Learn to weave on a floor loom. With instruction and hands on experience, you will perform each step of the process - winding a warp, dressing a loom, and weaving a cotton towel to take home and use for years to come.
The Adirondack Style is unique. It combines traditional furniture making with the materials found in this region: birch bark, twigs, logs and more. Found in the earliest Great Camps of our region, the skilled craftsmen who made this unique furniture were inspired by the world around them. In this class you will be guided from start to finish: from the selection of the materials and their preparation, to the joinery required, as well as the aesthetics that will help you make a fine end table suitable for your Great Camp or home.
Learn to weave on a floor loom. With instruction and hands on experience, you will perform each step of the process - winding a warp, dressing a loom, and weaving a cotton towel to take home and use for years to come.
Learn to weave on a floor loom. With instruction and hands on experience, you will perform each step of the process - winding a warp, dressing a loom, and weaving a cotton towel to take home and use for years to come.
Explore the many ways that you can use silver in a metal clay formulation to create jewelry designs of your own. The newest way of working with silver is metal clay which can be shaped like clay to produce uniquely textured surfaces, resulting in durable beautiful silver jewelry. Students will learn metal clay working techniques and make pendants, earrings, charms and rings. Fresh leaves will also be used to create a silver piece of nature. The class will also cover techniques for setting and firing stones directly in metal clay. Each student will leave with at least four finished pieces of jewelry. No previous experience necessary.
Learn to weave on a floor loom. With instruction and hands on experience, you will perform each step of the process - winding a warp, dressing a loom, and weaving a cotton towel to take home and use for years to come.
Alex is known in the woodland indian culture and historical programs for making all of his own traditional attire, including moccasins, and will instruct the class in the art of traditional eastern woodland Indian moccasin making. With his instruction, each student will make their own pair of center seam-pucker toe leather moccasins; these were the most common among the eastern woodland tribes. Students will be using deer hide leather and awls to make primitive, traditional eastern woodland moccasins.
Create an Adirondack inspired bracelet using Garnet gemstones finished with a clasp styled to represent the mountains and the stillness of the Adirondack night sky. We will be hand sewing.
This copper ornament class will allow you to make your choice of 2 of the 3 items advertised. The process will have you cutting out the pieces, forming and texturing on an anvil. You will also be using a small torch as part of the texturing process, and soldering. The maple leaf ornament will have a "glass drop" soldered into the center. The mushroom can be used to hold your jewelry, earrings, and rings. The cap can be lifted off to slide rings on the stem. The stem is epoxied to a piece of bluestone serving as the base. The fern is a wall ornament that can be hung or laid in a windowsill. The fern is 10 inches tall, the maple leaf is 5 inches by 5 inches and the mushroom is 5 inches tall.
In this series of classes, a new quilt block will be introduced each month along with the techniques used to cut, piece, and construct the quilt block. Color is an important component to block and quilt design. Examples will be presented for each block to help you create a quilt that is pleasing to your personal color and style. Each offering can stand on its own, so take one, a few or all five! Students should have some basic knowledge of sewing prior to taking this class.
May 14: Log Cabin Quilt Block – A nice beginner block to practice the mastery of the ¼” seam and the skill of squaring off the block as it builds in size. The technique to sandwich the quilt layers will be taught as well as completing the quilt with a bias binding. Students will use their blocks to create placemats.
June 11: Four Patch Star Quilt Block – This is a well-known traditional block with many variations. We will look at the variations and dream of future quilting possibilities. Students will learn several methods to cut and sew half square and quarter triangles; the building block for an endless variety of quilt blocks. Sewing techniques will be shared and practiced to create the points of the star. You will also learn how to complete a pillow with or without a zipper.
July 9: Traditional Basket Block – This is another traditional block that will use the skills taught in the Four Patch Star Block Party. Variations in color will often make this block a popular choice for seasonal quilts and table runners. Several examples will be shared. New sewing and quilting techniques in this class will include placing blocks on point, sashing, and adding a sleeve to make this a wall hanging.
August 13: Blazing Star- The Blazing Star Quilt Block is spectacular and will use the skills acquired in previous block parties. You will be surprised to learn that the challenge to this clock comes in organizing your pieces before you sew each block, the sewing should no longer be your challenge.
