2025 Women’s Hand Carving Retreat
June 5-8th 2025 – 4 Days/3 Nights $135.00
New Location! Fort Worden State Park, WA
Come join the fun of carving together, learning together and showing our work during the Saturday afternoon art walk.
Why Hand Tools: It is quiet, peaceful, we can easily talk among ourselves and dust is limited. If you aren’t a hand carver, bring a partly finished piece you can rasp, chisel, or sand.
Location: Fort Worden State Park 200 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368
Housing Accomodations: NWSSA has reserved the Quartermaster and 3 Corporal Quarters Housing Units for our participants. See below for more details about housing options.
Weekend Agenda
| Day | Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
| Thursday | After 9 am Set Up & Carve | Pot Luck Lunch | 6 pm Pot Luck Dinner & Gathering |
| Friday | 9 am: Carve | Pot Luck Lunch | 6 pm Pot Luck Dinner & Gathering |
| Saturday | 10am – 4 pm Sculpture Show | Pot Luck Lunch | 6 pm Pot Luck Dinner & Gathering |
| Sunday | 9 am: Carve | 1 pm Break Down & Check Out |
Registration Info:
Space limited to 20 experienced carver participants. Registration will close with a waitlist when we reach those numbers, so sign up early! We prefer online registration, however you can mail in your registration after notifying us of your intent to attend.
Need to mail in your registration? Download a printable form.
Registration fee:
$135 Member Rate ($175 Non-Member Rate) payable to NWSSA. Our fees are used to underwrite our insurance for the event, and helps us cover the use of the Fort Worden Quartermaster’s House with a common area and kitchen space that we will use for meal prep and storage.
SCULPTURE SHOW!
On Saturday from 10 am – 4 pm We will host a sculpture show & sale open to the public. Bring sculpture pedestals for your finished sculptures for the show and sale. 20% commission of all sales will be donated to support NWSSA.
What to Bring:
Bring a Canopy, work table, chair or stool, and your hand carving tools. Bring a big tarp to put under your workspace, a broom and dustpan to sweep up. Bring your stones, tools & creativity! And pedestals to display your work to sell at your carving space.
Meals:
Continental Breakfasts, coffee and tea provided by NWSSA on Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Pot Luck Lunches and Dinners. The Quartermaster offers a full kitchen for meal storage and minor prep that we have reserved. Everyone in our group will have access to this space. There is a microwave, stove/oven, as well as a house-sized fridge. Plates, glassware and utensils are also available.
We can store our coolers there or on the covered porches of the Corporal’s Housing units we’ve reserved there since there may not be enough room for everything in the main fridge.
Drinks: Bring your favorite beverages or bottle of wine to share.
Volunteer: Many hands make light work… Volunteers would be appreciated to help coordinate various aspects of the weekend. Please contact Ellie or Beth to offer your help.
Accommodations: NWSSA has reserved the Quartermaster and 3 Corporal Quarters Housing Units. Bedding, linens, towels are provided. Complimentary parking is included with the housing units. There are also camping options on-site. See below for more details about housing options.
| Quarters | Price Per Night | Room Notes – Covered Porch, Living Room, Kitchen and One Shared Bath |
| Queen Bed in Quartermaster or Corporal’s Quarters Housing | $158 | 4 Queen Bedrooms Available |
| Single Bed in Quartermaster or Corporal’s Quarters Housing | $118 | 8 Double Occupancy Shared Rooms (16 Single Beds) |
| Camping at Fort Worden | Price Per Night | Campsite Notes |
| Register Directly with Fort Worden for campsite | $31-56 | Variety of Options and Amenities for Tents, Campers or RVs |
About Fort Worden:
Fort Worden Historical State Park is a 433-acre multi-use park with more than 2 miles of saltwater shoreline and a wide variety of services and facilities. Fort Worden, Fort Flagler and Fort Casey, with their big guns and strategic locations, once made up the coastal defense system known as, “The Triangle of Fire.” Constructed between 1898 and 1917, fascinating Fort Worden features more than 2 miles of beachfront and high bluffs with spectacular views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Outdoor activities: Beachcombing, tide pooling, bird watching, hiking and more.
Please contact Ellie ellie@nwssa.org or Beth bethk@olypen.com to volunteer, any questions, need additional information, or if you have any special needs.
Cancellation Policy: TBA