Workshop

Small projects and a closer look at the things we live with.

A close look at the surface can tell you which marks need attention and which are part of a table worth keeping.

Mend a split seam or a worn corner by deciding what the cloth still has enough strength to do.

Judge an old plane by the work you want it to do, the parts you can inspect and the cost of getting it ready.

Put stitch tests, thread choices and small mistakes on one piece of cloth you can consult while planning the next project.

Make a shallow clay dish in a teaching studio and judge the shape by what your hand needs to pick up.

Use a portable sample board to learn how your paint covers, where the brush marks show, and how the roller feels at the end of a pass.

Use two yarn colors and short bands of plain weave to see how spacing, tension, and color change a piece of cloth.

Turn a measured rectangle into a reusable pattern for a shallow paper box with a lid that fits over it.

Mark the face, direction, and relationships of several pieces before they go to the bench, then check the layout with a dry assembly.

Place a stripe where it belongs on your table, then fold and stitch a simple runner with room for the fabric to behave as it will.