Last summer the carving group taught a soap carving class for the libraries summer art and design program. ( Somehow I am always the go to person.) Later in the summer I was asked to teach soap carving as part of the Community Education Program. We taught the class last Tuesday at The Middle School.
I recruited three other carvers to help; Far Guy, Shiela and Dave. It was a fun time! Several of the participants were our great nieces.
Our safe carving tools are tooth picks to mark your pattern and small wooden spoons ( the ones that come with individual ice cream containers) shaped to a sharp point. The simple tools work well with the soap and you would really have to work at cutting off a finger. Ivory is the soap we use. Yes it is messy…we covered the tables with wax paper!
For the class everyone carved a flower step by step and then it was a free for all carving what ever they wanted. We sent home extra bars of soap and wooden tools.
I think the children enjoyed themselves! They learned a new skill and who knows…maybe someday a few will be woodcarvers.
I can carve soap….my hand allowed it…wood not so much. I hope someday to be back to carving again. For now I go along to carving and work on some other craft project…the guys always ask me “ how is your bum hand?” The answer is not good enough to carve yet. Some things just take time…luckily I have many other hobbies that I can do!
