Maker’s Village with Peter Yencken

Wood, leather, and wool, which material calls to you?  Spend the weekend learning a new craft in this “village-style” workshop where multiple crafts are being taught simultaneously in the same space. Participants will choose one large project to complete while absorbing other crafts with eyes and ears—an ancient way of learning through observation.  Each student selects one of the following: a wooden longbow, a pair of leather shoes, a leather backpack, a wooden slat pack-basket, a pair of felted boots, or a wooden-handled knife.

No experience is needed for any of the crafts, just a willingness to listen to instruction and focus on your project. Bow making and knife handle carving are excellent for all ages, and the remaining projects are recommended for ages 16+.  Leatherworkers and pack-basket makers are encouraged to attend the Friday evening session (6pm-9pm) to get a jump start on their projects.

Choose to make one of the following:

Longbow
The ancient art of archery was an integral survival skill for many peoples across the globe.  A multitude of bow shapes and shooting styles evolved over the millennia, for both hunting, protection, and even meditative practice. Throughout the ages, the crafting of the bow has remained as important as the skill of shooting it. This two-day course gives you the opportunity to craft a wooden longbow that is tailored to your size and strength. No prior archery or woodworking experience is required. Learn to select your hickory blank, handle the tools, test the bow’s balance, make the string, safely string the bow, and apply oil to finish your bow. You’ll learn everything you need to know to build more bows on your own. By Sunday, your bow will be ready to shoot, and we will cover the instinctive shooting method, useful for both hunting and meditation purposes. All bowmakers will receive one arrow, and if there is time may be able to make a couple of extras.

Leather Shoes
Having the soles of our feet close to the Earth feels good on many levels, and research has shown that daily activity in minimalist footwear increases foot strength. Take care of your feet by sewing shoes that fit them exactly and support healthy walking habits! Make a customized pattern based on your foot, then use a variety of leather-working tools to turn veg-tanned leather hides into moccasin-style shoes. Unique to this class is the replaceable sole design that saves on both material costs and time. Once the sole eventually wears through, you can easily replace just the sole instead of making a whole new pair of shoes.  You’ll come home from this course with the skills needed to make additional pairs of shoes. 

Knife Handle
What tool embodies bushcraft, wilderness survival, and self-reliance more than a knife?  If you have ever felt a hand-carved wooden knife handle, you may have experienced that the sense of melding of hand and handle allows for noticeably improved precision and comfort. This course allows you to carve your own knife handle from wood in the way that feels best to your hand. You’ll then attach it to a class-provided steel blade and come home with a sharp, functional, personalized knife for use in the backcountry, the kitchen, the farm, or wherever you need it most. Students may also make their own sheath.

Wooden Pack-Basket
These sturdy wooden pack-baskets are woven with strips of black walnut, hickory, and cherry weavers, fitted with leather straps and a wooden lid. Will you use it for harvesting roots up in the mountains? Gathering potatoes from your garden? Carrying laundry or groceries? The options for these durable and beautiful baskets are endless— they even make a great seat or small table while camping. Above all they are a great alternative to synthetic backpacks and are easier to load and unload because they do not slump, and the rigid shape protects fragile cargo. The finished basket weighs about 5 lbs, and if oiled occasionally they can last indefinitely.  

Each person’s pack-basket will be unique— choose the height of your basket, and the color design by mixing the different wood options of light maple, orangish-red of cherry, and dark brown of black walnut. Leather straps and metal rivets add additional skills and options for customization to this weaving project. Note that this isn’t an entirely natural-materials basket (metal rivets are used to secure the rim and there is a small amount of plywood in the bottom) but the finished basket is incredibly durable and functional.

Leather Backpack
Leather backpacks are comfortable, versatile, and durable, not to mention beautiful. Your customized backpack will be hand-stitched from veg-tanned cow leather. This backpack is designed as the perfect size for airline travel or as an overnight bag, and will be customized to fit your particular body size & shape.  The leather working skills you learn in this course are easily transferable to other leather projects like wallets, shoulder bags, phone cases, and even clothing. Plus, your handcrafted leather backpack will inevitably receive compliments wherever you go— the dedication that goes into the hand-stitching is tangible.

Felted Boots
The Pacific Northwest is the perfect place for cozy felted boots.  Wool can keep your feet warm even when wet, it breathes well, and it even resists bacteria, unlike synthetic boots.  This style of “wet-felting” doesn’t require knitting, but does involve getting your hands wet and soapy. We will be working outside, so if you’re very sensitive to having cold hands, this may not be the choice for you, but for those who brave it, your pair of wool boots will be great as indoor slippers or as boot liners.  If you add a leather sole they can become an excellent outdoor boot (ask to see Peter’s well-worn pair). The skills you learn here can be transferred to making other felted items such as mittens, bags, and sit pads.

Meet Your Instructors

Peter Yencken

Peter Yencken has been teaching in this village style for many years.  Originally hailing from Australia, he now calls Virginia home and travels to teach at many wilderness schools around the country.  He first started making bows over 25 years ago while working for Tom Brown’s Tracking & Wilderness Survival School, and has expanded his crafting repertoire in the years since. He reckons he has taught the art of making bows to well over 500 people of all ages.

Maude Richards

Maude Richards is a mother to a second grader, a gardener of garlic and dry beans, and an accounting assistant for the North Olympic Salmon Coalition.  She has called Western Washington home for over 30 years, and has been homesteading off grid since 2013.  She loves weaving of all kinds, backpacking, and playing guitar.