Bark craft (private group)

A course for private groups: a family, a group of pals, a team-building day for work colleagues, a celebration perhaps? The duration and details of this course can be tailored to your requirements. The info below is provided as a guide, but please get in touch to discuss what would make the day special for you.

This course invites a private group to work together in our bothy workshop, learning the basics of the magical raw material that is tree bark! You'll be guided through the process, and shown the skills to let you continue this magical process at home. We'll look at the pros and cons of different species, and how to dry and store bark so you can have raw material available any time of the year.

For thousands of years, bark has been used for applications from food containers to canoes, baskets to rope-making. The material is a beautiful, sustainable and inexpensive natural material for makers; the catch is it can only be harvested at a certain time of the year, and needs knowledge of what to look for and where best to find it.

The course will start with an introduction to the material, and a look at some finished products. If the time of year is right (May-June) we'll look at harvesting your own bark with simple tools; at other times of the year we'll exploit one of the advantages of bark, that you can store and re-use it throughout the year. Typically, from there, we will tackle a simple project - a knife sheath for your sloyd knife, or maybe a bangle - before moving on to a small woven basket. What you make is, of course, yours to keep. If you're keen to take away some rolls for future use, we can sort that too.

Note: as a private group booking, the exact layout of the day is flexible and can be agreed in advance. Please just get in touch to discuss the possibilities.

Tea/coffee will be available. Workshop guests usually bring a packed lunch, but we can discuss possibilities for a light lunch being provided on the day.