This year the Finnish American Folk School will mark Heikinpäivä with a month of classes that celebrate the season and Finnish American traditions.
Inkle Band Weaving
Instructor: Phyllis Fredendall
2 sessions: Wednesdays, January 11 5:30-8:30pm + January 18, 5:30-7pm
Jutila Center Fiber Studio room 105 (Masks are required in the fiber studio)
Class fee: $60
Optional pick up project fee: $40 (paid directly to instructor)
Advanced registration required: register online or by phone 906-487-7549
Last day to register: 1/6/23 or when sold out
Design and weave a colorful strap using an inkle loom. Class one includes design work, loom dressing and how to weave. In the second class students will take their bands off the loom and finish them for the end use: belt, hat band, bag strap garment trim – even an instrument strap with prearranged fittings. In the second session, experienced weavers inspired to work in a more complex structure will learn the pick-up technique to weave words and patterns and keep the looms for an additional week. Looms are available for use at home with a refundable deposit. No experience necessary.
Sew a Laudeliina or Placemats
Instructor: Ginger Alberti
Saturday, January 14, 2023 – 11am-1:30pm
Location: Sew Cranky – 322 Quincy St. Hancock, MI
Class fee: $35
Materials fee: $10 (paid directly to the instructor)
Advanced registration required: register online or by phone 906-487-7549
Last day to register: 1/9/23 or when sold out
Sew a linen laudeliina (sauna bench mat) or two placemats using antique hand crank sewing machines which are easy to control and operate. Sewing experience is not needed. For the advanced sewist, these machines offer a “Hands-on-History” experience. Linen is pre-washed and machine washable. Trim decoration is 100% cotton, and detailed stitching is created on an applique patch – using the excellent control that you have when sewing with a hand operated machine.
Ginger has been a clothing and craft designer for 40 years. In the early years she was focused on ethnic design wearable/washable clothing and custom garments. Later this branched into clothing and accessories of the 1800’s, and finally included the fascinating world of sewing with antique hand crank sewing machines. Ginger Alberti and Mike Sabo now own a storefront in Hancock, Michigan, “Sew Cranky” where they sell antique hand crank machines, and repair all sewing machines and antique appliances. Ginger creates delightful and original sewn items, (wearable, useful and gift) and offers classes to teach the skills of sewing many of these items at Sew Cranky — always using antique hand crank sewing machines.
Traditional Straw Himmeli Mobile
Image from: Finnish Heritage Agency Helka Mäkelä tarkastelee sisarensa tekemää himmeliä Yli-Vakkuri, Yrjö, kuvaaja 1936
Instructor: Alice Margerum
Thursday, January 19, 2023 – 5-8pm
Finnish American Heritage Center
Class fee: $30
Materials fee: $12 (paid directly to instructor)
Advanced registration required: register online or by phone 906-487-7549
Last day to register: 1/13/23 or when sold out
Larger himmeli mobiles were traditionally hung above dining tables in Finland to help ensure a good harvest for the next year. In Lithuania, they were hung over cradles and used at weddings to help circulate happiness and good fortune. The delicateness of natural straw, means that these large ornaments, move in the lightest of breezes. Each student will make one approximately 12-inch-high himmeli mobile in natural straw. There will be a choice of patterns, including one based on the gigantic “himmeli” sculpture hanging in the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock. The class will include instructions on the traditional method of making himmeli and working with natural straw, as well as some tips related to cutting the straw to length quickly and replacing broken straws. This class is suitable for absolute beginners. There are no special skills required, but students will need patience and must be old enough to use scissors safely.
Knit a Neckwarmer
Instructor: Clare Zuraw
2 sessions: Tuesdays, January 24 + 31, 5:30-7:30pm
Jutila Center Fiber Studio room 105 (Masks are required in the fiber studio)
Class fee: $50
Advanced registration required: register online or by phone 906-487-7549
Last day to register: 1/22/23 or when sold out
Knit a neckwarmer based on traditional sweater patterns from Vörå in western Finland. The class will focus on techniques used to knit stranded colorwork in the round on circular needles: yarn tension, catching floats, color dominance, reading and adapting a pattern, finishing, and more. Anyone who is able to knit and purl is welcome to register. No experience with colorwork knitting required. The class fee includes instruction and the neckwarmer pattern designed exclusively for this class. Students must bring their own circular needles and yarn. The pattern sample was knit on US7 9” circumference circular needles with two colors of worsted weight yarn. For more information about materials to bring, contact the instructor directly: clare.zuraw@finlandia.edu
Finnish Cookie Workshop
Instructors: Harri Kurtti and Jim Kurtti
Wednesday, January 25, 2023 – 5:30-7:30pm
Finnish American Heritage Center
Class fee: $20
Advanced registration required: register online or by phone 906-487-7549
Registration closes 1/22/23 or when sold out.
Learn to bake a variety of Finnish cookies. This workshop includes hands-on cookie making as well as the opportunity to taste different types of cookies.