Join our mailing list to learn about upcoming workshops and events at Craftfolk Collective. We offer free and paid in-person experiences at our schoolhouse in Colfax, CA. We also share stories about makers and craft traditions across the globe through our semi-monthly newsletters.
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Week of March 16th: Classes and Events at Craftfolk
Published about 1 month ago • 4 min read
What We've Been Making — and What's Coming Up
We had such a fun time making leather-bound journals this past Tuesday evening. Everyone learned the basics of bookbinding (planning a book design, creating signatures, bookbinding stitches, and finishing) and came home with a custom-made book to use for journaling, scrapbooking, photos, and more. We will add a hard cover bookbinding workshop sometime this summer to continue the bookmaking fun!
Craft Club resumes this Thursday and there are still a few spaces left in our Introduction to Natural Perfumery workshop this Saturday, March 21, 1-4pm. You won't want to miss this special opportunity to learn from Bay Area perfumer Loreto Remsing of LARŌ Fragrance. Loreto's work is featured in boutiques in California, New York and Texas and she has been commissioned to design signature fragrances for several Bay Area companies. She is known for her ability to capture the unique scents of a place, and I love this description of her Big Sur perfume:
"A fresh, herbal, outdoorsy, citrus perfume with notes of lemony woodmint, wild herbs, sagebrush, ocean air, California bay leaf, coastal redwoods, mosses and lichens." — Big Sur, my current favorite of Loreto's natural perfumes
Grab your space and get ready to blend a custom fragrance for you!
We are planning a very special event in April with our friends at Snapdragon Provisions, who run the amazing organic cafe in the front of our building! There will be live music, small bites and mocktails, and a ceramic plate painting activity. The event is free, but you can register hereto paint a plate. See below for more details.
We also have a full line up of workshops through March and April (visit the class calendar and check out spring workshop descriptions below).
Wishing you a creative week and hope to see you soon, Gretchen
Gretchen Boyce Founder, Craftfolk Collective
March Events & Workshops:
Thursdays, 4-6pm: Community Craft Club (FREE!)
Join us for an informal gathering of makers, neighbors, and friends. Bring your own project and work in the company of community. We offer the space, hot mugs of tea, and light snacks to enjoy.
Free! Bring your own materials/projects. Please RSVP.
Saturday, 3/21, 1-4pm Introduction to Natural Perfumery with Loreto Remsing
Discover the art of natural perfumery in this hands-on, beginner-friendly workshop. Each participant will create a 30 mL all-natural eau de toilette using a curated palette of 30 botanical notes. No experience needed. All materials provided.
Sunday, 3/22, 10am - Noon Knitting Clinic with Mary Prassinos
This low-cost, skill-focused knitting clinic offers a supportive space for knitters of all levels to work on their own projects alongside experienced knitters who are available for one-on-one help with troubleshooting, technique questions, and pattern navigation. Bring your own materials and projects. All levels welcome.
Saturday, 3/28, 1-5pm Beaded Brass Hoop Earrings with Teresa Gibson
Only 3 spots left!
Learn the basics of beading and jewelry assembly while creating a wearable pair of brass beaded hoop earrings. Each participant will leave with one finished pair of earrings, plus the skills and basic tools to continue making at home. No experience needed. All materials provided.
Sunday, 3/29, 1-3pm Elderberry Syrup Making with Gretchen Boyce
Make your own elderberry syrup, a traditional herbal remedy crafted with elderberries, warming spices, and honey. Each participant will take home a 16 oz bottle of syrup plus a printed recipe handout. All materials provided. No experience needed.
Tuesdays, 3/31 and 4/7, 6-8pm Learn to Crochet: Make a Hat in 2 Evenings! with Rebecca Navarro
Learn to crochet a cozy merino wool beanie over two class sessions! Perfect for true beginners, anyone who wants to brush up on their skills, or those who simply enjoy working on a project with some guidance. Materials kits are available for purchase at registration, or students are welcome to bring their own.
