SUMMER/FALL CLASSES AT OTTER POND BINDERY

UPDATED AUGUST 1ST, 2024

GREETINGS! Otter Pond Bindery is open for classes again!.I am offering at least  two workshops this summer/fall. The first is described below. The second (and possibly a third) are to be determined. (Any specific requests for classes will be considered.) All who are vaccinated are welcome. Please call if you have questions. (802) 257-0003; leave a messsge and I will get back to you.

*NEW* Two Chinese Dragon Books in a Box: September 14th-15th 10am-4pm

In this 2-day workshop celebrating the Chinese Year of the Dragon, we will create small boxes using a pattern from a typical Chinese restaurant takeout box. It will include two accordion "dragon books". The covers will be the faces of "good" and "evil" dragons (I will provide templates but you are welcome to create your own). In one we can record (in words, images, doodles, cut paper, etc.) gratitude for the grace and positive forces in our lives (the good energy that feeds us).The other will be a repository for what we feel are the negative forces weighing us down. We can fill them as we wish, acknowledging that both realities exist and affect us. We will also create a tetrahedron charm to put in the box that will help us see our way through. The workshop cost is $230, which includes materials, instructions, and two delicious lunches.Class size limited to 6 people.

 

Please call (802) 257-0003 and leave a message if you are interested in attending the Dragon Books class; you can also email me, but due to the crazy number of emails I get, it is still advisable to call and let me know you emailed! Thank you.

Feel free to ask questions. I look forward to hearing from some of you soon! (As always, the options below are also available for scheduling a private workshop for you and your family or friends.)

PAGE DOWN FOR DIRECTIONS TO BINDERY AND SCHOOLHOUSE NUMBER 10.

Design Your Own Workshop

Imagine sharing our cozy two-bedroom Schoolhouse with a friend or three in beautiful southern Vermont, and attending a book arts workshop of your own choosing. In addition to the regular classes listed on this website, you could design anything from a 2-night stay with a single day-long workshop to a 3 or 4 night retreat with a day-and-a-half to 3-day workshop. Weekdays or weekends -- your choice. Make paste paper or marbled paper, then use it to create your own journal. Or delve into pop-ups or tunnel books. Or treat an affianced couple to a weekend at the Schoolhouse where they can make their own wedding album. The Schoolhouse offers all the amenities (fully equipped kitchen and bath, wraparound decks with hot tub) in a secluded, beautiful rural setting a short walk from Otter Pond Bindery. Organic breakfast fixings provided, and gourmet lunch for each workshop day is also included. Call or email for details and rates.

Here are a few of the many possibilities:

* The Tunnel's End: Imagine & construct a tunnel book with your own images (2 day wkshp).

* All About Accordions: Make 3 to 4 different accordion structures and create images to fill one of them (1.5 day wkshp).

* Rounded and Backed: Make a hardbound book sewn on tapes with a rounded back cloth-and-board case (minimum 2 day wkshp)

* Casing In: Make a hardbound book and slipcase (minimum 2 day wkshp).

* Book Arts for Teachers: Learn a variety of techniques for using book arts to enhance learning in the classroom.

* A Slim Volume: Create your own collection of favorite poems (written by you or others, collected by you) in a limited edition chapbook (2 days with prep ahead).

* Paper Decoration I: Paste paper and three-section hardbound journals (2 day wkshp).

* Paper Decoration II: Marbled paper and two portfolio structures (2 day wkshp).

* 3 Books, 3 Sewings: Make three hardbound books using pamphlet stitch, Japanese 6-needle binding, and Coptic sewing techniques (2 day wkshp).

* Illustrated journals for beginners: Make a simple hardbound journal and learn 6 techniques for filling it (1or 1.5 day wkshp).

* The Drop Spine Box: Make one small and one large drop-spine box to store special objects, photos or papers (2 day wkshp).

* Out in the Field: Making and Keeping Field Journals (1 or 2 day wkshp).

* Books in the Classroom: Three techniques for teachers who want to integrate book arts into their curriculum (1 or 2 day wkshp).

* Chinese Sewing Box: Make a drop-wall etui of boards and book cloth to hold your sewing needles and findings (2 - 3 day wkshp).

* Fun with Pop-Ups: Make a boxed set of pop-up forms and then pick one to elaborate and encase it in a folded box (1day wkshp).

* Boxed In: Make a multi-section box for your bookbinding or sewing tools, decorated with marbled paper and covered with book cloth (2 day wkshp).

FROM THE NORTH: take I-91 South to exit 1, go south (right) on rte 5 toward Guilford, and in less than a mile, turn right in front of the Guilford Country Store onto Guilford Center Rd. Follow that for a little less than 2 miles, and turn left onto Weatherhead Hollow Rd. Follow that for about six miles until you pass Weatherhead Hollow Pond (a large pond on your left). You will see the Franklin Farm (and farm store) on your right. Just after that is Packer Corners Rd on the right. Take that for 1.6 miles, then turn right onto S. Belden Hill Rd. You will pass our small refurbished schoolhouse on the corner ("Schoolhouse No. 10"), then a gray barn on the right, then you'll see a white house and red barn. That's me! Park on the side of the road or near the barn.

FROM THE SOUTH: Take I-91 North to Exit 28b in Bernardston Massachusetts, and go right from the off-ramp. Turn right (North) when the road dead-ends into Route 5. After several miles, turn left on Keets Brook Rd. and follow it through the valley until it comes to Weatherhead Hollow Rd. Turn left and pass the Franklin Farm, then take a right on Packer Corners Rd. and follow that for 1.6 miles. Turn right onto S. Belden Hill Rd. Our refurbished schoolhouse ("Schoolhouse No. 10") is on the corner, then a gray barn on the right, then a white house and red barn. Park on the side of the road or near the barn.

For a charming local accommodation, see Schoolhouse Number 10 (our 2-BR refurbished 18th century schoolhouse).

For additional local accommodation nearby, see the Cabin at Bear Meadow (http://www.vtcabin.com/).