Instructor: Beth Homa Kraus
Materials Fee: $150 (side sling) or $200 (small/baby backpack)
Explore birch bark weaving and leatherwork in this extended class that allows students the full process to complete a side sling bag or baby backpack. Students will be introduced to the history and ecology of birch trees and discuss mindful harvesting practices while processing birch bark. Become intimate with the bark by cutting, splitting and grading raw bark in preparation for weaving. Using a double diagonal plaited weave pattern up and back down to create a sturdy yet flexible base. Students will prepare and attach a leather flap, straps, buckles and closure using a saddle stitch to make the finishing touches. There will be options between the shape of the bottom base and the attachment of the leather/hardware to make your basket into a side sling bag ($150) or a small/baby backpack ($200); they are both similar in size but the leatherwork is different.
This class requires strong finger dexterity and strength. Some have found it more challenging than expected, but no prior weaving experience is required. Because the material requires the weaver to adapt to the material that the tree provides, there is no pattern.
CONSIDER ALLERGIES: a mixture of beeswax & walnut oil is used in this process – if you have certain nut or bee allergies please be advised.
Materials Fee: $150 (side sling) or $200 (small/baby backpack)
Materials included in materials fee:
Side Sling Bag:
- Birch bark
- Small black ash splint for rim
- Leather (multiple options will be available)
- Nylon braided polycord
- Hardware: 1 buckle, 2 d-rings (metal options provided)
- Closure: antler or rock button/toggle
Baby/Small Backpack:
- Birch bark
- Small black ash splint for rim
- Leather (multiple options will be available)
- Nylon braided polycord
- Hardware: 2 buckles, Large O ring, closure options (small o ring) (metal options provided) Closure: antler, rock button/toggle, or metal claw options
Students will prepare most of their materials from raw sheets of birch bark. During this workshop, you will learn the following:
- Cutting, splitting, refining and grading into weave-able material.
- Using a double diagonal plaited weave pattern for the basket base of their bag should unlock some math in mapping out bottom and pairing the rim.
- The leather work allows options for students to make either a side sling bag or a small/baby backpack.
- Students will make templates for their individual projects to make a personalized flap.
- Learning how to saddle stitch, attach buckles and set rivets add a completely different skillset to this class experience.
- Assembling both pieces to flex together transform the project into a useable work of art.
Tools that will be provided for you:
- Scissors
- Sloyd knives
- Box cutters / bark cutter
- Clothes pins
- Awls
- Needles
- Pricking Irons, mallet, setters, mat
- Basket lube – bees wax & walnut oil
Tools you will need to bring:
- Needle nose pliers
- Pen and paper for note taking
- Optional:
- Favorite pair of scissors
- Craft knife
- Perhaps ibuprofen 🙂
You will need to have the following prerequisites:
- Good hand strength – able to pinch and pull.
- Finger dexterity – able to simultaneously use both hands while weaving
- Patience – grading the weight of the material by touch and splitting by hand can be very frustrating at first.