Furniture making, woodworking, natural dyeing, weaving, fiber arts, and more.
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The Human & The Eternal: Shaker Art in Its Many Forms Michael Graham, Brother Arnold Hadd, Sister Frances Carr, and others The objects and artwork pictured in this catalog were featured in our special exhibit titled "The Human and The Eternal: Shaker Art in Its Many Forms" which ran from 2008-2009. This catalog features photographs of Shaker art, crafts, and other handmade items from the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Museum collection along with biographical and anecdotal information about the Shakers who made these items. Softcover, 69 pages, 2009 United Society of Shakers
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Housing, Feeding, Shearing, Spinning, Dyeing, and More
by Janet Garman
A comprehensive and inspiring full-color guide to small-scale fiber farming and wool crafting—from selecting and raising sheep and alpacas to shearing, sorting, combing and spinning. Fiber crafts—such as knitting, weaving, and crocheting—continue to surge in popularity, with sites like Ravelry (a social media community for the wool obsessed) gaining more than six million members. Artists are seeking quality raw materials in greater numbers. The cottage industry of supplying not only raw fleece, but handcrafted yarns, is strong. Janet Garman has a small fiber flock (including Pygora fiber goats) and shares her expertise, as well as interviews, tips, and advice from fiber farmers and craftspeople across the country. She offers the basics of properly raising sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, and rabbits, with tips on selecting animals, feeding, housing, breeding, and healthcare. From there, instructions are provided for shearing, sorting, skirting, washing, picking, carding, combing, and spinning the wool. Enthusiasts will also find recipes and instructions for natural, plant-based dyes and advice for selling your finished yarn. The proper care of fiber animals leads to a superior yarn product. Lapses in good care can show up in the fleece. As the demand for quality yarn and fiber grows, more people are becoming concerned with the animals’ treatment and care. Give your animals a good home and a happy life and enjoy superior fleece and yarn products for your own homestead or to sell. Skyhorse Publishing, 176 pages ISBN: 9781680994049 -
Simple Projects and Inspiration for the Home
by Dorothy Wood Subtle sophistication and country appeal are the hallmarks of Shaker home decor. Handmade Style: Shaker presents an assortment of easy-to-make decorative projects in the Shaker style, ranging from simpler crafts like an angel weather vane or monogrammed linen laundry bag to more ambitious ventures such as a Shaker quilt or knitted throw. Each project comes with step-by-step instructions, a complete list of materials, and instructive color photographs, making this crafts guide as practical as it is beautiful. Chronicle Books, 112 pages paperback ISBN: 978-0811825689 -
The Handbook of Natural Plant Dyes presents everything you need to know about using garden weeds to flowers, herbs and vegetable scraps in order to dye your fabric, yarn and other natural materials. Stunning photography accompanies easy to follow instructions that will have you exploring your kitchen, garden or backyard for new and exciting ways to dye your natural materials. Transform your fibers or textiles into works of art, dyed naturally in your own home. This encyclopedic collection also includes chapters of various plants, vegetables, flowers and more along with samples of fabrics, fibers and projects to show off the wide range of colors that can be achieved. This book is sure to inspire knitters, sewers, quilters and fabric lovers alike to transform ordinary fibers into extraordinary experiments of color with items easily found around your home!Timber Press Books, 171 pages.
