Caning Shop Open Studio
Free Classes Every Friday and Saturday.

You tell us what you want to learn and pay for the materials,
and we will show you how to do it.

Open Studio Hours:
Friday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Please call ahead to tell us what you'd like to do, and to put you on the schedule.


THE FIBER ARTS OF CORDAGE-MAKING
at the Caning Shop in Berkeley
March 10, 2018
Saturday, 9am to 4pm
(1/2 hour lunch break at noon - bring your own lunch)
Min/Max Age: 16-years-old/Adult
Fee: $95 - Instructor: Dino Labiste
Please call to register: 1-800-544-3373
The ability to twist, twine or braid fiber into cordage allowed indigenous cultures to tie their world together. Learn the various techniques of gathering, preparation, extracting and plying of different plant materials to create cordage. Practice the efficient method of leg rolling dogbane fibers. The skill to ply plant fibers into cordage led to the creation of woven cloth and the textile arts. We'll make a small looped string bag using our newly made cordage as the beginning foundation for the bag. Due to the limited amount of time, we'll continue and finish the bag using commercial cotton cordage that has been colored with natural plant dyes. The looped string bag will look similar to the bag in the photo.

SEDGE & RUSH BASKETS
at the Caning Shop in Berkeley
March 24, 2018
Saturday, 9am to 4pm
(1/2 hour lunch break at noon - bring your own lunch)
Min/Max Age: 16-years-old/Adult
Fee: $95 - Instructor: Dino Labiste
Please call to register: 1-800-544-3373
Baskets are found all over the world in various cultures. They serve utilitarian uses, such as gathering, transporting and storage, as well as aesthetic purposes. Experience the ability to create a basket from sedge and rush plants. You'll learn three different twining techniques that were found in native baskets of the Central Valley of California. Harvesting, processing and preparation methods will be discussed. Come and enjoy a day of making a twined basket out of plants from the marsh.

FLINT-KNAPPING:
THE ART OF MAKING ARROWHEADS AND STONE TOOLS
at the Caning Shop in Berkeley
Two Separate Classes:
March 10, 2018 & March 24, 2018
Saturdays, 10am to 4pm
(1/2 hour lunch break at noon - bring your own lunch)
Min/Max Age: 16-years-old/Adult
Fee: $90 - Instructor: Ken Peek
Please call to register: 1-800-544-3373
In this introductory class you will participate in a 2.5-million-year-old tradition of making tools from stone... our most ancient technology! Beginners will learn about the different types of stone used to make tools, and will receive a basic knapping kit to learn and take home. Stone to work on (obsidian) will also be provided. Bring along eye protection and leather gloves, if you have them. Students must be at least 16 years of age.