Joni and I had a fantastic time at the Wooden Boat School in Maine. We learned a lot about stitch and glue boat building, using epoxy, and applying fiberglass, and we saw some great sites in the great state of Maine. When we got back, we had just enough time to take Kamaya, Kingston, Arriona and Lindsey to see "Kubo and the Two Strings" (cool movie, by the way....). But, alas, it is back to work for us.....in fact we just finished an event here at our studio in Summerfield, NC that we wanted to tell you about.
While Joni and Denise have taught the Woodland Retreats for many years now (they completed the final for 2016 just before our heading to Maine), Joni and I have also started to host HNCB Nantucket Workshops here in NC (Denise has begun to hold similar events on her own in Magnolia, DE). In this episode of the blog, we wanted to more fully introduce and describe a "Handmade NC Baskets Nantucket Workshop" for you.
The purpose of the HNCB Nantucket Workshops are to provide a somewhat more relaxed setting with a maximum of 8-10 weavers, hold them at our studios and workshop so that we can finish all of the projects and make additional kits and parts if needed, and to provide good food and serene companionship. In larger groups or at conventions, we have found it harder to teach each student to learn more intricate techniques and patterns, to nail or peg their own rims, attach handles & knobs, or to begin applying the finish to their project. Joni and I wanted to reduce the class size and tension in order to allow weavers to learn more completely all aspects of Nantucket basket weaving and finishing.
The second objective (having our own shop handy) is driven by a trend we were noticing, where we often had to bring baskets back to our shop to fit rims or lids or other follow-up work. This was a problem for both us and the students, since we often could not immediately complete the tasks due to subsequent events. Being in Joni's own studio and having my shop next door allows us to completely finish most projects. We love to travel and to teach away from Summerfield too, but when we do, we can only take as much as we can carry with us. When we are here, we have ALL of our molds, kits, tools, parts, accessories, and anything else we might need.
In addition to the HNCB Nantucket Workshops, we will occasionally host Private Workshops here in NC. This would allow groups of friends (minimum of 6 - for less than 6, we can provide a rate - give us a call) to book the entire studio for themselves. These would be all-inclusive (including food, board and registration fees....only project fees would be additional). We need to work out a few details on the sleeping arrangements, be we should be able to host 4 in separate rooms, and up to 6-7 if sharing rooms or using a blowup mattress. If you are interested in a private event, please call Joni or fill out and submit a contact form. If interested and you have less than 6 people, we would ask your permission to invite a limited number of our students to fill out the 6. If you have any questions, give us a call!
We will have held three HNCB Nantucket Workshops in 2016 after our final one in November. We have scheduled four for 2017, as well as one private workshop so far.
As for the third objective (food) we hope we are hitting the mark. We want people to enjoy themselves, have fun and eat well. We have uploaded a PDF of a recent menu to the 'Downloads, Videos and Demonstrations' Tab on this Website.
As always, we hope to see you soon, either at a basket event or here in Summerfield, NC. We would love to hear from you about classes, events, or just to say hello. We plan to be at home in the Studio and Shop for a couple of weeks before hitting the road. We will be with the Odds and Ends group in Maryville, TN, then on to the Association of Michigan Basket Weavers convention, and then down to Ocala, Florida to teach at Sharon Biardi's studio. In November we have a HNCB Nantucket Workshop in Summerfield, the Aiken, SC "Beloved" Gang and we finish teaching for the year at the Deer Creek Guild in Abington, MD. And finally, the Head Basket Maker says we can rest until after New Year's!
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Take care. Remember, it is a Beautiful Day, Don't Let It Slip Away.
ps - Please allow me a Soapbox Moment. It's a Beautiful Day - I know I say that all the time, but I truly believe every day is a Beautiful Day. I even think rainy, stormy days are beautiful. I have always felt this way, but even more-so since I had my stroke in 2007. We do not have an infinite number of days on this earth and I believe we need to enjoy every single one of them. I feel it is important to accomplish something cool, learn something I did not know, make something, meet someone interesting, go somewhere I have never been, or take a route I have never been on before, or at least the road less travelled....every day. It may seem like a bad day or that the sun will never again come out, but I believe that all the clouds will clear up and better things will come our way. I read an article the other day that hit home for me. Warren Zevon, the Grammy-winning artist who wrote and recorded "Werewolves of London" and "Veracruz" among many others, and who wrote several hit songs recorded by Linda Ronstadt (e.g. "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" and "Hasten Down the Wind") was diagnosed with Pleural Mesothelioma in 2002. Just prior to his death in 2003, he was asked by David Letterman, what were his thoughts on living life and dying too soon, and Warren responded, "Enjoy Every Sandwich". Every moment is precious, I hope you use all of your's to the fullest. It's a Beautiful Day!
David and Joni
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