this day...

I am getting ready for a visit from members of the American Folk Art Museum but this week instead of having them come up our gravel road to my studio, I am setting up my work at Eleanor Lux's weaving studio. It will not be quite the same, as they will not get as deep a view into my work, and may not feel quite as inclined to purchase what I've made. On the other hand, I may be pleasantly surprised.

Yesterday in the school wood shop, my high school students worked on jingle bell rattles to sell as a fundraising project, and they began making shaker boxes. The problem of course is that in order for a student to make a shaker box so much work has to be done for them in advance. The wood has to be milled to a thickness at which it can bend when boiled, forms and marking templates have to be made and ready in advance, and the teacher has to know exactly what he or she is doing. Still, there is some learning taking place, and if the student gets the bug for woodworking, or any other creative activity that can be accomplished on his or her own, there is some hope.

I am also engaged in reading through a draft of my new book, Making Classic Toys that Teach, and finding things that must be fixed before it goes to press. I am also working with an editor from Fine Woodworking on an article about selecting hinges for box making.

Make, fix, create, and offer others the opportunity to learn likewise.