Gift Cards

Gift Cards can be used to sign up for any class that takes place in the shop. Predetermined and custom values are available. The cards never expire.

Intro to Soldering: Rings

Sundays, January 12 - February 9, 9AM - 12PM

Tuition: $350 (materials included)

Instructor: Jolynn Santiago

This five-week course is designed to sharpen your soldering skills. Using different soldering techniques, students will make at least two silver ring bands with handmade decorative elements. In addition to soldering, students will pierce, file, sand, and polish. If you're new to jewelry or haven't touched your tools in a while, this is a great skill-building course. All levels are welcome.

From Paper to Enamel: Pendants

Saturdays, January 11 - 25, 9AM-12PM

Tuition: $200 (materials included)

Instructor: Jolynn Santiago

Enameling is the process of fusing glass to metal in a kiln to achieve a smooth, shiny, colorful surface. Participants will begin class with a mark-making exercise to help them develop a design for their pendant. Next, students will saw, file, sand, and enamel their pendants. Finally, participants will choose from a variety of techniques to alter the surface of the enamel to create visual interest. The pendant can be worn using a chain or a cotton cord. Depending on the size and complexity of each project, students can make a second pendant. All levels are welcome.

Silver Rings: Ring a Day

Wednesdays, January 15 - February 19 — 9AM - 12PM

Tuition: $400 (materials included)

Instructor: Jolynn Santiago

Spending a few hours learning a new skill is enjoyable, but acquiring a basic understanding of craft processes requires practice. In this course, students will measure, cut, file, shape, solder, and form one ring per day. We will use tools to create various textures and different forms of silver wire (round, half-round, rectangle, and square) to create six unique rings. Through repetition, participants will become comfortable using a torch and soldering while practicing hammering, sawing, and forming. In addition to gaining a basic understanding of ring making, students will develop a greater appreciation for rings and jewelry in their personal collections. All levels are welcome.

Silver Stud Earrings

January 31 + February 1 — 9AM - 12PM

Tuition: $145 (materials included)

Instructor: Jolynn Santiago

Students will design, texture, pierce, file, form, and finish a pair of silver studs. If time allows, several pairs of earrings can be created depending on the complexity of the design. At the end of this class, students will be more comfortable with designing, silver soldering, and using the jeweler’s saw. All levels are welcome.

Reflection Chair

February 23 - March 1 — Tuition: $1650

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

This class covers a wide range of processes relevant to Windsor and ladder back chair making. Much of the week will be spent on the shaving horse shaping parts with the drawknife and spokeshave. Steam bending with and without compression straps will be covered in detail. Mortises will be drilled with the brace and bit, cordless drill, and the drill press. Note: There won’t be time for applying finish or weaving the seat in this class. Finishing and weaving will be discussed and resources will be made available for students to do at home.

Enameled Earrings

Saturdays, March 1 + 8 — 9AM - 12PM

Tuition: $170 (materials included)

Instructor: Jolynn Santiago

Enameling is the process of fusing glass to metal. In this course, participants will use a kiln to achieve this bond. Students will begin the class with a mark-making exercise to help them develop a unique design for their earrings. Next, we will saw, file, and sand our earrings forms. Then, participants will solder and earring post on each earring. Finally, they will experiment with various applications of enamel on both sides of the earrings to add color and texture to their designs. All levels are welcome.

Intro to Riveting: Silver Pendant with Wood

Mondays, March 3 - 17 — 9AM - 12PM

Tuition: $200 (materials included)

Instructor: Jolynn Santiago

Riveting is a process where two or more pieces of metal or non-metal materials are connected without heat. Throw away your superglue and learn this accessible metalsmithing process that is both functional and decorative. Imagine joining wood, acrylic, and other non-metal materials to metal; the possibilities are endless. There are several types of rivets. This class focuses on the basic rivet; a metal pin with a shank and two nail heads. Once the basic rivet is secured with a hammer, the parts are permanently immobilized. In this class, students will design a sterling silver pendant that incorporates a piece of wood in their chosen shape. In addition to riveting, students will learn how to saw using a jeweler’s saw, file, sand, anneal (soften metal), and apply texture. On the last day of class, we will discuss the students’ finished projects as a group. We will also discuss creating a setup for those who wish to continue practicing their riveting skills at home. Students will leave this class with handmade jewelry, a better understanding of basic riveting, the resources needed to order the proper materials, and the knowledge to create a small riveting set-up of their own. All levels are welcome.