Saturday, 4/4, 1-3pm Herbal Infused Skincare: Make Your Own Oils and Salves with Hannah Stephens
Learn to make herbal infused oils and salves using traditional methods in this hands-on intro to natural skincare. You'll explore the benefits of common herbs, learn the basics of oil infusion and salve making, and leave with finished products plus printed recipes to continue crafting at home. All materials provided. No experience needed.
Saturday, 4/11, 10am-Noon Goat Milk Soap: A Beginner's Workshop with Sergio Navarro
Learn to make handcrafted soap from scratch using nourishing raw goat milk. You'll choose your own essential oil scent and take home a full batch of 10 bars, plus the tools needed to cure and cut your soap at home. All materials provided. All levels welcome.
Tuesday, 4/14, 6-8:30pm Painting with Tissue Paper on Glass with Gail Weger
Learn to create luminous, permanent or temporary images on glass using layers of torn or cut tissue paper, glue, and color. This versatile technique works on any glass surface — vases, jars, mirrors, framed windows — and can be updated whenever you're ready for a new look. All materials provided, bring your own glass vessel to embellish.
Saturday, 4/18, 1-4pm Resin Earrings with Pressed Flowers & Local Materials with Teresa Gibson
Learn the fundamentals of resin jewelry making with instructor Teresa Gibson of Creature of Habitat. You'll create your own pair of earrings using local pressed flowers and American River sand, choosing from multiple designs to make the piece your own. You'll leave with a finished pair of earrings and the skills to keep making at home. No experience needed. All materials provided.
Saturdays, 4/25 & 4/26 9am-Noon each day Punch Needle Rug Hooking: A Beginner's Two-Day Workshop with Melissa Vorndran
Learn the art of punch needle rug hooking in this comprehensive two-day beginner workshop with Oxford Certified Instructor Melissa Vorndran. Working from one of three original patterns of your choice, you'll complete a mug rug coaster from start to finish and leave with the skills and confidence to tackle future projects. Materials kit included. Beginners and those looking to refine their technique welcome.
Craftfolk is a community craft school rooted in local connection, lifelong learning, and the joy of making by hand. We are seeking skilled, thoughtful teachers to lead small-group workshops in a focused, supportive environment. We are currently scheduling classes for the spring and fall. If you are interested in teaching, please fill out our survey.
We are scheduling classes for the spring and summer based on your feedback! Please fill out our survey and tell us what you want to learn at Craftfolk.
a gathering place for creative community in the Sierra Foothills.
Join our mailing list to learn about upcoming workshops and events at Craftfolk Collective. We offer free and paid in-person experiences at our schoolhouse in Colfax, CA. We also share stories about makers and craft traditions across the globe through our semi-monthly newsletters.
No Kidding! Spring Classes are Here This past Saturday, a group of us learned how to make soap from Sergio and Rebecca Navarro of The Astral Farm in Grass Valley. Rebecca and Sergio brought raw goats milk from their small herd of goats and a variety of organic oils and butters for us to use and we each crafted a custom-scented batch to take home to cure. The group had a wonderful time blending and stirring as Sergio and Rebecca took us step-by-step through the process of creating our own...
Happy Spring Crafting Spring has officially sprung here in Colfax! We enjoyed a weekend of beautiful weather and a fun and informative class by Hannah Stephens of Dirty Boots Floral. Hannah taught us how to make calendula infused facial oil and salve and we each created a custom scent by adding essential oils. I took the class as a student, and was so engrossed in the instruction I almost forgot to take pictures! I did snap a shot of the Easter themed cupcakes baked by my husband Chris, who...
Sharing Homemade Remedies What a week it has been at Craftfolk Collective! We were thrilled to welcome so many new and returning students through our doors, and the energy in the school has been inspiring. In our elderberry syrup making workshop this past weekend, we learned about the power packet berries, herbs and spices that go into the elixir and their herbal actions. We enjoyed elderberry mocktails, made a huge batch of syrup, and everyone brought home two big bottles. Part of why I...
