Hello Friends—

I have a quick update for you all before I get back to the garden. Summer days are more or less here—70 degree days, light breezes, lilacs blooming, and heavenly sunsets. The months of snow are worth it for these next few months of dreamy days in the Chequamegon Bay Area. Soon we can go sailing and swim in Lake Superior.

Our first students Tom and Ken!—Spoon Carving Intensive

We had OUR FIRST TWO CLASSES in the past couple weeks—Spoon Carving and The Hundred Stick Willow Basket. The classes were a success—students went home with new skills and some useful items they made themselves.

The Hundred Stick Willow Basket Class. Notice the walls and ceiling?

One student already plans to come back for the second willow weaving class in October! If you were planning to take that class, consider signing up now.

Ross displays his finished basket with Scogin, basket weaving instructor, and Jazmin.

Our first COMMUNITY EVENT is tonight 6-8:30pm—Craft Night & Potluck. We look forward to connecting with local and visiting folks interested in craft, eating and making together.

I (Jazmin) have been working hard putting the TEXTILE GARDEN together. We planted the basket willow bed some time ago and most of the sticks from Willow Glen in Iowa have sprouted. The flax/linen bed is planted and sprouting nicely from seed I saved from last year’s crop at Jones’ Farm. The indigo bed is halfway built. We ordered composted manure from local cattle farmers in Moquah to start the beds off right. I’d better finish it quick because the indigo persicaria starts (seeds from Ricketts Indigo and from my own saved seed) on our porch are bursting and ready to go into the ground.

We got a delivery of wood chips for the Squares Garden where a variety of dye and textile plants will go. I have been ordering seeds and plants from Companion Plants in Ohio. Great people and they carry a fantastic variety of medicinal plants. Sweet Grass, Murasaki (purple root), Madder (red root), and Weld (yellow) have been transplanted into their square beds. Next up is Woad (blue), Marigold (yellow) and Indigo Suffruticosa (blue) a tropical indigo variety. Also ready to go in are cotton plants—Red Foliated White and Egyptian Green (seeds from Sand Hill Preservation) as soon as the willow fence is put up to keep the hungry rabbits at bay.

Totally inspiring—woven willow fences from Wonder Wood in UK

Speaking of the fence, we are weaving up a willow fence (inspired by Wonder Wood) around the Squares Garden within the next week or so. See this willow fence video on YouTube by Jan. We are lucky that willow basket instructor Scogin Zimmerman-Mayo lives a few blocks away and can help us with this task. Other property plans include adding a fence along the alley to keep deer out, more landscaping, and an update to our parking lot when budget is available. I hope the textile garden can be an educational element for students and community.

Axel helps load willow rods for future woven fencing.

VOLUNTEER SHOUT OUT Over the past month our awesome and generous friends Sally-Anne Way and Axel Peterman helped put in the Squares Garden and Axel spent a grueling day sorting and harvesting willow for the fence. As you know gardening takes many hands to make light work, so if you want to help weave a fence or pitch in on any other gardening tasks—email us at info@woodspiritschool.com—We would love your help!

View from the second floor of the building of the Squares Garden with wood chips in process, the willow bed behind it and 1 1/2 beds on the left—one with flax and the other—soon—for indigo.

Jarrod has been carrying on with completing the inside of the building (thanks to the funds from our refinance—yay!). We now have sheetrock up and sweet shiplap in Jarrod’s workshop. After mudding and taping comes painting, trim and lights, plus completion of the upstairs bathroom. We have lovely pine flooring for the classroom just waiting for installation and soon cabinets for storage as well. Even at this rustic stage, the space feels good and it will only get better as time goes on.

NEXT CLASSES & EVENTS:

June 21 Community Event: Craft Night & Potluck

June 24 Steam Bending Basics with Josh Swan at JW Swan & Sons Boatworks, Washburn, WI

June 24-26 Pole Lathe Turning with Jarrod Dahl

July 3 Community Garden Event: details TBD

July 5 Community Event: Craft Night & Potluck

July 15 Hand Plane Restoration with Josh Swan at JW Swan & Sons Boatworks, Washburn, WI

July 16 Birch Bark Canisters Demonstration with Jarrod Dahl via Zoom

HELP PROMOTE THE SCHOOL—Spread the word if you can—friends, family, social media, etc. It will probably take a couple years to build up awareness of our offerings, every little bit counts.

Please SAVE THE DATE for our GRAND OPENING PARTY August 19. If you are on our newsletter list, you will receive an invitation, so sign up! We’ll celebrate the opening of the school with a puppet play by a very special guest, drinks, food, live music and craft. We will have the event on Zoom, so you can join in from afar too.

Thanks for following along and hope to see you soon!

Yours in craft,

Jazmin & Jarrod, Woodspirit School

Warm Days are Back

Woodspirit School
of Traditional Craft

Warm Days are Back

The Stairway to Craft—Open House on August 19

The Tower of Craft

Woodspirit Schoolof Traditional Craft

Woodspirit School
of Traditional Craft