UPDATE:  3 WEEK 2026 THATCH WORKSHOP CANCELLED. 
We will regroup on this for 2027.  You could email Deanne ecoartdb at gmail.com if you would like to be kept posted on this.  

THATCH ROOF TRAINING

We will be re-thatching the Oxford Kids’ Cottage on Strawbale Studio land, over several weeks in late July through early August, 2026. Attend one or all weeks.

This is an unique opportunity to learn start-to-finish thatching skills: preparation for a thatched roof, application techniques & tools, finishing techniques, plus strategies for maintaining & restoring an existing thatched roof using Phragmite reed grass.

You can join the email list serve to receive updates (sign up from the front page at strawbalestudio.org)

THATCHING INFO page  ~  Lots of photos & links: 
strawbalestudio.org/about/thatching/

REGISTRATION LINK at the BOTTOM of this page.  Look over the info below 🙂 

THATCHED ROOF TRAINING
Price: $200 – $1500 based on length of stay & sliding scale.

Participants can attend one or all of the following:  Prep week, Application Week and Finishing Week.

                   ATTEND ONE or ALL WEEKS.
1) Thatching Prep  2) Main Thatch Training 3) Finishing Stages 

Prices include hands-on training, basic food, dorm lodging / camping options. Participants help out with meal prep 1 hr a day.

Dates & Details below.   Sliding Scale: support the Strawbale Studio as you can.

$1000 – $1500 for all 3 weeks or attend weeks separately:

WEEK ONE:        Sun. 26 – 31, 2026   PREPARING TO THATCH ~ Prep  site, tools, materials. ($200-400)

WEEK TWO:   Sun. Aug. 2 – 8,     THATCH TRAINING –  Reed Harvest & Application ($900-1200) This is the Main Thatching Program.

WEEK THREE:   Sun. Aug. 9 – 15,     FINISHING STAGES.~ Extended Learning Experiences. ($200-400)

Oxford Kids Cottage  with X thatched ridge

Bio:  Deanne Bednar trained with Danish Thatcher Flemming Abrahamson for 2 weeks in 1998 on the thatching of the Strawbale Studio. Since then she has over-seen and helped thatch 7 small structures, and has led many training sessions using small indoor frames to practice techniques. For 20 winters she took groups out to harvest the thatching reed and store them for the next project.
The thatching process is a traditional skill and also a work of art!
Strawbale Studio thatched roof below, is 28 years old now.

Strawbale Studio

WEEK ONE  ~ Preparing to Thatch 

Sunday July 26 –  Aug 1, 2026
7 days, with July 26 an Arrival Day.  Departure date Aug 2

• Hands-on preparation of site and materials.  Week One Folks may share their experiences with the students in the Week TWO class.

• SKILLS COVERED IN WEEK ONE 
  • MATERIALS: Harvest & Prepare
    • Cut & dry local cattails at the beginning of workshop.
    • Harvest sways & battens
    • Check Oak Straw pile, sawdust.
  • TOOLS – make & repair as needed
    • Wooden pins. Wooden needles.
    •  Tamper with holes.
    • Create temporary hooks
      • Have some temp hooks and then add the materials. 1/4 in steel point one end, turn one end.  15”
    • Roof Ladders  re-build as needed.
  • BUILDINGS & GROUNDS
    • Get familiar with the grounds, Buildings, Main house, cooking, tool location, procedures, etc.
  • PREPARE THE KIDS’ COTTAGE ROOF
    • Frame out Gable eaves mini-hip roof on east & west of ridge. Save 1 for wk 2.
    • Remove existing thatch on N Kids’ Cottage. (make a video for week 2 folks)
    • Assessing, tightening up and repairing the existing old, decaying roof in preparation for a 2nd layer application of reed.
      • Practice repairing an existing roof for application of a 4-6” second layer “Thatch Over”.
      • Clean up the existing roof and dress it all back in tight. Add a 4-6 inch layer over. (William Cahill thatch resource)
  • PREPARE The Kids Cottage SITE
    • Clear Site
    • Staging the site: Ladders, 4×4″ roof scaffolding, tarps, ropes, tools
    • Process the old reed to pathways, and reconstitute bundles as we are able.
    • Composting Toilet setups in 3 locations.
  • STRETCH GOALS
    • Strawbale Studio  A Frame.
      • Practice SBS A- frame Roof Repair
      • Over-thatch on the Strawbale Studio  A Frame

WEEK TWO  ~ THATCH TRAINING 

Sunday August 2 – 8, 2026
Day 1 Arrival Day. 

