There is limited Space In Each Workshop - First Come, First Served!
Pre-registration required
We are very family friendly and all ages are encouraged to come. Kid workshops are geared to 6-12 year olds. The rest of the workshops are for adults and interested teens.
After registering please e-mail your workshop choices to 68pennyg@gmail.com.
Check the schedule to make sure your choices do not overlap.
Also check the workshop page to make sure your classes are not full.
Most of the materials for these workshops are gathered from the land by the instructors. This takes time, skill, and thought to do responsibly. Since each project takes a different amount of effort to find and prepare materials, each one has a different materials fee, payable directly to the instructor at the start of each workshop. It is listed below the workshop description.
2025
Friday Afternoon
DEMOS
Split wood basketry is a traditional craft of the Southern Appalachians and in many other regions around the world. In this demo we will discuss the basic principles of splitting wood for basket making, focusing on white oak and maple. We will cover the tools and techniques needed to select and harvest a tree in the woods and process the material to be ready for weaving a basket. You will then get a chance to work hands on with the material. Take some material home with you, by donation.
Split Wood Basketry
with Micah Wiles
Trapping Boats
with Douglas Brooks
Until the 1980s muskrat trapping was common in the region. In the Champlain Valley dairy farmers trapped the creeks and waterways that abutted their farms and most trappers built their own boats. These craft look simple, and reflect the basic carpentry skills of their builders, but it would be a mistake to describe the boats as crude. Their double-ended shape (locally called “two pointers”), were perfectly designed for running through the cattail-choked waters. The boats were also sheathed in tin since trapping season took place in late fall and early spring when ice was on the water. Trapping boats were propelled by poling them standing up. In short, these boats are a perfect marriage of form and function, testimony to their owners’ understanding of the environment and their needs.
There will be a boat on hand to float on the pond and Douglas will be discussing the history and building process.
Friday schedule
1:00 Arrival and set up camp
1-5 Demos in Orchard
3-5 Botany Walk for Crafters
3-5 Block Printing T-shirts
6:00 Dinner - pot luck
6:30-8 More block print T-shirts
Kohlrosing
with Andre´ Souligny
Kohlrosing is known to be a Scandinavian decorative technique dating back to at least the Middle Ages involving rubbing dark color into incisions cut in wood using oil and finely ground powders such as charcoal, cinnamon, or coffee. This technique was and is used to decorate wooden spoons, containers, and other wooden objects with lettering, patterns, designs, and line drawings.
BOTANY WALK FOR CRAFTERS
with Jonathan
Tree and plant ID for traditional skills.
Many traditional crafts—basketry, cordage, dying, etc, require harvesting plant materials from the wild. But it'll be tough to get your harvest in if you can't identify what you're looking for! Join Jonathan for a 2-hour intro to botany walk, and learn the fundamentals of tree and plant identification.
BLOCK PRINTING T SHIRTS
with Erok and others
Two t-shirt block printing sessions, putting Sloyd Skills Gathering logos on shirts and patches. We will have some thrifted shirts and cloth available, but bring your own, if you can. Light colored cotton is best.
Saturday Morning
Spoon Carving
with Sean
Two part workshop - Saturday and Sunday mornings are both required.
This workshop will provide you with the skills to craft your own cooking & eating utensils, from start to finish. We will begin with wood selection and axe work, learning how to work with the grain to efficiently split out stock material before proceeding to rough shape our spoons with axe and saw. Along the way we will discuss design layout and drawing to help plan out our shaping. We will learn proper axe safety measures and chopping technique to take the logs from their “raw” form to the stage where knifework becomes more viable.
In the second half of the course we will swap out our toolset for carving knives to further refine our roughly shaped spoons into objects of beauty and utility. Once again, proper safety through knife control and technique will be the focus of this segment, learning to use straight knives to shape the outside curves of the spoon and hook knives to hollow out the bowl. We’ll touch on different decoration techniques and how to finish your spoons as we approach the finish line- participants will complete the class with a functional spoon and all the skills necessary to carve more!
No materials fee.
Willow Basket FULL
with Scogin
Four part workshop-Saturday morning and afternoon, Sunday morning and afternoon are all required.
In this class students will create a round willow basket, learning basic weaves such as twining and french randing. We will start by weaving a circular bottom. We then add upright spokes, creating the basket sides.We Finish the basket by weaving an interlocking border on top. During class we will discuss the harvesting and growing of willow and resources for learning more techniques.
Materials fee $40
Indigo Resist Bandannas FULL
with Prin
Resist dyeing utilizes techniques that cause fabric to “resist” the dye in certain areas and take up dye in other areas to make patterns. This type of shaped resist dyeing is derived from ancient Japanese techniques called “shibori” which are still practiced today in Japan and all over the world. Indigo is the most traditional dye used with shibori because it works so well with these simple, elegant, techniques.
