Learn in person with Woniya

We are thrilled to welcome you to our beautiful 90+ acres for a unique learning experience and immersion in the beautiful, wild nature of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Trails, a year round creek with dipping spots, hiking to the magnificent Yuba River right from the land, and more, are all part of the coming to learn with us!

Woniya's 2026 Teaching Schedule

Surthrival Sandals                        May 23-24 
There is no substitute for feeling one's bare feet on the earth, but most of us can't go barefoot everywhere. The next best thing is homemade footwear, custom-tailored to your feet and made from simple, natural ingredients.

In this two-day workshop, you'll learn about rewilding your feet and why it matters, and you'll make a pair of lightweight, durable, and comfortable Surthrival Sandals, plus the skills to make more pairs when those wear out. That makes it one weekend class for a lifetime of sandals!

What makes them Surthrival sandals? They are not only functional footwear, but have a few critical survival items- cordage and a fire starting kit, incorporated. Not bad for a minimalist sandal, huh?   

$325 including instruction, materials and camping at Timeless Ways 
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Registration closed. Another sandal class may be scheduled for later in the summer. 

Brain Tanned Buckskin             June 5-7
Join me for this 3 day course on learn how to transform raw deer hides into Brain tanned (aka smoke tanned/fat tanned) Buckskin, one of the most wonderful, resilient and natural materials on earth.
Everyone will participate hands-on in every stage of tanning, including hide prep, scraping, dressing, softening, and smoking. By working in groups, students will have community support, a big help when tanning your first hide! You will go home with a piece of finished buckskin and some ideas of how to use it, as well as a wealth of knowledge about all things hide and buckskin related! 

This class is a great way to prepare for the Buckskin Soulstitch later this month! Come for the hide tanning class, stay in the area and work on hides in the intervening weeks to have enough to complete a fabulous project for the Buckskin Soulstitch!

$645 Including instruction, materials, and camping

Register here

Buckskin Soulstitch June 18-21 2026
Spend the days leading up to the Summer Solstice fully embodying your creative self by diving deep into buckskin artistry.

Whether you are a beginner or have been sewing for some time, this course will take you from craft to artistry!
Fundamentals of buckskin sewing, garment construction & skills for taking your creativity to the next level. We will begin with a simple hands-on project to learn the basics, then each student will receive one on one guidance in creating a custom garment of their choice.

Fee includes camping, tools, & instruction, but not materials. Students provide their own brain tanned hides $875

Register here

Women's Surthrival Weekend                             July 17-19 
Wilderness skills and survival courses can often be taught from a more macho approach that many women feel less comfortable with. This course is taught by a woman, for women, and highlights women's unique gifts and strengths. It will cover the basic elements of Wilderness Survival, but instead of focusing just on keeping ourselves alive, we will focus on how to feel safe, healthy and at home in the wild.
You'll come away knowing the difference between just surviving and truly thriving! 

Students will be responsible for their own cooking, but we will also enjoy some potluck meals and lots of community camaraderie.  Fee includes camping, instruction, and basic materials. $825

Register here

Surthrival Intensive                  August 25-30
 It will cover the basic elements of Wilderness Survival, but instead of focusing just on keeping ourselves alive, we will focus on how to feel safe, healthy and at home in the wild.
You'll come away knowing the difference between just surviving and truly thriving!
Surthrival Philosophy, Sheltercraft, Campcraft including lashing and knots; Water, Fire, Wild Foods, Tool use and maintenance, Building Health and Resilience from the inside out, and more. Students will be responsible for their own cooking, but we will also enjoy some potluck meals and lots of community camaraderie. 
$1475 includes camping, instruction, and basic materials. 

Register Here

Cozy Felts for the Colder Months         November 28 & 29 
As the leaves fall and temperatures drop, thoughts turn to cozy wool hats and slippers. If you are feeling the urge to get wild and wooly, look no further!
Spend the second weekend in November in beautiful Nevada City making artful felted gifts for yourself or loved ones. You'll learn to process and prepare the fiber, wet felting basics, how to use resists to make 3 dimensional shapes, and pattern inlay techniques. 

You'll begin with a small hot pad to learn felting, a bag to learn 3 dimensional techniques, and then a larger project of your choosing, with a possibility of purchasing materials to make more projects on your own. Get prepared for the coziest winter ever, or a wonderful holiday season of gifting! 
Out of town students welcome to camp on the land. Fee includes instruction and materials for 3 basic projects $375

Winter Soulstitch Retreat 2026: Fiber and Fire                   December 17-20 
Winter Solstice is the turning point of the year, the rebirth of the sun and with it, a part of ourselves. The Winter Soulstitch is more than a class or a retreat. It is an opportunity to come together in the deepest darkness to welcome back the light; to set our intentions for the coming year through connection, craft, and ritual.

Each year's Winter Soulstitch has a theme. In 2026, we will be courting light and warmth in the forms of fire and fiber. We will be weaving connection with the natural world through our fingers.  Our mornings will be spent learning different ways, both ancient and modern, of calling fire into being. The afternoons will find us running our hands through fiber- making plant fiber cordage, spinning wool into yarn, and weaving on simple looms.

We will also be celebrating Solstice with intention setting ritual, and sharing meals, songs, and stories around the blazing yule logs.
 $1175 (no meals) $1395 (with meal plan). Meal plan is highly encouraged so participants are able to be fully present during class and meal times

Register here

Examples of Woniya's previous classes

Forestry Skills for Women             October 25-26 
I didn't grow up learning skills for working hard in the woods and bringing in my own firewood. For many years, I felt intimidated by chainsaws. I worked hard to educate and empower myself, and now I'm offering these skills to other women so they can do the same in a supportive environment. 
We'll be learning how to safely start, use, sharpen, and maintain a chainsaw, how to buck, split, and stack firewood, how to use leverage and tools to more easily accomplish tasks as smaller bodied people, and how to assess and increase forest health with thinning, fuels reduction and burn piles. $345
Registration Closed

Wet Felting: Flat projects with inlays   July 27, 2025 
Learn to transform raw sheep wool into beautiful, durable fabric. We'll explore different color blending, wet inlay techniques, and needle felting to turn our flat felt into high art! 
Flat felt is wonderful for chair pads, sitting mats, baby changing pads (the inspiration for this class) and more, and can also be cut and sewn to make other useful items and apparel.

Nevada City, CA $150 Fee covers material and instruction. Participants traveling from further away, email [email protected]

Underway now! Registration still open for Sparks and Embers Options. Learn online with Woniya and join her community of like midned skills enthusiasts 

Read Class Terms and Conditions

In order to check out for a course, you will be asked to type your name into the box, confirming that you have read and agreed to the terms and conditions you'll find at this link: Read Class Terms and Conditions