September 10: Maple Leaf Block – A traditional block that is very popular in quilts and seasonal table runners and wall hangings. Just in time for Autumn in the Adirondacks, create your own display of fall leaves in a quilted project for your home.
Clay arts has historical common traditions across all cultures. It is easy to shape, sculpt and transform into ceramics. Imagine making bowls, cups, wind chimes and more.... through the use of clay medium. This two-day workshop allows for experimentation in creating various forms (2-3 pieces per student). On day one students will learn basic hand-building pottery techniques; explore pinch, coil and slab. After a drying period of three weeks, on the second day students will learn how to decorate and glaze their piece.
Learn how to make your very own personal hiking stick. Begin by selecting the perfect stick collected by the instructor. Then you will learn how to shave and carve your hiking stick. Once you are happy with your creation, the sticks will be completed by drilling a hole in them and adding a lanyard. Once finished, put your stick to good use on the trail running right by our school!
No weaving experience is necessary! The looms are dressed and ready to go, all you need to do is bring your creative spirit and to leave with a finished one-of-a-kind rug. Students will have a choice of making a traditional Rag Rug using recycled fabric strips or making a Sock Rug using remnants from a sock factory. Colors and choices of fabric and remnants vary from class to class depending on availability. The rugs are 24" wide, and up to 45" long.
Get an early start on holiday gift giving. Make pinecone flowers, use natural mosses and twigs to decorate a small keepsake box and one small frame. Add your own photo for a special gift or family keepsake.
Interested in blacksmithing but unsure how to start? Open Forge Night is the place for you! Every third Wednesday of the month during our blacksmithing season, come see demonstrations by expert blacksmith Steve Gurzler. Observing the demonstration is free and open to the public. If you want to try your hand at blacksmithing there is a $20 fee to cover the cost of materials. Safety precautions must be followed - including hard shoes with no open toes, long pants, goggles (supplied) and gloves (supplied).
Sterling alloys in clay form are stronger than pure silver and easy to work with making it ideal for ring making. It is possible to either purchase a .950 sterling clay or make a .960 clay (a 50/50 combination of pure silver clay and .925 sterling clay). The emphasis in this class will be on making rings, but you are also welcome to use some of your clay to make other items as well. While this class is ideal for those with metal clay experience, it is open to anyone with an interest in learning metal clay techniques for making rings with metal clay.
In this class students will create a stained glass mosaic in an 8" x 10" frame. Students will have a choice of photographs to work with, or may bring their own if desired. Students will be instructed on how to grout their piece, which is recommended but not required. This class is suitable for students of any level.
The plants are whispering beckoning us to gather in the wild. This class is for those who would like to answer that call. To work with the plants at their peak in the location in which they thrive! Using techniques from various earth-based traditions, discover the many benefits of wild foraging including: approaching the plants with an open and receptive heart, working intuitively, setting intentions for the exchange, asking permission as a way of giving respect, giving thanks, wild plant identification, and making herbal preparations on the spot!
Come create a simple turned bowl that still looks and feels rustic due to its live edge. This course is targeted to those who have an interest in learning how to turn. The emphasis will be on learning how to use a lathe and tools safely and correctly. In this class, you will learn the basics of creating spindle-based objects and then work at turning your bowl. Leave the class with a lovely treasure that captures the "wild" feel of the Adirondacks!
Taught by Sheila Flanagan and Sal Speights, both internationally awarded cheesemakers, known for creative semi-aged cheeses, this course will focus on all the simplest aspects of cheesemaking and the vast variety of cheeses that can be made based on different cultures, rennets, additives and mechanical processing methods. Students will learn how to make bloomy rind cheeses, age, and inoculate them and how to add variations to their cheese. Please note: Students will check in at the Folk School, 51 Main Street, Lake Luzerne, NY. They will then travel to Nettle Meadow's Plant/Tasting Room 1256 Lake Ave., Lake Luzerne, NY for the duration of the class.
Weave a splint seat onto a hardwood stool frame with either natural colored or dyed flat reed, with a choice of colors to choose from. Stool and weaving materials will be provided.
Goat milk soap is excellent for people with dry, irritated or sensitive skin. It is loaded with nutrients, proteins, fat, calcium and vitamins. It is an excellent natural moisturizer that helps hydrate, nourish and revitalize skin. We will discuss natural dyes and additives which you may wish to incorporate in your soap. You will be making a pound of soap to take home.
