Join Joelle in creating magical paper lanterns. We will explore different ways to cut, poke and shape our designs with light while also learning different ways to attach our hanging ribbons. Tools and hand decorated papers will be provided, but feel free to bring your favorite translucent papers.  

In this beginner’s stitching class, we will be learning how to create the disappearing 9 patch quilting pattern.  Fabric will be provided by the instructor, but participants are welcome to bring their own.  Students must bring their own: sewing machine (in good working condition), thread, pins, scissors, and other sewing/quilting notions.  

Make a beautiful gourd basket. Perfect for a gift or to keep for yourself. Gourds will be pre-cut. Students will need to clean gourds, sand, and drill holes. Then we will sew white pine needles to the rim. We will be able to pick from a number of stains to finish the gourds. Gourds are around 4-5” in diameter. During this class, we will also go over the basics of making pine needle baskets. This is a great class to learn a skill for life.

ALERT - This class was originally set for 1/28/25 and is now starting 3/4/25.

The basic skills of carving and finishing a wooden duck, songbird, or small whale will be covered, along with an introduction to safety and equipment in this 6-week series in woodcarving. Supplies, including a sharp knife and a cut-proof glove will be provided by the instructor and will go home with the students.. If the first project is completed, there will be options for another. Wayne Robbins has been carving since Boy Scouts, and has taught carving for nearly as long. His work is represented in several galleries along the coast and he has sculptures in most every state and several countries. Birds and sea creatures are his favorite topic. 

(Six week course, no class week of 2/17 [winter break]) 

Join Joelle in learning how to bind a French sewn book on tabs that will be laced into a folded paper cover. This will be a multi-gathering book, which can be used as a journal, to jot notes, collect favorite recipes or poems and more! Learn the tools and techniques of hand bookbinding with this beginner book structures class. Tools and materials provided. 

Learn the very basics of Tunisian Crochet. We will make a mini dishcloth using the Tunisian simple stitch and finish it up with a single crochet edge. All students will go home with a hook and yarn to practice their new skill. 

Your instructor, Mary Laury is an accomplished watercolorist and highly esteemed teacher. She encourages all her students to believe they can be successful. Painting is an exciting medium; it flows and moves and does beautiful things. If you have never painted in watercolors, we will start at the beginning. If you have painted before, you will pick up some new tips and tricks as well. We all learn together!

Painting Flower Portraits in Watercolor is the focus of this retreat.  

Paint flower portraits realistically. You will paint pictures of flowers in detail, but more painterly than a scientific illustration. We won’t count veins, but we will count petals! Painting flowers is a wonderful exercise in observation.

Learn brush stroke and value

White on white flowers

Leaves, long and short

Iris, narcissus, orchids, tulips, and other spring flowers.

Materials list:

We will paint on smooth paper; Strathmore Series 500, one hundred percent cotton paper, either plate or vellum. This paper can be bought at Artist and Craftsman in Portland in large sheets, which we will cut up.

Bring a #2 round brush and a #6 round brush, pencil, palette, tube watercolors in the 3 primary colors and perhaps a green. Paper towels and water container. And bring a plant or flower specimen with no more than 9 petals. This is a slow and careful process and 9 petals and some leaves is enough happiness for us all.

Escape to a Grand Victorian Inn, the Harbor View House in Prospect Harbor on the coast of Maine, with an intimate group of artist, cooks and creatives! All meals are included in the workshop fee plus special activities to extend your learning from the day’s workshops, including a private house concert by Grammy balloted sing-songwriter, storyteller, and author Gordon Ward. Day students are welcome.

For more information about the workshop, call Mary at 207-632-2251. To book your stay at the inn call 207-963-9122 or visit https://harborviewhousellc.com/.  

Feedback from recent participants: 

“Great instructor!-Mary acts as a guide to develop our own style.“ “Easy no stress instruction.”

Let’s gather and make sculpted paper flowers for Spring. Using techniques like cupping, curling, scoring, spiraling, crimping and fringing we will create a paper bouquet.  Materials and tools will be provided, but feel free to bring your favorite papers.