Decorative dried palm leaves and a small wooden horse figurine on a shelf.
Close-up of a person's hands weaving straw with a string, sitting on a wooden chair, wearing blue jeans and brown leather boots, with a rustic background.
A woman in glasses and a dark sweater working on a craft project involving a large broom made of straw or similar material, in a workshop or craft room with various tools on a wooden workbench.
Assorted dried plants and herbs, including bundles of wheat, lavender, and other dried flowers on white background.
Close-up of a person harvesting millet grains from stalks in a field.
A straw broom with a wooden handle hanging on a white brick wall.
A woman with glasses and a striped shirt is bending down, working with straw or dried plant material outdoors with green foliage in the background.
A person sitting on a wooden bench wearing blue jeans and brown clogs, using a wood rasp to smooth a bundle of straw or dried grass, with wood shavings on the floor around.
A close-up view of the intricate network of roots or fibers, possibly from a plant or tree, showing tangled and intertwined strands in shades of brown and beige.
A woman smiling and holding a bunch of sticks and a saw in a forested area, on a dirt trail surrounded by green trees and foliage.

Farm to Home Appalachian Broom Making:
Crafting Useful Beauty by Hand with Cynthia Main
April 9 - 11, 2027

Black Cat Farm | Boulder, Colorado
15 Students
No Experience Necessary

REGISTRATION OPENS JULY 23
Gray decorative leaf illustration

The heart of this retreat is slowing down long enough to make something useful with your own hands while connecting to the traditions, materials, and land that make tools for the home truly special.

Join Kentucky based broom maker Cynthia Main, owner of Sunhouse Craft, and author of A Handmade Broom for a three-day immersion into the tradition of Appalachian broom making.

Working with Kentucky grown organic broomcorn, natural fibers, and handles from the woods, students will learn the foundations of a craft that has served homes for generations. Beginning with a full sized Appalachian sweep, and covering the traditional Appalachian hand broom shapes, students will leave with a strong foundation in the craft, and an excellent set of brooms for the home. We will be working with organic broomcorn grown in Kentucky, and the entire process from farm to home will be covered. Come for thoughtful instruction, practice in traditional craft and a chance to connect to the land and each other through craft.

    • To connect to traditions of Appalachian broom making

    • Understanding broomcorn and natural materials for use in the craft

    • Preparing broomcorn for weaving, from growing on the farm, to crafting the broom

    • Handle selection and preparation

    • Traditional broom tying techniques

    • Building Appalachian style hand brooms, their uses, and forms

    • Constructing an Appalachian full sweep broom

    • Flat stitching techniques

    • Round stitching techniques

    • Shaping and finishing techniques

    • Decorative variations

    • How to continue broom making at home

    • Fresh farm-to-table organic meals

    • Handcrafted tea blends each day

    • The energy of growth and renewal of being on a working farm

    • Gentle body movement session 

Collection of straw brooms with different sizes and shapes arranged on a surface.
Two small handmade brooms with natural bristles, wrapped with brown string, are on a tiled surface surrounded by scattered straw or wood sticks.
A woman is working on a woodworking project creating a large broom with a wooden handle and straw bristles in a workshop.
A simple illustration of a leafy branch with green leaves and small buds.

About the Artist | Cynthia Main

Cynthia Main is the founder of Sunhouse Craft in Berea, Kentucky, a nationally celebrated traditional craft house well know for their brooms and centered on community, regional sourcing, and excellence in craft. Her work celebrates objects made for use every day and connecting people to the land through craft.

Her work has been featured nationally through museums, design retailers, and collaborations celebrating American craft. As an instructor, Cynthia emphasizes careful observation, traditional technique, and building confidence through making, helping students connect with both the practical skills and cultural history behind handmade tools.

sunhousecraft.com
@sunhousecraft

A bowl of apple and radish salad garnished with herbs on a wooden table, with a small sign and a spoon nearby.
A smiling woman and man with a nickname badge that says 'Eric' in a greenhouse surrounded by plants, with the woman wearing a jacket and the man wearing an apron.
Rustic wooden barn with string lights, tall corn plants, and garden beds in front.
Silhouette of a beet with three leaves extending from the top

The Venue: Black Cat Organic Farm

Black Cat Farm ~ a place where all are welcome and the seeds of hope surround you. Nestled among the rolling fields just outside Boulder, Colorado, this rustic working farm is home to our Black Cat Makerie retreats. Tucked away from the rush of the world, time stands still. The beauty here isn’t curated, but rather defined by the ever-changing seasons and the pulse of growth and possibility at every turn. No matter where you are coming from or which season of life you find yourself in, you’ll feel the embrace of something so grounding and deeply authentic you might not ever forget it.

Using Black Cat’s Certified Organic farm as a source of creativity, Chef Eric Skokan creates an award-winning cuisine vibrant with seasonality. The kitchen draws heavily from the farm’s more than 250 varieties of organic vegetables, legumes, grains, herbs and flowers, as well as its large flock of heritage sheep and its robust population of heritage pigs, paving the way for a limitless palette of flavors, colors, and textures from which to build each food experience. The farm team devotes hours every day to harvesting ingredients, and then crafting them into outstanding dishes that mirror what is thriving in the fields. We can’t wait for you to experience it all for yourself!

A traditional straw broom with a wooden handle hanging on a white brick wall.
Minimalist illustration of a plant with five beige leaves.

Retreat Schedule

Friday, April 9th

8:30am to 4pm Workshop, Snacks and Lunch
4pm to 8pm Open Studio

Saturday, April 10th

9am to 4pm Workshop, Snacks and Lunch
4pm to 6:15pm Open Studio
6:15pm to 9pm *Optional Black Cat Farmstead Dinner

Sunday, April 11th

9am to 3:30pm Workshop, Snacks and Lunch
4pm to 8pm Open Studio

 

A simple illustration of a leafy branch with small round buds

Retreat Experience Pricing

$2,345

includes

3 full creative workshop days
(18 hours of instruction)
..
open studio time
(10 hours)
..
all workshop materials
..
handcrafted herbal tea
..
three morning snacks
..
three farm-to-table lunches
..
three afternoon snacks
..
online class page with all the details and inspiration about this retreat
..
special gift
..
* optional Black Cat Farmstead dinner + $200

REGISTRATION OPENS JULY 23

Questions? See our FAQs. We’re happy to work with you on a custom payment plan; email ali@themakerie.com.

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