Intro to Soldering: Earrings

Tuesday, March 4 - 25 — 9AM - 12PM

Tuition: $275 (materials included)

Instructor: Jolynn Santiago

This four-week course is designed to sharpen your soldering skills. Using various soldering techniques, students will make at least two pairs of earrings with handmade decorative elements. In addition to soldering, students will pierce, file, sand, and polish. If you're new to jewelry or haven't touched your tools in a while, this is a great skill-building course. Students must take Intro to Soldering or demonstrate their experience to enroll in this course.

Boggs Ladderback Chair

March 16-22 - Tuition: Side $1450, Arm $1650

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

Build an iconic ladder back chair designed by Brian Boggs. Routed slat mortises and drill press mortising, combined with lots of hand shaped parts. Included in the tuition is a copy of Jeff Lefkowitz’s manual on building Boggs ladder backs, detailing every step of the process. Note: Students will purchase their own seating material and bring it with them to class, see my resources page. For a side chair you will need 32 yards of 1”material, for an arm chair you will need 42 yards of 1” material.

Intro to Stone Setting: Silver Ring with Bezel Setting

Wednesdays, March 12 - 26 , 9AM - 1PM

Tuition: $280(materials included)

Instructor: Jolynn Santiago

A bezel setting is created when a strip of metal is shaped to wrap around a stone and hold it tightly in place. The bezel wall acts as a frame while protecting the stone better than most other settings. This type of setting is one of the oldest in history. At the beginning of class, students will choose from a selection of stones. Then we will begin building a silver ring to complement the chosen stone. This course is designed for students with soldering experience. Students must take Intro to Soldering or demonstrate experience before enrolling in this course.

Green or Dry Windsor Chairmaking : Contemporary Side Chair

April 21 - 26 - Tuition: $1600

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

This six day class will introduce a wide range of processes and can be tailored to suite your style of chairmaking. Parts will be shaped by hand with the drawknife and spokeshave (no turning) and you will have the option to work straight from the log, or from dried boards. You can choose to make your chair with hand tools with a focus on building skills with your hands and eyes, or you can opt for jigged-up processes with a focus on precision and repeatability - or a little bit of both. Students can carve a pine seat, or a hardwood seat. There may be time to start painting and finishing in class, resources will be provided for students to complete these processes at home.

Dry Stone Walling

May 3 + 4 — 9AM - 5PM — Tuition: $475

Instructors: Willie Belliveau, Lindsay Colburn

Learn the basic principles of dry stone walling and the art of building with natural stone–including the five foundational building principles, how to prepare your site for building, material management, and safety guidelines. We’ll put these learnings into practice together by building a free-standing wall that is part of a permanent installation that will live on the workshop site. By the end of the workshop, you'll have the skills and knowledge to apply these techniques to your own walling projects at home.

Shaker Baskets

May 10, 9AM - 5PM - Tuition: $150

Instructor: Heather Ashworth

Don't worry if you can't take my Shaker Week class! This one-day class will satisfy your bent wood sweet tooth. We will make a set of nesting Shaker Baskets perfect for decorating around the house or using in your garden!

No prior experience needed. Moderate hand and upper body strength is required.  

Shaker Week

May 12 - 16 - Tuition: $625

Instructor: Heather Ashworth

Have you always wanted to learn the elegant craft of Shaker boxes and brooms? Then this is not a week to miss! We will cover the basics of bent wood boxes while focusing on a set of nesting boxes, giant serving trays and carriers; all of which are well known in the Shaker craft. Then we will seamlessly transition into broom making. It was the Shaker who revolutionized the flat sweeper broom. We will start with cobweb brooms and hearth brooms to prepare our understanding of the material and tools before the grand finale of a full sweeper! PS: you will have your gifts covered for the year! ;)

Cobweb Broom

May 18th, 9AM - 3PM - $130

Instructor: Heather Ashworth

Don't worry if you can't take my Shaker Week class! You will get swept away in this one-day cobweb broom class. We will make a set of cobweb brooms to reach every corner of your house. I will provide handles but feel free to forge for the perfect stick to make your brooms extra witchy!

From Log to Bowl: Carve a Bowl with Hand Tools!

June 7th and 14th — 9AM - 5PM — Tuition: $180

Instructor: Will Nissen

Come carve a bowl! In this class we will transform a log into an eating bowl. Each participant can design the shape of a small bowl which we will carve using a variety of hand tools including axes, adzes, gouges, and drawknives. Carving a bowl is a fun and rewarding way to create beauty that is used everyday. Each one is an invitation to use and learn traditional techniques and knowledge and express one’s own style in relation to the tree. On the first day, we will carve a greenwood bowl and cover wood selection, how to use different edge tools, and drying. On the second day (a week later) we will do the finishing cuts on our dry(er) bowl and talk about painting and finishing. All experience levels are welcome. Tools will be provided.

