To say that the teaching tour was amazing, is a massive understatement. I went into this tour, knowing that I was going to be teaching at three different locations in Eastern Ontario. But what I didn’t realize was how much of a creative, energetic boost it would end up being.
I am still processing so much of it that I will be posting to my blog about it in three segments.
It all started in the autumn 2025 when my friend Agnes asked if I would be interested in going on a teaching tour with her. Agnes and I have known each other for about three years now, and we’ve become fast close friends who happily travel very well together. Of course I said yes, and the planing began.
The Baskets and Brooms Teaching Tour took us on a grand Ontario adventure! After spending several hours on the road, we landed just outside Bancroft. The first leg of our tour started at Fulcrum Skillshare, May 15-18. Fulcrum is an amazing, magickal maker focused event hosted by Abby Fry on her beautiful property that she calls home and her personal studio, Coyote Tales. She’s got 400 acres of forest and Canadian shield dotted with natural habitat like you’ve never seen before.
Abby keeps animals on her land with an abundance of roosters and chickens, with four roosters that competed with each other cock a doodle dooing! Every single morning was a riot, and they never shut up all day long! It was such an interesting, and at times annoying audio backdrop to be seeing so much creativity happening around. Then all the hens and their shenanigans, like jumping into trees when a storm was coming, and trying to infiltrate workshops, and Abby’s home! Abby also has a couple horses and some rabbits as well but the most amazing thing about Abby and what she does there, is her work with Deer.
Each year before Fulcrum she hosts a five day long intensive called Deerly Departed. An opportunity for people to learn how to use every aspect of the deer, learning how to process the skins, bones, and reverence as well as the magic, the mystery and the embrace that death can hold us in. Abby is a death Doula, she has intimate understanding of how to process these animals with great respect and understanding. I have great respect and reverence for Abby and all the work she does. She’s also an accomplished multi dimensional artist and jeweller. An incredible human to know and call friend.
Fulcrum Skillshare is an event that Abby hosts on her land every year and for the past three, I have been teaching broom craft there. This year as well, I helped coordinate the makers market, which was a beautiful display of what people make in the big barn, where we all congregate for meals, workshops, and entertainment.
The class I taught was so much fun. I always get to teach in the rustic workshop space, which is beside the chicken coop. I had a wonderful group of people this year. We made a set of 4 kitchen tools, a triple style and a turkey wing hand broom. They were all a delight to teach, and to see what they created, frankly always blows my mind. One of my students added a sweet tiny hand carved spoon to their broom! So fun! One of the entertaining parts of teaching in that space is when the hens try to infiltrate the workshop and, the side eye that they give you when you shoo them out! They are such curious dinosaurs!
When at Fulcrum, we camp, or should I say glamp. Last year I slept on an air mattress,in my small tent that I used to travel around with when I still rode a motorcycle, but this year I had to up the game. I slept in a tent I could stand up in, and slept on a cot with a 4 inch foam mattress. I had carpets. I had a bedside table. I had a chair to take my shoes on and off with, all in my tent. I was not going to be uncomfortable. It was great except my tent wasn’t the greatest. It held for the whole trip but winds made it move about too much, plus I discovered a couple holes in the bottom, so next year there will be a new tent.
The rest of the event was a dream! I made my first stake and strand basket base with my stick pal Johnny, so much fun! On the Saturday evening there were musicians, folk dancing, makers sharing moments about their works. Sunday I taught my day long class, and the evening we had the most fun, theatrical ritual, with shadow puppets and marvellous creatures. The whole event, there were baskets being made, drums being birthed, wood being worked, flax being processed, weaving being done, nature being embraced and people coming together as Community in the spirit of Kinship. Kinship and community, fills my heart to the brim! Fulcrum is always such magickal time, and one I am grateful to be a part of in the small ways I can.
Can’t wait for next year!
Next stop on the tour, Golden Lake! That’s a whole new story to be told!
