Product Details
Celebrating Birch: The Lore, Art, and Craft of an Ancient Tree

Celebrating Birch: The Lore, Art, and Craft of an Ancient Tree
By The North House Folk School

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Learn how birch bark is used in baskets and other handcrafts. Make a diagonally plaited basket, woven heart ornament and more with instructions in the book.

Product Description

With its graceful silhouette and distinctive white bark, the birch tree has been important to people wherever it has grown. This book covers all aspects of the North's most versatile tree—from its biology and ecology to its different uses, craft applications, and legends. Some of the lore revealed includes birch's role as a Welsh token of love and its mysterious connection with witches' brooms. In addition to learning about how the wood is used in baskets, shoes, and wood coverings, readers can also make more than 15 craft projects from instructions in the book, including folded bark baskets, carved ornaments, and turned wooden bowls.

Product Details

  • Amazon Sales Rank: #215907 in Books
  • Published on: 2007-11-01
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Binding: Paperback
  • 192 pages

Features

Editorial Reviews

Review

First place winner in the Art/Photography category of the 20th Annual Northeastern Minnesota Book Awards



"The beautiful photograpy makes this book a perfect option to leave on your coffee table, too."  —Mother Earth News


"The projects, beautifully and clearly illustrated with photos, are ones that students of the folk school would tackle and range from the simple and small to the more complex."  —Lake Superior Magazine


"Guides readers through 15 craft projects including carved ornaments, turned wooden bowls and folded bark baskets. It also explains that birch was used to weave shoes, clothing and even make primitive roof shingles."  —Woodshop News


"This extraordinary book introduces the birch tree in a truly engaging way."  —Cook County News-Herald (Minnesota)



"Excellent photography and clear photos of procedures make up this wonderful tribute to traditional craft."  —Woodcentral.com



"If you want to know how to weave a mat, carve a spoon, or make the components for a game involving throwing logs, plus several more, this book is for you, and if you delight in beautifully illustrated volumes, and have a love of heritage, you'll want to read it by a glowing fireside."  —Router & Power Woodworking, UK

About the Author

The North House Folk School preserves traditional skills and crafts of the past by teaching their practical use in today's world. Master craftsmen facilitate courses in woodworking, woodcarving, basketry, timber framing, boatbuilding, and more. It is located on Lake Superior in Grand Marais, Minnesota.