Two-Slat Side Chair or Arm Chair

June 8-13 — Tuition: $1650

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

A great introduction to ladder back chair making, with an emphasis on design principals. Much of the week will be spent on the shaving horse shaping parts with the drawknife and spokeshave. Steam bending with and without compression straps will be covered in detail. Mortises will be drilled on the drill press. Note: Students will purchase their own seating material and bring it with them to class. For a side chair you will need: 40 yards of 5/8” shaker tape. For an arm chair you will need 60 yards of 5/8'“ material. See my resources page.

Natural Dyes: Flower Pounding

June 15 — 9AM - 5PM - Tuition: $100

Instructor: Barbara Sauer-Davis

Capture the essence of the summer garden in a creative workshop where you can learn the art of flower-pounding, transternng permanent images of flowers or leaves onto fabric. This hands-on activity merges botany, art, and craftsmanship, providing a unique opportunity to connect with nature. After an overview of the history and technique of flower-pounding, you will scour and mordant fabric to prepare it to be dyed. We will then walk the beautiful land and gardens surrounding Eric's studio learning about and identifying plants suitable for printing. We will select an array of fresh flowers and leaves, exploring a variety of colors and textures. Using mallets, we will gently pound the flowers onto a fabric surface to create clear and detailed prints. Bandanas and tote bags will be provided for students and every student will go home with their own plant-printed materials. Additionally, students will be equipped with knowledge and materials to continue exploring flower pounding on their own. Participants are more than welcome to bing their own Item from home to pint, as long as it is a white or undyed natural plant fiber like cotton or linen.

Introduction to Field Botany and Plant Pressing

June 21, 9AM - 5PM — Tuition: $120

Instructor: Matthias Sirch

Class will begin with a walk through fields and forests identifying the plants we find. We will discuss land use history, soils, bedrock, and deep geologic time to explain the basics of plant ecology we observe around us. After a morning in the field identifying and collecting a handful of plants we will return to the shop to learn how to press and store your specimens. Note: Included in the cost of the class is a plant press and paper to start your own plant catalog!  

Natural Dyes: Flower Pounding

July 28 — 9AM - 5PM - Tuition: $100

Instructor: Barbara Sauer-Davis

Capture the essence of the summer garden in a creative workshop where you can learn the art of flower-pounding, transternng permanent images of flowers or leaves onto fabric. This hands-on activity merges botany, art, and craftsmanship, providing a unique opportunity to connect with nature. After an overview of the history and technique of flower-pounding, you will scour and mordant fabric to prepare it to be dyed. We will then walk the beautiful land and gardens surrounding Eric's studio learning about and identifying plants suitable for printing. We will select an array of fresh flowers and leaves, exploring a variety of colors and textures. Using mallets, we will gently pound the flowers onto a fabric surface to create clear and detailed prints. Bandanas and tote bags will be provided for students and every student will go home with their own plant-printed materials. Additionally, students will be equipped with knowledge and materials to continue exploring flower pounding on their own. Participants are more than welcome to bing their own Item from home to pint, as long as it is a white or undyed natural plant fiber like cotton or linen.

Greenwood Chairmaking and Willow Baskets

July 28 - August 3, 9AM - 5PM — Tuition $1600

Instructors: Eric Cannizzaro, Jes Clark

In this class students will use just a few hand tools to make a greenwood ladderback chair in the style of Jennie Alexander (Make A Chair From a Tree, 1978). Starting with an ash or oak log, we will spend the first three days working together to split, shave, and bend enough chair parts for everyone.

On day four, we will put our chair parts aside to dry and spend two days weaving willow baskets. We will learn and practice traditional weaving techniques while creating beautiful and functional harvesting baskets. Students will also learn about the cultivation and processing of this historically important natural material. Our baskets will be built from a round base with weaves mostly in the European tradition, including pairing, waling, randing and woven borders. Every student’s basket will be different! This class is suitable for beginners wanting to learn a base of weaving knowledge or intermediate weavers looking to improve skills and control. Care and use of finished pieces will be discussed in class. Willow is a stronger more tension-y material than many other basketry materials, strong hands are a must for this course. 

The last two days of class will be spent back at the workbench and shaving horse, final shaping and assembling our chairs. This class is a lot of work and a lot of fun, and offers a unique opportunity to build skills with a few core tools. Seat weaving will be demonstrated in class and resources will provided for students to weave at home.

