Eco Printing Workshop
Americans are spending more time than ever on their analog hobbies, specifically crafts. Making things with our hands is therapeutic, and who couldn’t use less screen time? And in the right setting, crafts provide a valuable source of community. Knitting, sewing, and weaving in the company of others invites conversation and forges lifelong friendships. But where do you find those opportunities? You discover them at Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults that happens annually just off the shores of Puget Sound.
Camp Craftaway 2026 just concluded its fifth year, bringing together artists, makers, crafters, and creative dabblers from throughout the U.S. Over three days, August 14–16, attendees packed a former Boy Scout camp in Des Moines, Washington (about 20 minutes south of Seattle), and participated in over 30 different craft workshops.
The beginner-friendly classes offered in 2026 ran the crafty gamut. They ranged from more technical—think stained glass, broom making, and leather journal crafting—to those that centered on the joy of creativity, like painting concrete garden totems, slow-stitching flowers, and collaging bookmarks. Each workshop lasted two hours, and it was amazing to see what attendees created during that time. In the Make a Kokedama workshop, for instance, they assembled a couple of kokedama, which are moss balls formed around a plant’s roots. They’ll have their kokedamas for years to come.
Two friends and fellow crafters founded camp Craftaway: Melissa Galbraith and Sara Barnes (that’s me!). “We started camp for a love of crafts and wanting to learn from so many amazing artists in the Pacific Northwest,” Galbraith explains. “We’ve continued camp because of the amazing community. It has built up year-over-year on the connections we’ve made through crafting. I love seeing familiar faces come back to camp!”
The crafty retreat, on its face, is about learning things. The workshops provide attendees with the skills they need to take a new hobby home. But just as importantly, Camp Craftaway is about crafting’s intangible benefits. Over the course of the weekend, attendees meet new people and become friends. There are plenty of opportunities for folks to chat with other like-minded crafters, from sitting next to each other during a workshop, to communing at the “casual crafts” table, to eating a Chipwich from the SoChill ice cream truck.
While attendees learn new things and make friends, they also become comfortable getting messy, embracing imperfection, and allowing themselves time to exercise their creativity on their own terms.
“Crafting helps us build strong bonds,” Galbraith says. “When we can take a break from our everyday lives, try something new, make lasting connections, and work with interesting materials, we open ourselves up to a world of possibilities.”
Camp Craftaway 2027 is happening August 13–15, 2027. Sign up for the Camp Craftaway newsletter to get updates on next year’s workshops and when tickets go on sale.
Camp Craftaway is a day camp for crafty adults that happens annually just off the shores of Puget Sound.
Camp Craftaway 2026 just concluded its fifth year, bringing together artists, makers, crafters, and creative dabblers from throughout the U.S.
Over three days, August 14–16, attendees packed a former Boy Scout camp in Des Moines, Washington (about 20 minutes south of Seattle), and participated in over 30 different craft workshops.
Botanical Inks of the PNW Workshop
The beginner-friendly classes offered in 2026 ran the crafty gamut. They ranged from more technical, like creating botanical inks, piecing stained glass, and weaving with willow bark to make jewelry.
Botanical Inks of the PNW Workshop
Stained Glass Pendant Workshop
Eco Printing Workshop
Eco Printing Workshop
Eco Printing Workshop
Wearable Willow Bark Workshop
Wearable Willow Bark Workshop
Mosaic Pendants Workshop
Mosaic Pendants Workshop
Macrame Magic Workshop
Trinket Dish Workshop
Other workshops centered on the joy of creativity, like painting concrete garden totems, slow-stitching flowers, and collaging bookmarks.
Slow Stitch Scrappy Flowers Workshop
Ice Dye a Beach Towel Workshop
Ice Dye a Beach Towel Workshop
Ice Dye a Beach Towel Workshop
Two friends and fellow crafters founded camp Craftaway: Melissa Galbraith and Sara Barnes.
Moss Wall Art Workshop
“We started camp for a love of crafts and wanting to learn from so many amazing artists in the Pacific Northwest,” Galbraith explains.
Mini Watercolor Desserts Workshop
“Crafting helps us build strong bonds, Galbraith says. “When we can take a break from our everyday lives, try something new, make lasting connections, and work with interesting materials, we open ourselves up to a world of possibilities.”
Concrete Plant Totem Workshop
Make a Kokedama Workshop
Camp Craftaway 2027 is happening August 13–15, 2027. Sign up for the Camp Craftaway newsletter to get updates on next year’s workshops and when tickets go on sale.
Make a Rope Bowl Workshop