We’ll explore the exciting possibilities for pattern making that are achieved simply by shaping fabrics, and dye a bandana. We’ll also talk about using indigo in other ways. This magical pigment is derived from lots of different plants, including the northern-climate tolerant species Prin grows at home in Craftsbury. There’s lots to learn about growing, extracting indigo, and making vats and we’ll touch on all of it while we fold, wrap, and dye.
Materials Fee: $20
Beginner Carving
Butter Knives and Wooden Hooks
with André
Enjoy a very basic, hands-on introduction to green wood carving. We will be going over safely using a hatchet, straight knife, hand drill, and a few other simple tools, and you will endeavor to make a butter knife and a wooden hook to hang your things on. We will also explore some simple carving decoration/embellishment tips to decorate your butter knife and wooden hook.
Materials Fee: $10
Felted Hats Full
with Brad
Students will make their own felted hat. The felting process allows us to take wool and build a beautiful and functional hat. Felted hats are amazingly warm both wet or dry, naturally water repellent, and durable.
Style choices will be straightforward such as a skullcap, cloche or simple alpine. We will accomplish this through a positive resist as we work it around a ball and shape it by our hands with water and soap. I will have grey wool as a base and some limited colors to design with. If you have colored wool you love, feel free to bring some to add to your hat! From what you learn in this course you will have a baseline understanding of felting and will be able to confidently grow this skill if you choose.
No materials fee.
Wooden Bowls FULL
with Will
Two part workshop-both Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon are required.
In this class everyone will carve a small versatile bowl that can be used for meals anywhere.
We will begin with going over possible designs and layout and then dive into the hollowing of the bowl. In
the second block, we will work with small carving axes to roughly shape the exterior and then fine tune
the form with gouges.
We will mainly use gouges, axes, and adzes to carve the bowl. (Using an adze is optional).
Carving a bowl with these hand tools is both fun and lots of work. Its especially a great way to build
confidence using an axe. Along the way, you'll get a lot of experience using these tools safely and
effectively as well as learning about grain orientation and how it changes the design. We will also explore
finishing cuts and chip carving if there is interest and enough time.
Carving a bowl by hand is a journey and great way to dive into exploring slojd with wood.
All experience levels are welcome and all tools will be provided. However if you have any of the above
tools that you want to use including a favorite slojd knife, please bring them along.
Materials Fee: $20
Tarps
with Caleb
Shelter is one of our fundamental needs for survival. Our ancestors had many ways to create and find shelter be it creating debris shelter or finding a dry cave. In our modern world I have found it useful to be able to use a tarp for shelter. Lightweight, versatile, simple: the tarp is the perfect cheap camping solution and emergency shelter. In this class we will look at some basic set ups and talk about scenario specific techniques for making unhelpful situations work to your advantage. Expect to learn some knots!
No materials fee.
Willow (Kids 6-9)
with Erok.
Join Uncle Erok for some fun and wacky willow crafts and games. We'll be making willow hoops to wing around, wands to catch with and cast spells, spinning stars to whirl and wagglers wiggle.
This workshop will be fun for all! Join us as we bend, balance and wiggle like the willow.
Saturday Afternoon
(Willow Baskets and Wooden Bowls continued)
Shrink Pots FULL
with Lucian
This is a very old method of making containers. The center is carved out of a green piece of wood, making a tube. Then a groove is made around the inside, near the bottom and a dry bottom board is carved to fit loosely in the groove. When the green wood dries and shrinks you have a container that can be used for storing dry goods. We will carve pots out of some local wood. All materials and tools will be provided but if you have a carving knife or spoon knife you like, bring them.
Material fee $10
Buckskin Pouches
with Coleen
Two part workshop, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, are both required.
In this class we will sew buckskins into a pouch. We will use a running stitch, a whip stitch, and
learn how to put in a welt. We will make cordage with the buckskin thong, and learn tips and
tricks to sew with buckskin well. This class will provide you with the skills to then make your own
buckskin or hand tanned garments.
Materials fee: $45
Twining. FULL
with Sarah
Twining is one of the primary basketry techniques in the world utilizing a variety of materials, styles and designs. We will be making a small soft bodied basket, working with natural materials, that can fit around a pint sized mason jar. You can customize the look of your baskets; we will explore a few design elements that you are welcome to incorporate. Learning these basics will give you the ability to do this on your own and continue to explore this old, functional, and beautiful technique.
Materials Fee: $5
Flint and Steel FULL
with Luke
Forge a flint and steel striker (shape may vary from picture) and make your own fire starting kit. We will work with portable coal forges and hand cranked bellows. Because only a couple people can be in the forge at a time we will work as a team and help each other out. Everyone will leave with their own kit!