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A Basketmaker's Odyssey: Over, Under, Around & Through. 24 Fantastic Basket Patterns from Beginning to Advanced! by Lyn Siler and Carolyn Kemp Reprint of a classic book, now softcover SPIRAL bound for easier reading and following patterns while weaving- leaving your book open completely flat so your hands can focus on basket weaving. Basketry’s unique blend of form and function has fired the imaginations of artisans and crafters for generations. Whether you’re making your first or forty-first basket, this book will push the boundaries of your established skills while teaching you new ones to last a lifetime, guiding you through the construction of beautiful handmade baskets that will be used and admired for generations to come. Lyn Syler (Lyn Siler), author of numerous basketmaking books and renowned basketry instructor, has generously compiled over 24 patterns—some of her own design, some conceived by friends and peers—for a variety of beautiful baskets you can learn to make on your own. An ideal book for basketmakers in search of new challenges and creative techniques, A Basketmaker’s Odyssey is sure to delight. With detailed drawings and photographs by Carolyn Kemp, the patterns are easy to follow and detailed in every respect. This book truly lives up to Lyn and Carolyn’s reputation for writing exceptionally clear patterns that set the standard for all to follow. A technique section begins the book giving you the information you need to begin the wide variety of basket patterns from various authors. Styles of baskets include beginner to advance flat reed, round reed, pine needle coiling with walnut slice accents, various types of twills, ribbed construction, alternative materials like heavy-weight paper and cut up jeans, diagonal plaiting, double-walled construction and a traditional round basket woven on a slotted base. A gallery of work is included for inspiration and awe. 112 pages, The Country Seat & Echo Point Books & Media.
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Over 30 baskets from beginner to advanced classics. by Lyn Siler and Carolyn Kemp 2015 reprint of a classic book, now softcover SPIRAL bound for easier reading and following patterns while weaving- leaving your book open completely flat so your hands can focus on basket weaving. This is the classic basket weaving bible. Includes a traditional fishing creel, many types of twills, market baskets, ribbed baskets and many more. This magnificent collection of over 30 baskets to make draws on lengthy global basketmaking traditions and includes a variety of techniques and easy-to-find materials. With this book as your teacher, you'll be well on your way to weaving handmade baskets of your own that will be admired in your family's home and used for generations to come. Weave 32 basic designs by hand from natural materials—and adapt them for hundreds more designs. Complete instructions with over 600 close-up illustrations of each step. “Practical answers...imaginative asides.”—Craft Connection. 144 pages, The Country Seat & Echo Point Books & Media.
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MASTER THE ART OF GREEN WOODWORKING WITH KEY TECHNIQUES AND INSPIRING PROJECTS By BARN THE SPOON Looking for a simpler, more natural way of working with wood? Create beautiful wooden objects from fresh green wood by becoming skilled in the crafts of whittling, ax-based furniture making, turning, and weaving. With green woodworking there’s no need for costly materials and machinery. All you need to begin crafting is a log, an ax, and a hand knife. Starting with selecting and splitting your very first log, let Woodcraft show you all the techniques of green woodworking and guide you step by step through a series of rewarding projects. Learn to carve your own spoons, bowls, shrink boxes, and other objects; construct simple pieces of furniture, such as stools and side tables; turn wood on a pole lathe; and weave with willow rods and birch bark. Woodcraft brings up-to-date a newly resurgent folk craft and makes it truly accessible to all–no workshop required. So, what are you waiting for? Get in touch with nature and find harmony working with your hands. Penguin Random House, 256 pages ISBN 9781465479785
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Seasons at the Parris House by Elizabeth Miller Signed by the Author! Nearly twenty years ago Beth Miller moved with her husband and four young kids from suburban New Jersey to a 200-year-old Federal period house and barn in rural Maine. She didn’t garden, she didn’t keep chickens or bees, she didn’t know how to preserve food, and she didn’t know how to make soap or hook rugs. She embarked on a journey to learn these heritage skills that have been largely forgotten, and today she owns and operates Parris House Wool Works, a traditional rug-hooking company serving both crafters and end buyers. It is also a working village homestead and workshop where she practices and teaches heritage skills, including all aspects of gardening, beekeeping, rug hooking, preserving, and soap making. Seasons at the Parris House is separated into seasonal sections and includes historical context and homestead related activities for each season, plus instructions for a set of related projects and recipes. Elizabeth Miller went from doing market analysis and procurement with a major defense contractor to raising chickens, keeping bees, making soap, gardening and preserving, crafting artisan rugs, and teaching these skills to others from her small family homestead and studio. She is working toward an advanced degree in history as time allows and is also a Registered Maine Guide. She lives with her family in Paris, Maine. Beth teaches rug hooking workshops and with us here at Shaker Village and demonstrates at our annual events. We are so very excited to carry her book! Visit her and learn more at parrishousewoolworks.com Down East Books Paperback, 336 pages ISBN: 978-1-60893-679-3
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The Shaker Legacy: Perspectives on an Enduring Furniture Style by Christian Becksvoort, photographs by John Sheldon Solid construction and honest functionality make Shaker furniture one of the most popular and timeless design categories. Based on extensive research and personal experience with the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community, this book traces the roots of Shaker design to Shaker belief, which inspired the clean lines, careful craftsmanship, and signature details that define the style. Chris also discusses the less known Victorian period of Shaker design and shows how this style has influenced subsequent ones. A bibliography, glossary, and index are included. Chris Becksvoort is a long-time friend and neighbor of the Community and teaches wood working workshops with us each season. Hardcover, 240 pages, full color. Taunton Press, 2000.
