I Sing Behind The Plow

No, I haven't been overdosing on Little House on the Prairie (although that doesn't sound like a bad way to spend a Friday night).  This is actually the motto of The John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, also known as Kimberly's Dream Vacation Spot.  I have been receiving the Folk School catalog for several seasons now, each year I say I'm going to go "next year".  I need to sell some plasma (or maybe have a bake sale) and this year, make it happen!  Who wants to tag along? 

You can visit their website to see what it's all about at: http://www.folkschool.org/. 

Did you click the link yet?  Come on, don't be shy.

Just listen to these exciting classes!  This is just a tiny fraction of the almost 1,000 classes they offer.  I defy you to read this little sampling of classes and not squeal with delight.

Belgian Bookbinding
Italian Paper Marbling

Appalachian Basketry

Home Winemaking

Artisan Bread Baking

Home Dairy: Cheese, Yogurts and More!

Blacksmithing for Hearth and Home

The Fiery Creativity of Glass Bead Making

Advanced Broom Making

Celtic Ceramics
French Folk Dance
Storytelling Through Puppetry
Draw & Paint Botanicals with Watercolor
From Sheep To Shawl (Weaving and Dyeing)
Fruit Tree Grafting
Genealology: Discovering Your Ancestors

Stain Glass Panels for Beginners

Scandinavian Knitting

Tinsmithing

Old Time Banjo

Mysteries of the Old-Time Fiddle Revealed!

Intro to Fly Fishing
Beekeeping
Traditional Rug Hooking
Historic Costuming
Creative Soapmaking
Solid Wood Cabinetry
Structuring and Writing Your Novel

Okay, I got a little carried away, but I can't help myself.  I love this stuff.  I've always thought what a shame it was that so many of our traditional trades and hobbies have fallen out of fashion.  This really hit home when I started bringing my knitting projects to the park while I watched my kids play on the playground.  People would come up to me and say, "What is that?" or "Are you actually knitting?"  These were usually young kids or teenagers, posing this question as if I had a third arm.  Or often, the older people would stop by, smile nostalgically and say "My mother used to knit all my socks when I was a little girl."  It was right there that I felt like I was carrying on something valuable. 

I learned quilting on Mom's Singer sewing machine.  The kind that folded down inside of the sewing table.  I learned to make a red and white 4-patch quilt top pillow.  I remember thinking that it was fun, but I wanted to move on to the big stuff, the Double Wedding Ring or the elaborate Hawaiian quilts.  Little did I know that even old-timers consider those designs a massive undertaking.  I think I've always been a little over-ambitious!

So, I guess that's why I want to go the Folk School.  I want to work with my hands, to learn something new, to pass something along.  I don't want old traditions to die.  They are part of a simpler time.  They're comfortable and I think we crave comfortable.  We gravitate toward comfortable.  And I'm gravitating toward Brasstown, NC.....hopefully soon.  I hope to be blacksmithing in no time!