Dry Stone Walling

August 30 + 31 — 9AM - 5PM — Tuition: $475

Instructors: Willie Belliveau, Lindsay Colburn

Learn the basic principles of dry stone walling and the art of building with natural stone–including the five foundational building principles, how to prepare your site for building, material management, and safety guidelines. We’ll put these learnings into practice together by building a free-standing wall that is part of a permanent installation that will live on the workshop site. By the end of the workshop, you'll have the skills and knowledge to apply these techniques to your own walling projects at home.

Contemporary Barstool

September 1 - 5 - Tuition: $1600

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

This class starts with splitting and shaving our crest rails and spindles from an oak or ash log. The next couple days are spent drilling reaming and carving white pine seats, followed by two days of making joinery and assembling the chairs. Turnings are provided by the instructor - we will apply a spokeshave finish to them in class. There won’t be time for painting or finishing in class but resources will be provided for students to complete those processes at home.

Pitchforks

Sep 6 - 7 — 9AM - 5PM -- Tuition: $180

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

Split, shave, bend, and torch a wooden pitch into life from a single piece of green wood. We will this process at the log, utilize core green woodworking tools and processes. After splitting blanks out of the log we will shaping with the drawknife and spokeshave. Tines are then sawn and riveted before bending with steam, and setting the bends over a bonfire! This class is a lot of work, and a lot of fun.

Black Ash Baskets: Log to Back!

September 18 -21  —  Tuition: $400

Full Class - Join the Waitlist!

Instructors: Penny Hewitt, Eric Cannizzaro

Make your own pack basket and in the process learn one of the oldest crafts in human history.  For thousands of years baskets served as indispensable objects in every culture. Carry on the tradition and take home a beautiful, durable and useful basket crafted from local and responsibly harvested, hand pounded black ash logs.  

Midday on Thursday, we will start with a discussion outlining the process of selecting, harvesting and processing a tree.  Following will be an afternoon of pounding black ash logs to prepare material to use in the workshop. It is an essential and large part of the making of ash baskets and we are excited for you to experience it.  Folks will have varying degrees of capability around this skill, as it takes a fair amount of physical strength and stamina. No worries! We will all work together to produce what we need as a group. 

Friday, we will spend the day carving a handle and rim. The material will be riven out of a white ash log and carved with the drawknife and spokeshave. After carving, steam will be used to bend them into shape, and a small light bulb kiln to set the bends.

Saturday and Sunday will be full days of weaving an, approximately 18" tall, Adirondack style, pack basket with cedar runners and base and an adjustable webbing or leather harness.  This basket is made to last and be used! Note: Included in the price of the class are cotton straps for the harness. Leather straps are available for an additional $50.

Democratic Side Chair

October 26 - November 1 — Tuition: Side Chair $1500, Arm Chair: $1600

Instructors: Eric Cannizzaro

A Curtis Buchanan design, this chair is all hand work and a deep dive into the drawknife. The class starts with four days of splitting parts out from a log and shaping them on the shaving horse with the drawknife. Mortises will be drilled and reamed by eye and seats will be carved with the drawknife and scorp. This class is a lot of work and a lot of fun, it offers a unique opportunity to build skills with a few core tools. Resources on painting and finishing will be provided for students to do at home.

Woven-Back Side Chair

November 17 - 21 — Tuition: $1400

Instructors: Lisa Nguyen, Eric Cannizzaro

This five-day class will introduce a wide range of processes using mostly hand tools to build Lisa Nguyen’s post and rung side chair. We will start off with square blanks and will learn how to shape parts with the drawknife and spokeshave. We will cover steam bending with compression straps and learn how to drill mortises on the drill press using jigs to add rake and splay into post and rung chair designs . After assembly, we will paint and weave our chairs. Note: Students will purchase their own seating material (shaker tape) and bring it with them to class. For the chair seat you will need: 40 yards of 1" shaker tape, for the chair backs (×2) you will need: 44 yards of 1" shaker tape.

Birch Bark Ornaments

Nov. 24th, 1PM - 5PM — Tuition: $135

Instructor: Penny Hewitt

Enjoy the simple pleasure of creating a decoration or gift from materials responsibly harvested in VT.  Utilizing techniques common to the Scandinavian and Russian style of basketry, you will craft birds and stars using strips of inner bark from the paper birch tree. Included is a discussion on how these materials are harvested and prepared. Everyone will leave with three ornaments.

Boggs Ladderback Rocking Chair

December 7 - 13 - Tuition: $2100

Instructor: Eric Cannizzaro

Build an iconic ladder back chair designed by Brian Boggs. Routed slat mortises and drill press mortising, combined with lots of hand shaped parts. Included in the tuition is a copy of Jeff Lefkowitz’s manual on building Boggs ladder backs, detailing every step of the process. Note: Students will purchase their own seating material and bring it with them to class, see my resources page.