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Shaker Inspiration: Five Decades of Fine Craftsmanship By Christian Becksvoort "I first met Chris Becksvoort some 40 years ago when I joined the Community. Here I found a man quite dedicated to his craft and hungering after more to allow him to better his craft. The friendship between Chris, his wife, Peggy, and our Community is one that is very dear to us. Chris continues to donate his time in giving workshops and helping with workdays and Peggy documents with her camera events and life here. We have been enriched and we are grateful for the Becksvoorts in our life." -Brother Arnold, Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community “Best known for his work in television comedy (Parks and Recreation episode “Ron and Diane”), Christian Becksvoort reveals a surprising amount of woodworking wisdom, culled from spending a mere lifetime singularly focused on his masterful furniture work, mostly Shaker-inspired, mostly in cherry. This book is an instant treasure.” -Nick Offerman, actor, author and woodworker Opinionated? Yes. Informative? Absolutely. Interesting and inspiring? You bet. Not too many woodworkers can claim five decades of business success, but Christian Becksvoort is among them. In “Shaker Inspiration,” he shares not only his woodworking knowledge and some of his best professional techniques for producing top-quality work, but also the business advice that helped him establish and sustain his long career in a one-man shop. Plus, he shares measured drawings for 13 of his own well-known furniture designs and seven Shaker pieces that he’s reproduced. Whether or not you, like Christian, are inspired by the Shaker tradition, you’re sure to be inspired by one of the best-known names in woodworking. “Shaker Inspiration” begins with information that all woodworkers need – the nitty gritty of how to successfully make trees into furniture. This requires a firm grasp of wood movement – one of Chris’s specialties – and he shares many of the tricks he uses to ensure his pieces remain sound through the seasons and generations. The lessons are both big and small, from the advantages to working with a single species to how to calculate how much a drawer front will move inside a house with forced-air heat. Every page of this section is filled with little shop tricks that Christian has used to become a productive woodworker, from how to remove dovetail waste to how to align a drawer front and drawer side perfectly when dovetailing. After all the great information on the technical side of things, Christian dives into discussing the business side of things. He pulls no punches in discussing the difficulties of life as a furniture maker and designer. Getting started, you do whatever it takes to pay the bills. We’ve all done our share of kitchens and built-ins, and replaced porch railings. After more than five decades, I can do the woodworking almost in the dark. It’s the business end that’s a constant challenge, and it keeps me on my toes. He offers straightforward advice on setting up your shop, from the roof to the heat pump to the sign you use to announce your business to customers. Even how to set up relationships with suppliers and subcontractors. It is a sobering section, but if you ever want to set up a woodworking business, it’s the type of information that is almost impossible to come by. Finally, “Shaker Inspiration” dazzles you with three sections of photos and measured drawings. The last 60-odd pages offer a collection of Christian’s original designs, reproductions of Shaker pieces he’s made (and made famous) and photos of the original Shaker pieces that have inspired him the most as a craftsman and a designer. In addition to a beautiful photo and details about the piece, Christian shares a construction drawing of each project that will allow intermediate woodworkers to produce their own version. “Shaker Inspiration” is 166 pages and produced entirely in the United States by Lost Art Press. The 8.5” x 11” full-color book is printed on heavy coated paper. The pages are sewn and glued for durability and covered in cotton-covered boards. A tear-resistant dust jacket completes the package.
