Finding the charm and fun of crafts and trades at Eric Sloane Museum
Katie Strano of Heddle over Heels in Southbury teaches a young crafter how to operate a floor loom at Touch a Trade in Kent on Saturday, Oct. 22. 
Photo by Riley Klein

Finding the charm and fun of crafts and trades at Eric Sloane Museum

KENT — Seeking to promote a next generation of trade and crafts people,  Hudson Valley Preservation promoted a Touch a Trade event on Saturday, Oct. 22, hosted by the Eric Sloane Museum and the Connecticut Antique Machinery Association.

The event featured professionals from fields including carpentry, woodworking, masonry, welding, plumbing, electrical wiring and more. Guests were offered the opportunity to get hands-on instruction from experts.

The Eric Sloane Museum hosted crafters who specialize in historical trades, such as the Kent Quilters and Heddle Over Heels.

“I’m working on a little floor loom. These are just some samples that people can sit down and play with, showing different weaving styles,” said Katie Strano of Heddle over Heels in Southbury.

Next door, Connecticut Antique Machinery hosted more modern tradespeople, including Eastern Water Solutions and CrateCrafts Fine Woodworking.

“We do historical architecture element repair and our bread and butter is window sashes,” said Laura Peckar of CrateCrafts in Waterbury as she worked to restore a 19th-century window.

In addition to technical training, the event offered arts and crafts, pumpkin painting and some unique experiences. The lumber slalom course, for example, was a challenge in which two-person teams traversed a slalom course while carrying a 12- foot wood beam.

Hands-on experience was at the heart of the event’s efforts with every booth offering a different tool, machine  or piece of equipment to try. Safety was also a top priority with protective goggles and ear plugs distributed to all who entered. This was the first Touch a Trade event, with the hope for more community outreach in the future.

A potential summer camp and regional maker space for Litchfield County communities are envisioned for the coming years. For more information, go to www.touchatrade.org.

Related Articles Around the Web

Latest News

Legal Notices - May 8, 2025

BAUER FUND AND FOUNDATION COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS

Through grants to colleges, The Bauer Foundation provides indirect scholarship assistance for undergraduate college education to students residing in The Connecticut Regional School District One based on merit and need.

Keep ReadingShow less
Classifieds - May 8, 2025

Help Wanted

A Plus Detailing Hiring: Open position for a Full Detailer & Cleaner. Depending on experience $21 to $30 per hour. Contact Ryan at 959-228-1010.

Driver: For The Lakeville Journal and Millerton News newspaper routes, part time Wednesdays, Thursdays and some Fridays. Call James Clark. 860-435-9873, x 401 or email publisher@
lakevillejournal.com.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Hydrilla Menace: Twin Lakes group buoyed by DEEP’s assault on invasive hydrilla in 2025

A detail of a whorl of hydrilla pulled from the shallow waters at O’Hara’s Landing Marina in fall of 2024.

Photo by Debra A. Aleksinas

SALISBURY — The Twin Lakes Association is taking an earlier and more aggressive approach to fighting the spread of invasive hydrilla in East Twin Lake by dosing the whole northeast bay, from May through October, with low-level herbicide treatments instead of spot treatments.

The goal, said Russ Conklin, the TLA’s vice president of lake management, is to sustain herbicide concentration over the 2025 growing season.

Keep ReadingShow less
Home field advantage holds true for Webutuck softball and baseball

Olivia Wickwire, no. 2, tags out a runner at first base. The Webutuck Warriors varsity softball team beat the Germantown Clippers 14-7 at home Friday, April 25.

Photo by Nathan Miller

AMENIA — Webutuck girls varsity softball beat visiting Germantown 14-7 Friday, April 25.


Keep ReadingShow less