• SKILLS COVERED IN WEEK 2
  • Principles of thatching
    • TOUR the buildings:   SBS. A-Frame.  Spiral Chamber round roof.  Kids Cottage, thatch frames in Red Shed.
    • DESIGN Class – Basic Principles including thatching material, roof design, strategies for thatching different roof shapes
    • HANDOUTS (printed and e-handouts) Temp booklets to use onsite.
  • REED HARVESTING.
    • Visit the reed field, identify qualities of usable reed.
    • Harvest & Bundle Reed with a serrated sickle, tie up with a Millers Knot.  Trim to size.  Finish Reed prep in the field, and bring back to the Strawbale Studio.
  • THATCH APPLICATION to the ROOF of the KIDS COTTAGE.
    • Roof Thatch Layers:  Base layer, surface rows, attach reed with sways to each purlin.
    • TOOL TECHNIQUES.
      • Using a legget, twist tool, stainless steel wire, wooden needles and pins
      • How to use the types of leggets ( tampers) to shape different roof applications.
  • RIDGE APPLICATION DEMO
    • a Demo & video of making a ROOF RIDGE. We plan to finish the ridge in Week 3
  • Evening / rainy day activities:
    • View & discuss Thatching videos from UK & Denmark.  Popcorn. Gable Roof.
    • Slideshow of thatching projects. Kinstone, Kensington Metropark Kids Cottage, Strawbale Studio, A-frame shelter, Spiral Chambers. Oxford Kids Cottage,  Thatched Wood Shelter by Earth Oven.  Practice frames.
    • Q & A of Burning Questions!
  • Week One folks may help and support as appropriate.
    • demo on harvesting sways
    • Other, from above
    • Gable  mini-hip roof framing

SESSION THREE:  EXTENSION COMPONENTS – Finishing Skills

Sunday August 9 -15 , 2026
Day 1 “Arrival Day”.
You can also consider staying on as a Worktrader through Aug 28.  (Help out on grounds & infrastructure 25 hrs a week + meetings & shared household roles, in exchange for room, board and some crafting skills.   See info at strawbalestudio.org – click on Internship / worktrade link.) 

WEEK 3 – FINISHING TOUCHES & extended learning experiences.

•  SKILLS COVERED IN WEEK 3 (or the days that students stay pn)
  • Thatching Completion of the roof(s) as needed:
    • Kids Cottage Gable Eaves Ridge  (Quarter Hipped End)
    • Kids Cottage ridge redo with a cat-tail  & Crossed Sticks technique.
    • A-Frame Studio Wood Shelter Ridge using technique:  “Oak and Oat”.
    • Strawbale Studio ridge redo with a reed application, (butts up!)
    • Living Roof Slideshow.  (possible redo of N shed roof of Hobbit Sauna.
  • Options:
    • Round Roof Tipi thatching with grasses or reed, cattail.
  • Additional Crafts taught:
    • Cording with foraged materials,
    • Other.
  • Evening Bonfires, access to Natural Building library.  Earth Oven Pizza.
  • Redo Gable Eaves Quarter Hipped End: A Turning Feature, Where the top quarter of the roof slope is carried around the end of a building. See Full Hipped End, Half Hipped End and Hiplet. See William Cahill notes

Questions?  Contact Deanne ecoartdb@gmail.com  248 496 4088 message or text.

REGISTRATION link. click here.   Registration saves your place!  Small Class Size (10)