• Seasonal Wild Tending

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    In days gone by, it was common practice for people living in wild places to tend the land which provided them with food, medicine, and shelter. It was a daily exchange of life between human and the natural world. In this introductory series, we will explore the natural world and discover ways to more fully engage with her as she moves through each of the four seasons. In each class we will: create an outdoor (temporary) medicine wheel in order to deepen our understanding of the cyclical nature of all life: plants, people, animal/insect. We will also engage with/forage the plants which are available to us as we seasonally and learn how to transform what they have to offer into something we can use, aka beneficial preparations. This class will be balanced with time outdoors for Wild Tending and indoors for hands-on practice of preparation techniques and extraction methods. Each class stands on it's own. Together they create a synergy of seasonal attunement aligning your wild nature with the natural world around you.

  • Nordic-Baltic Pick Up Band Weaving

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Whether you are an experienced weaver or just a beginner, pick-up band weaving on the inkle loom is a portable, satisfying, and surprisingly easy way to create elaborate patterns with minimal equipment. The pick-up technique is used in many weaving traditions, and the finished products can be made into bookmarks, dog leashes, instrument and purse straps, and belts. We will focus on traditional Nordic and Baltic pick-up weaving using linen and wool threads. We will begin by getting familiar with the inkle loom, practicing the basic weaving technique, and learning how to read a pattern, and then we will start working on our projects. Depending on how quickly you weave, you may create a couple of bookmarks or a longer strap that can be used for a bag, camera, or musical instrument. On the second day, we will go over warping the inkle loom so that you have the skills you need to do it on your own later.

  • Forging Strap Hinges

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Strap Hinges are an iconic form of blacksmith-made hinge. This 2-day class will take participants through the process of forging a small set of strap hinges with wrapped eyes and decorative finials. We will also forge the hooks to mount them. Students will either be able to replicate historic examples or design their own unique styles of hinges.

  • Nordic-Baltic Pick Up Band Weaving

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Whether you are an experienced weaver or just a beginner, pick-up band weaving on the inkle loom is a portable, satisfying, and surprisingly easy way to create elaborate patterns with minimal equipment. The pick-up technique is used in many weaving traditions, and the finished products can be made into bookmarks, dog leashes, instrument and purse straps, and belts. We will focus on traditional Nordic and Baltic pick-up weaving using linen and wool threads. We will begin by getting familiar with the inkle loom, practicing the basic weaving technique, and learning how to read a pattern, and then we will start working on our projects. Depending on how quickly you weave, you may create a couple of bookmarks or a longer strap that can be used for a bag, camera, or musical instrument. On the second day, we will go over warping the inkle loom so that you have the skills you need to do it on your own later.

  • Hunter Star

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    This block shines as a two-color quilt or becomes quite playful when designed as a scrappy quilt. You will create enough blocks to construct a 40? x 40? lap quilt, wall hanging or table topper. The blocks created in the block party classes will be cut using the Acuquilt cutting system. This system improves accuracy in cutting and reduces the stress on your hands often felt while cutting large amounts of small units of fabric for the quilt blocks.

  • Sharpening and Honing Blades

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    Sharpening and honing of blades is a mystery to most people these days although our ancestors knew the skill intimately. Technology of honing has definitely improved over the past 100 years and there are many technologies to choose from. Howard will demystify the sharpening process and you will leave the workshop with the skills to sharpen your own blades. Students should bring one or two blades to hone for the class.

  • Framed Stained Glass Mosaics

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    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.

  • What to Plant and Why

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States
  • Open Forge Night

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    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 $25 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).

  • Fat Quarter Fun

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    If you love color, you?ll love what a fat quarter bundle has to offer. Select a bundle or create your own. We will construct this Ohio Star using traditional strip cutting techniques. The quilt top will include 12 stars and create a 36? x 46? quilt top.

  • Fat Quarter Fun

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    If you love color, you?ll love what a fat quarter bundle has to offer. Select a bundle or create your own. We will construct this Ohio Star using traditional strip cutting techniques. The quilt top will include 12 stars and create a 36? x 46? quilt top.

  • Complete Basic Blacksmithing

    Adirondack Folk School 51 Main St., Lake Luzerne, NY, United States

    This basic class will give you the foundation needed to start out on your journey of blacksmithing. You'll learn fire management, hammering methods, drawing out, upsetting, cutting, splitting, twisting, and convenience bending along with a demo of forge welding. Make punches and chisels and learn to harden and temper them. Heating material and heat management will be taught and much more.