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Hosted by DeSoto State Park & Little River Arts Council .
The Serious Skills series is a variety of classes and workshops that provide opportunities to discover a hidden talent or learn a new skill for personal enrichment. Classes are open to local residents, overnight guests and park visitors.
The Serious Skills series is a variety of classes and workshops that provide opportunities to discover a hidden talent or learn a new skill for personal enrichment. Classes are open to local residents, overnight guests and park visitors.
Create glue and cordage using only simple, natural elements! Scientists have written that cordage (string) and glue were not merely for making the
lives of traditional cultures easier; they literally held their world together. In this workshop students will learn two important skills: how to process plant fibers to create cordage, and how to combine natural elements to create glue.
lives of traditional cultures easier; they literally held their world together. In this workshop students will learn two important skills: how to process plant fibers to create cordage, and how to combine natural elements to create glue.
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About the Instructor: Andrew Lee is a professional educator with over two decades of teaching experience. The bark baskets and stone bladed knives that he creates are ways that he expresses this love of history and nature.
Andrew’s Bio About the class: Part I is cordage, in which students will first learn how to refine the leaves and stalks from various plant species in order to expose the fibers. Next, students will be taught the reverse-twist method of creating actual cordage. Each student will take home the cordage strands they create, as well as extra material to process and twist on their own. Part II is making pine-pitch glue, where students are provided three ingredients: charcoal, dried plant matter and pine sap. First, a minimal amount of processing will be done to break down and purify the ingredients. Then, students will melt the sap over a heat source and gradually add the other two elements. When the correct consistency is achieved, students will learn how to attach the liquified glue to the end of a small piece of wood for storage. Each student will take home several of these ‘pitch sticks’. The workshop will culminate in students using their glue and cordage to haft a projectile point onto a river cane handle. |
Date: Sunday, May 18, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (CST) Where: DeSoto State Park in Fort Payne, Alabama. Country Store & Information Center on County Road 89 Fee: $85-includes all supplies. Class space is limited, pre-registration is required for attendance in this class. Pre-registration: https://forms.office.com/g/dt2hp1M5ky |
