Woodspirit School is dedicated to high quality craft instruction in the Chequamegon Bay Region, Ashland, Wisconsin. We offer classes in Textile Arts, Wood Carving, Wood Turning, Basketry, Furniture Building, Green Woodworking and more.
Upcoming Classes & Events
——June 13 & 14——Spin Cotton, Wool & Flax with a Spindle, 1 or 2 days
from $40.00
Related Courses: Textile Courses
Dates: Choose one or both days
WOOL: Saturday, June 13, 10am-4pm
COTTON & FLAX: Sunday, June 14, 10am-4pm
Optional: Friday, June 12, 6pm Turning Flax into Cloth Craft Night Series presentation & demonstration with Jazmin Hicks-Dahl. Watch or take part in the processes of making flax plants into fiber, thread and cloth.
Description: Spinning fiber into thread is a fundamentally human, age old skill that transverses eons of time and human cultures. Since we have had hands and fingers, and felt cold, we have known how to spin thread. We will begin learning this challenging and (when you get the hang of it) relaxing activity in this introductory course by settling in, relaxing, and focusing on coordination and feel. We will try out both suspended (“drop”) spindles and supported spindles (they spin on something) to turn fibers into thread. We will progress to plying, using nostepinne and niddy noddy, as time allows. We will discuss fiber preparation, washing, finishing, organizing and storing your thread, preparation for dyeing, and using your thread for weaving and knitting. Resources for exploring more spindles and fibers will also be shared.
WOOL: On Saturday we will spin wool fibers. We will explore a few different kinds of sheep wool and Alpaca too.
COTTON & FLAX: On Sunday we will spin a few kinds of cotton and use a distaff to spin Woodspirit School homegrown flax and European line.
Workshop Fee: $60 for a single day, $100 for both days
Optional: Spindle and Fiber Kit: A spindle and an ounce of fiber for more practice at home, $40.
JAZMIN HICKS-DAHL runs Woodspirit Handcraft and Woodspirit School in Ashland, WI with her woodworker husband. She makes indigo dyed and handwoven textiles when she can. She has been growing flax and indigo since 2017. She studied flax processing with Andrea Mycklebust and back strap weaving and spindle spinning with Louise Young. Her background includes art & design, a love of natural materials, folk textiles, and an obsession with indigo since her teens. @loveblueindigo
6 available
6 available
4 available
9 available
——July 10-12——Katazome Stencils & Sukumo Indigo Dyeing with Jazmin Hicks-Dahl
$285.00
Related Courses: Textile Courses
Registration closes June 26 so the instructor can prepare materials.
Date: Friday-Sunday, July 10-12, 9:30am-4:30pm
Optional: Friday, July 9, 6pm Japanese Textile Travels Craft Night Series show and tell of textiles and photos from three trips to Japan with Jazmin Hicks-Dahl.
Description: Katazome is a Japanese method of dyeing fabrics using a resist paste applied through a stencil. Over three days we will go through the process of designing and making stencils and applying paste through them onto cotton fabric. We will dye the fabric in special sukumo indigo vats from composted indigo leaves grown in Japan by Watanabe’s. This is a unique opportunity to experience sukumo which is very rare in the US and requires 1 year to make and 2 weeks to prepare for dyeing. Read about it here. We will discuss the magic of indigo dyeing, fermentation, vat maintenance, and different vat recipes.
The instructor will be in touch about preparing an appropriate design before class begins.
Bring:
apron/old shirt for dyeing in
well fitting rubber/nitrile gloves, 3 pairs
reading glasses if you need them
headlamp (optional)
Workshop Fee: $285
Materials Fee: $50 includes all materials, dyeing supplies, handouts, and fabric. Please pay the teacher directly during class.
Classroom: The classroom space is on the second floor accessible by stairs and outside under a shade tent. There is a small refrigerator, coffee/tea area and a place for eating lunch together.
JAZMIN HICKS-DAHL runs Woodspirit Handcraft and Woodspirit School in Ashland, WI with her woodworker husband. She makes indigo dyed and handwoven textiles when she can. She has been growing indigo since 2017. She studied katazome, sukumo, and indigo dyeing with Takayuki Ishii and shibori with Hiroshi Murase and Yoshiko Wada in 2019. She learned about making and maintaining sukumo vats from Kenta Watanabe in 2025. Read about it here. Her background includes art & design, a love of natural materials, folk textiles, and an obsession with indigo since her teens. @loveblueindigo
3 available
——July 16 Craft Night——All Blue: Japanese Sukumo Indigo Dyeing Experience with Jazmin Hicks-Dahl
$10.00
Related Courses: Textile Courses and Shibori Sessions: Session A Itajime , Session B Arashi, Session C Makiage and Indigo Taster Week
Thursday, July 16 All Blue: Japanese Indigo Dyeing Experience Craft Night Series with Jazmin Hicks-Dahl. Registration is required to participate in craft night dyeing.
Description: Experience truly living blue by dyeing a small cotton square with special sukumo indigo vats from composted indigo leaves grown in Japan by Watanabe’s. This is a unique opportunity to experience sukumo which is very rare in the US and requires 1 year to make and 2 weeks to prepare for dyeing. Read about it here. Jazmin’s collection of textiles and dyeing books will be on display.
If you would like to participate please secure your spot by registering and filling out the form at checkout. $10 per person, non-refundable. 15 spaces available.
Bring:
apron/old shirt for dyeing in
well fitting rubber/nitrile gloves
Participation Fee: $10 per person, includes cotton square
JAZMIN HICKS-DAHL runs Woodspirit Handcraft and Woodspirit School in Ashland, WI with her woodworker husband. She makes indigo dyed and handwoven textiles when she can. She has been growing indigo since 2017. She studied katazome, sukumo, and indigo dyeing with Takayuki Ishii and shibori with Hiroshi Murase and Yoshiko Wada in 2019. She learned about making and maintaining sukumo vats from Kenta Watanabe in 2025. Read about it here. Her background includes art & design, a love of natural materials, folk textiles, and an obsession with indigo since her teens. @loveblueindigo
News
At the next Craft Night, Jarrod Dahl, woodworker and craftsman, will present a slideshow of Scandinavian baskets in all their variations from several visits to Scandinavia. He will demonstrate splitting techniques and display baskets from his collection. Jarrod teaches Korgar: Scandinavian Split Willow Baskets June 4-7.
See Baskets at Craft Night on June 3
View our 2026 Calendar
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Support our developing school
We began construction in 2021, the same year we ran our first season of classes. We are almost done! Help us with storage sheds, patio paving, classroom set-up, scholarships, and expanding our offerings. Thank you!
What People Are Saying About Woodspirit School
“As a retired educator, I am really critical about the quality of instruction when I attend workshops, and Jarrod was excellent! He introduced the various spoon carving topics, performed demonstrations, and spent time one on one when needed, which is very helpful. I came away from the class feeling like I can carve the next spoon!”
— Spoon Carving Student from Brillion, WI
“It was an all around great experience: awesome instructor, beautiful workspace, and generous hospitality.”
— Danish Cord Stool Student from Bayfield, WI
“I truly appreciated Mike sharing his skills and creative process. He didn’t just have me carve a bird—he taught me skills that I will continue to use and build on.”
— Bird Carving Student from Madison, WI
“Great history/background information and examples, wonderful, casual teaching style, time well managed, left me wanting more! The classroom space was beautiful, comfortable and inviting, and the light was amazing for handwork.”
— Indigo Dyeing & Shibori Class Student from Ashland, WI