The Craft School at Mill Hollow Works

Hi Friends. Tough but important post. Sometimes classes get canceled: low enrollment, sudden changes in Instructor schedule, family emergencies, etc. In these cases we will offer you a credit or refund. But we can't be held financially responsible for travel accommodations. Students traveling to attend a class are strongly encouraged to choose refundable or flexible travel and accommodation arrangements. By registering for a class, students acknowledge and accept responsibility for any independently booked travel or accommodation expenses.

We cancel or postpone classes as a last option. However, it does happen. We want you to be able to recover any money and not be penalized financially if this is the case - but we just can't be responsible for the strict policies of other organizations. Thank you for understanding.

Hey Friends - take a look at our Tiny House class project!

We built 6 boats this weekend with 6 “Bigs” and 6 “littles” starting with a stack of pine boards. We were thrilled to be able to offer scholarships to 3 families this year who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to attend. This class is so important and special; kids flourish here, gaining confidence through hands-on tools use and building something tangible - a boat that they can use for years. It’s beautiful to watch the relationships grow as the teams work closely together. We love bringing this unique experience to our community. Well done everyone!!

More squash & beans available - donations appreciated. Today we have 2 dozen fresh eggs available for $4 a dozen. The eggs are unwashed and unsorted. Today everything is inside the shop to keep it out of the sun. Come and get your supper - make stuffed squash! 149 Hurricane Road

Hey Friends - check out this great article on Dwell about Women-led Repair workshops. Guess who was included....nevermind I'll tell you - WE WERE! Our Handy Women Master Series was even featured as the lead photo. Well done team Mill Hollow Works!!

Women-Led Repair Workshops Are Teaching Hard Skills—and Confidence Too Much of the U.S.’s housing stock is suffering from deferred maintenance. So those who weren’t taught to DIY growing up are turning to newcomer-friendly classes to fix up their pads.

Something strange is happening on the farm this Halloween — and we need a cast brave enough to help us tell the story.

We’re creating an original, live, interactive Halloween Farm Mystery where families travel across the farm from scene to scene, gathering clues, collecting magical objects, questioning suspicious witnesses, and trying to stop one of the Shadow King’s most dastardly plans yet.

We’ll be casting characters including:

Two explosive, nervous, conspiracy-minded Chicken Witnesses who know everything happening in the neighborhood but absolutely do not gossip.

A mysterious Greenhouse Oracle who speaks for the plants and is deeply tired of the Shadow King upsetting the tomatoes.

A magical Workshop Tinker who knows what the Shadow King has been building — and is mostly angry that he touched the good tools.

A Garden Spirit who knows the old magic of the farm and may hold the key to breaking the Shadow King’s spell.

And other strange farm creatures, spirits, guides, and troublemakers.

You do not need to be a professional actor. You do need to be willing to have fun, commit to a character, interact with kids and families, and help us make something wonderfully weird and memorable.

For now, consider this your warning:

The Shadow King has returned.

And apparently, this is his greatest plan yet.

More casting information can be found by following the link:
https://millhollowworks.org/casting-for-our-farm-mystery-tour/

This time of year, especially, MHW is our Happy Place. It's joyous to be among a supportive community of learners and teachers. But it's ESPECIALLY beautiful! It's sheer happiness. Wade and I are so thankful to be here, to be among you, to be a little part of this Craft School. And my goodness, this is our JOB! How did we get so lucky? Here's a few of my absolutely favorite spots around the community garden and farm. Need a little pick-me-up or to drop-out for a breath of fresh air? All are welcome here.

There is real joy in building something difficult with your own hands—and discovering you can do more than you thought.

Our Round Wood Timber Framing class teaches the Scribe Method of Timber Framing. In scribe method timber framing, each timber is custom-fitted to the next. The logs can be curved, twisted, tapered, or imperfect — that is not a problem, that is the point. Students learn how to stack, align, and read the timbers, then use layout tools to transfer the exact shape of one piece onto another so the joinery fits what is actually there.

Our sold-out Round Wood Timber Framing class worked much the same way. Students arrived with different backgrounds, different goals, and different levels of experience. Together, they chose to build with hand tools, relying on one another as much as the tools in their hands.

That shared work often becomes one of the most lasting parts of our classes: people leave with new skills, new friendships, and a clearer sense of what they are capable of.

I have NO IDEA where I am the in the timeline of existence and what I’ve shared/not shared from our busy lives at MHW and the Elm Farm. So here’s a random photo dump including Community Garden, new t-shirts, Framing intensive, my goose shed progress, and my gooses.