Saturday, Nov. 10 kick off your handmade holiday gift-making with a little help from Boothbay Railway Village. We’ll open the doors of the historic 1847 Boothbay Town Hall for two hands-on art classes, part of our ongoing series Primer: Lessons with Experts and Masters. Come down and create one-of-a-kind keepsakes and greeting cards with guidance from artists Susan Perrine and Jaime Wing.

Felted ornament workshop, 10 a.m.-noon

Create a special wintertime ornament by transforming Maine wool from fleece to fiber art with artist Susan Perrine. Experiment with wet and needle felting techniques and then cut shapes, combine layers and glue, sew, or needle stitch together and add details to your special object. Choose from a variety of seasonal and railway-themed templates or create a design of your own! Each participant will receive a packet with plenty of fiber, colorful beads, buttons, and embroidery floss.

What is felting?

Felting is a process for creating textiles that predates spinning and weaving. Felting uses friction, pressure, and sometimes moisture, to bind the interlocking structure of fibers together. Felted fabrics are dense and warm – perfect for the colder times of year!

Costs: $35/Museum members, $40/non-members; appropriate for ages 8 and up when accompanied by an adult.

Print-your-own holiday cards workshop, noon-2 p.m.

Maine printmaker Jaime Wing will show you how to wow your friends and relatives with handmade greeting cards this holiday season. You’ll walk away from this two-hour crash course with a handful of unique, hand-printed cards – and everything you need to know to make more at home!  All basic materials included, but students are welcome to bring colored paper or special craft materials for themselves or to share.

$60/Museum members, $65/non-members, appropriate for ages 14 and up when accompanied by an adult.

About the artists

Susan Perrine has a diverse fiber art background. She has woven fabrics on massive, electric powered, Jacquard looms, human powered, floor looms and created one that fit in a tiny matchbox. In the studio she weaves and sews textiles into wearable art. Recycled and found objects find their way into her work as easily as soft Maine wool. Susan is also known for her Twig Garden Structures. These community-built sculptures are created by weaving supple twigs and saplings together to form a shelter.

Jaime Wing is a printmaker, artist and designer based in Portland, Maine.  Originally a digital artist and watercolorist, Jaime’s first taste of relief printmaking was in high school, but when he took a course in stone lithography in college he fell in love with printmaking processes.  These days, Jaime’s printing methods of choice are letterpress and traditional wood block printing. Jaime does most of his print work at Pickwick Independent Press, a cooperative, community-based printshop in downtown Portland.

Email rori@railwayvillage.org or call 207-633-4727 to reserve a spot in your class of choice! Boothbay Railway Village is located at 586 Wiscasset Road, Route 27 in Boothbay.