PORTSMOUTH — Strawbery Banke presents its winter programming, featuring one-day drop spinning and basket-making workshops. These hands-on classes provide an opportunity to explore traditional crafts, fostering creativity and skill-building in a welcoming environment. Open to adults and families, the workshops are beginner-friendly and include all materials. For more information and to register, visit StrawberyBanke.org/adult-eduation. 

Strawbery Banke’s drop spinning workshops offer an opportunity to learn the art of spinning yarn using a drop spindle. Led by a Museum expert, these 90-minute sessions guide participants through the foundational techniques of spinning, providing both hands-on instruction and insight into the history of this traditional craft. 

Drop Spinning Workshops:
Members $55; Nonmembers $65.

• Session 1: Saturday, January 4, 2025, 10–11:30 AM

• Session 2: Saturday, January 18, 2025, 10–11:30 AM

Strawbery Banke’s basket-making workshops offer a chance to craft functional baskets while learning traditional techniques and exploring the tools and materials involved. Led by experienced instructors in an accessible and supportive environment, these workshops guide adults and adult-child pairs through the basket-making process, fostering creativity, skill-building, and meaningful connections.

Adult Basket-Making Workshops
Members $55; Nonmembers $65.

• Heart Basket Workshop: February 8, 2025, 1–4 PM

• Berry Basket Workshop: March 8, 2025, 1–4 PM

• Easter Basket Workshop: April 5, 2025, 1–4 PM

Adult-Child Basket Workshops
Members $110; Nonmembers $120 per duo.

• Victorian Basket Workshop: February 22, 2025, 1–4 PM

• Berry Basket Workshop: April 19, 2025, 1–4 PM

“This year’s winter workshops invite participants of all ages to engage in hands-on learning, deepen their connection to traditional crafts, and bring home something they’ve made themselves,” said Linnea Grim, President and CEO, Thomas W. Haas Endowed Chair. “By exploring time-honored skills like spinning and basket-making, participants not only experience the joy of creativity but also help keep these historic practices alive. These programs reflect our commitment to making history interactive and memorable.”

Spaces are limited, and early registration is encouraged. For more information or to sign up, please visit StrawberyBanke.org/adult-education.

About Strawbery Banke Museum:
Strawbery Banke is a nearly 10-acre living history museum in Portsmouth, NH that interprets over 350 years of local history, from Indigenous history to the present. Through its historical houses on their original foundations, heirloom gardens, traditional crafts, and costumed roleplayers, visitors are invited to explore the stories of the families who lived and worked in the authentic waterfront neighborhood of Puddle Dock. As the first Smithsonian Affiliate in New Hampshire, Strawbery Banke is part of a prestigious network of more than 200 Affiliates across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Panama. Strawbery Banke welcomes visitors, members, schoolchildren, and volunteers for daily programs, exhibits, skating, and signature special events throughout the year. Strawbery Banke Museum is funded in part by grants from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation; the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts & National Endowment for the Arts; the Institute of Museum and Library Services; the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom; the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program. For more information and a complete calendar of events, please visit StrawberyBanke.org