Materials Fee: $15
Block Printing. FULL
with Erok
Want to make an impression? Try Block Printing! Sure to bring relief! Ok, bad printing puns aside, in this workshop we will cover the basics of block printing from idea to ink. We'll cover materials, including wood, linoleum and masonite, as well as tools and techniques. And if all goes well, we'll each leave with an original print of our own making and design!
Materials Fee: $5-10 sliding scale
Stories and Games (Kids)
with Ross
Saturday afternoon
We'll listen to folk tales and survival stories, spin yarns that tangle your brains and tickle your toes. We'll collaborate and vegetate in a narrative world where anything goes. We'll also learn to play the Norse board game Hnefatafl (A.K.A. Viking Chess). Then we can run and hide and sneak until our legs give out.
Sunday Morning
(Willow Baskets, Buckskin Pouches and Spoons continued)
Gourd Canteens. FULL
with Tim
Gourds are amazing fruits! Being one of the first plants to be domesticated by human-kind, they have been used to make many useful and artsy projects. In the right conditions, a gourd will dry into a hard shell that can be used to make a variety of vessels.
Students will learn to cut, empty, leach, and wrap twine around our gourds to make functional and reusable water bottles. If possible, please bring a sharp knife bring a sharp knife.
Materials Fee: $25
Card Weaving
with Nelly
Two part workshop-Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon are both required.
Card weaving is a fast and easy way to weave narrow bands. It uses the technique of twining, which creates especially tough and resilient cloth. This technology has been in ubiquitous use for thousands of years, all around the world. Learn to draft a pattern, set up your loom, and weave bands that are perfect for belts, guitar or quiver straps, clothing decoration, and so many other uses.
Materials Fee: $20
Willow Bark Baskets FULL
with Penny
Two part workshop- both Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon are required.
Using the inner and outer bark of local wild willow, explore many different weaving techniques to create your own unique design. We will use quart mason jars as a form and finish with a fun folded down rim.
Materials Fee: $40
Hand Hewing FULL
with Michael
To Hew (verb): make or shape (something) by cutting or chopping a material such as wood.
In this introduction to hand hewing we will cover the variety of tools used to prepare and shape the posts and beams for a small building. We will introduce the ‘Centerline Rule’ to lay out the logs or timbers for shaping. As a group we will have an opportunity to try the different tools and collectively put the finishing touches on a small hand hewn shelter.
No materials fee.
Coal Burnt Spoons (kids 6-9)
with Emma and Alden
Come play with fire and learn how to make a spoon by burning away the scoop with coals. Kids will learn
basic knife safety and simple carving techniques.
Bring water and a snack, but please, no knives. Tools will be provided.
Kid's Carving (Kids 10-12)
with Andre
In this workshop, kids will be guided in the safe and effective use of a straight-blade carving knife, hatchet and wooden mallet, hand saw and brace drill. We will learn about these tools, practice safe knife grips, and carving techniques on a variety of small, interesting and creative
projects. We will take a short walk and collect some natural materials to add to the prepared materials. Beads, butter spreaders, orange peelers, and chopsticks are just some of the possibilities. Please bring water, snack, imagination, and sense of humor!
*Please do not bring a knife; tools will be provided.
Sunday Afternoon
(Willow Baskets, Willow Bark Baskets and Card Weaving Continued)
Knife Hafting FULL
with Lucian
In this workshop we will burn wood handles onto blades and shape them to fit your hand. A choice of local hardwoods will be available. You can bring your own blade (must have a rat-tail tang) or there will be blades available to buy. All tools will be provided but if you have a whittling knife or rasp you like, bring it.
Material Fee: $10
A variety of hand forged blades will be available for $30 each. Some will be for general use and some will have a Scandinavian grind for whittling.
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Wool Mending FULL
with Betsy
Learn how to extend the life of your wool garments. Bring your holey woolens to the workshop
and we will explore various mending techniques including darning, needle felting, and patching.
There will be extra items on hand for demos and practice. We will also discuss how wool
behaves as a fiber, best practices for care and cleaning, and we will problem solve common
injuries to wool garments (moth holes, worn out elbows and toes, etc.).
Materials Fee: $5
Parfleches. FULL
with Nick
Make a pouch and learn the ancient craft of working with rawhide, utilizing white tail deer.
Materials Fee: $20
Axe Skills
with Kerry
A sharp axe is one of the most essential tools for wilderness living, camping and bush craft. In this workshop, we will cover the basics of axe technique; including, chopping, splitting, limbing and carving. We'll also discuss, possibly the most important axe skill of all: how to avid cutting yourself. Bring your axe, if you have one, or loners will be available.
No materials fee.
Stone Pendants (Kids Workshop)
with Justin and Alden
We will practice our hand drill friction fire skills indirectly by using simple metal tipped stalks to drill holes in smooth shale rocks. The result is a beautiful pendant for a necklace or a keychain. Kids can etch something into the stone if they choose, and learn to craft cordage from basswood fiber to give the pendant something to hang from.