wasn't enough magic, then we'll dip your new yarn in a vat of indigo dye, and watch it change from green to blue in the air before your eyes!

Minimum age: 8 with adult
Materials fee: $5

More Programs

We offer a broad array of programs for all ages! See all our programs here.

Looking for programs on a specific date? See our program calendar.

Explore our full range of immersive course offerings for the full craft experience.

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Our Build With Purpose program aims to put student-built timber frames in communities across the region.