Spring 2018
Build Your Own Custom Hat Workshop
March 24th & 25th
March 28th & 29th
Prairie Mountain Folk School
Joseph, Oregon
I am excited to invited you to join us for a 2 day workshop in Joseph, Oregon where you will have the opportunity to learn how to build yourself a custom designed and custom fitted lifetime quality hat. Participants will learn basic hat making skills using original, early 1900s hatters equipment and using methods that have been passed down from generation to generation of hatters.
I have had the distinct honor of apprenticing with several master hatters over the course of my development as a hatter. In this workshop I will be teaching you the fundamentals of hatmaking which I have absorbed over the years, and the unique techniques I have developed through my own trials. The workshop is limited to 5 participants each weekend so that I can give proper one-on-one instruction and attention to each participant, so together we can create the hat of your dreams which will last you not only your lifetime, but will be passed on to the next.
Each participant will get to choose the color of their 100x Premium beaver felt, what they would like to stamp on their sweat band in gold foil, the color of silk liner, style of hat shape they will be creating, and hatband they will adorn on their handcrafted creation. Participants will also be taught basic hat maintenance tricks and at home DIY skills.
Workshop Cost $1200
The cost of workshop covers all materials for 100x Premium Beaver hat and leather hatband (retails for $1000) two days of instruction and beverages.
Lodging and meals are not included in the cost of workshop.
When & Where
Session 1- March 24th & 25th
Session 2- March 28th & 29th
Our day will begin at 9 am and generally we end at 6 pm. We will take a lunch break and beverages will be provided.
This workshop is taking place at Prairie Mountain Folk School located in magical Joseph, Oregon. Located at the base of the Wallowa mountains and at the gateway to Hells Canyon, this is a very special area you will fall in love with. With that said, it is a remote area of Northeastern Oregon. We have set these dates during "Spring Break" so folks may take the week to explore this eastern Oregon oasis. Here is a list of the closest airports for those traveling from afar:
- Nez Perce Regional (LWS) Lewiston, Idaho (2 hours north)
- Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) Pasco, Washington (3 hours northwest)
- Gowen Field (BOI) Boise, Idaho (4 hours east)
- Geiger Field (GEG) Spokane, Washington (4 hours north)
- Portland Int’l (PDX) Portland, Oregon (5.5 hours west)
- Seattle-Tacoma Int’l (SEA) Seattle, Washington (7 hours northwest)
Accommodations
The cost of the workshop does not include lodging. Here is a list of my recommendations:
- The Jennings Hotel in downtown Joseph (sauna, communal kitchen with an inspiring library, dreamy spaces) http://www.jenningshotel.com/
- The Bronze Antler Bed & Breakfast https://www.bronzeantler.com/
- If you are interested in a more rustic experience, we may partner with Crow Creek Ranch and offer canvas wall tent accommodations. Please keep in mind that conditions in the Spring may still be chilly in this area of Oregon.
"I signed up for the workshop for three reasons. 1. I wanted my dream hat. 2. I wanted to learn a little about another traditional craft that could offer me some new skills/materials for my leatherwork. 3. I was hoping to have an experience that would provide some restoration to the creative part of me that I have been neglecting. I walked away with everything I hoped for, in spades! The energy from that weekend spent with you all is still with me, & has had a powerful effect on me. At the risk of sounding dramatic & cliche, I think I will look back on it some day as a turning point." -Kambra, Fall Workshop 2017
IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ
Due to the overwhelming response to these workshops, I must differentiate who this workshop is for, and who it is not for.
Many novice hatmakers have reached out about joining these workshops. One day I will take on an apprentice or apprentices in the way that I was taught, but that is not what these workshops are. These workshops are an opportunity to share a rare experience for folks to build something they will wear for the rest of their lives.
This workshop is not for novice, aspiring or working hatmakers, please respect my intentions in offering this to people for which this will be a very out-of-the-ordinary experience for.
If you are a novice, aspiring or working hatmaker interested in apprenticing, please email me directly at catehavstad@gmail.com and we can discuss this for the future. The format, pricing and structure of me teaching other hatters will be very different from this experience.
The first ever Build Your Own Custom Hat Workshop participants wearing their hats outside of the airstream workshop.