perennial

Tools 101: Power Saws
2026-06-04 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Chicago) | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Skills you’ll learn:
chop saw/miter saw, band saw, jig saw, circular saw
Learn how to safely and effectively cut reclaimed wood with the power tools in Perennial’s woodshop. In this hour and a half hands-on demo, you’ll learn how to safely use the chop saw (miter saw) to make square and angled cuts. By learning the band saw and jig saw, you’ll be able to make unique cuts of virtually any shape. By completing this crash course, you will be trained to properly and safely use any of the power saws listed above for future projects at Perennial.

Cold Process Soapmaking
2026-06-04 18:00 - 20:30 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
spent cooking oil, plant materials
Skills you’ll learn:
cold process soapmaking
Learn the cold process soapmaking technique with a few natural + sustainable tips! In this class, we’ll demonstrate how to clean + repurpose old cooking oil as the basis for your soap. We’ll also discuss way to incorporate natural materials into your soap like infusing color and scents from plants, or using dried botanicals. Participants will learn to use upcycled milk cartons and yogurt containers to create their own soap.
Please note, cold-process soaps take around 6 weeks to cure before they can be used.

Perennial Picnic: Welcome + Farewell
2026-06-05 16:00 - 19:00 | Tower Grove Park: Old Carriage Shelter, 4214 Main Drive, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, United States
Join us in welcoming Allison K.S. Harbison and celebrating Katie Carpenter at our upcoming Perennial Picnic!

We’ll gather on Friday, June 5th, from 4:00-7:00pm at the Old Carriage Shelter in Tower Grove Park (4214 Main Drive, St. Louis, MO 63110). We hope you’ll stop by to meet Allison, connect, share stories, and help us thank Katie for her leadership!
This is a BYOB (Bring-Your-Own Blanket) event. Don’t forget your reusable containers if you’re bringing your own snacks and drinks. No time to cook or prep? No problem! We recommend grabbing something at Local Harvest or the following, Green Dining Alliance approved, restaurants nearby:

The Royale
Alpha Brewing Company
PizzaHead
Lona’s Lil Eats
Buzz’s Hawaiian Grill

This is a free and family-friendly drop-in event. We want to celebrate with you! If you would like to make a donation in honor of Allison’s new chapter or celebrate Katie’s legacy, you can add your support by selecting a ticket at the level that’s best for you (or reach out to director@perennialstl.org to make a donation in a custom amount).

At our picnic, you’ll enjoy:

Crafts: make a friendship bracelet (or 2) and a contribute to a collaborative community art project
Local beer, non-alcoholic beverages and a sweet treat
Yard games (but feel free to bring your own to share)
Great company!

The Old Carriage Shelter is wheelchair accessible. In case of rain, we will be at the Perennial Workshop.
More details to come, grab your ticket to reserve your spot and ensure the most up to date information!

Home Repair: Kitchen Knife Sharpening
2026-06-06 10:00 - 12:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
dull knives, knives with loose handles
Skills you’ll learn:
basic care + sharpening of kitchen knives
Dull knives with loose handles can be frustrating, but it’s easier to eliminate the frustration than you might think! In this hands-on class, you’ll learn basic concepts of sharpening and maintaining your kitchen knives without the need for fancy power tools + jigs. If you’ve got a dull knife or two, bring them to class to sharpen your sharpening skills. You’ll leave class with the knowledge and confidence to maintain your knives for years to come!

Open Studio
2026-06-06 13:00 - 17:00, 2026-07-11 13:00 - 17:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Have you learned a skill at Perennial and are ready to put it into action? Get to work in the shop and make your DIY dreams a reality! Come with your own ideas, designs, and materials (or purchase some here) and craft alongside other sustainable makers.
In order to use Perennial tools, you must be trained on safety and proper usage from taking a Perennial class. For example, to use the Chop Saw in the woodshop you should have taken Tools 101 Power Saws, to use a soldering iron in the ReUse Studio you should have taken a soldering class.
For more information about Open Studio, check out our FAQ page.
Each 2 hour session is $15.
Tools available in the Woodshop include: table saw, chop saw, jig saw, drill press, power drills, belt sander, planer, lathe, and traditional hand woodworking tools.
Tools available in the ReUse Studio include: sewing machines and sewing/quilting tools, soldering irons, upholstery tools, leather working tools, mosaic supplies, blenders, dye pots, pans and bowls, hot plates, measuring spoons, cutting mats, tapestry looms, paper-making supplies, wine bottle cutters, mark-making tools, and more!

DIY Compost Tumbler, 6/9+6/16
2026-06-09 18:00 - 20:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
barrels, wood, hardware
Skills you’ll learn:
compost tips, construction, sawing, drilling
Please note: This is a two-part workshop that takes place on Tuesdays, June 9 + 16 from 6-8pm both nights.
Learn how to compost your food scraps and build your own bin with Perennial. A local gardening expert from Seed St. Louis will give a talk on composting at home and the dos and don’ts of composting. After the talk, Perennial will lead the class in building their own compost tumblers from a barrel and salvaged wood. Participants will learn to use the chop saw, jig saw, and drill to build their compost bin.
This class may take place outside (weather-depending) in Perennial’s education garden.

Woven Wall Hanging
2026-06-09 18:00 - 21:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
t-shirts, bed sheets, reclaimed yarn, picture frames
Skills you’ll learn:
warping a loom, create fringe, weave stripes and shapes
Embellish your walls with your very own woven wall hanging! This introductory class will cover everything you need to know from setting up the loom to taking off your finished weaving and so many fun things in between. You’ll learn how to warp a loom, create fringe, weave stripes and shapes, and once you’ve created a masterpiece, how to take it from the loom to the wall. Class fee includes a handmade tapestry needle and frame loom to keep.

Hand Sewing 101
2026-06-10 18:00 - 20:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
fabrics, garments
Skills you’ll learn:
fabric identification, variety of stitches, button + patch attachment

Gone are the days of getting rid of a shirt because a button fell off, or having to run to a tailor because a seam ripped. In this class you’ll learn practical hand sewing skills that will allow you to mend your own clothes. You’ll learn how to thread a needle and knot the thread (that’s always the first step), sew a backstitch and a ladder stitch (for mending ripped seams), a blind hem stitch (for hemming pants), and how to reattach a button.

Tools 101: Table Saw
2026-06-11 18:00 - 19:30 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Skills you’ll learn:
table saw, circular saw
Learn how to safely and effectively cut your reclaimed wood with the tools in Perennial’s woodshop. In this hour and a half demo, you’ll learn how to safely use Perennial’s Saw Stop table saw to rip long boards and make cross cuts. You’ll learn how to identify when a circular saw would be a better fit for your cutting needs and how to safely clamp your wood and utilize this tool to make your projects come to life. By completing this crash course, you will be trained to safely and properly use the table saw and circular saw for future projects at Perennial.

Darning + Mending: Weaves
2026-06-11 18:00 - 20:30 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
clothes and other household textiles
Skills you’ll learn:
darning, repairing holes in clothing
Never worry about damaging your favorite pair of jeans again! In this class, students will learn how to repair small holes in woven, non-stretch fabric garments using traditional mending + darning techniques. Students will be provided with hole-y sample swatches to practice on, creating your own visible mending samplers to take home with you. We’ll discuss how to use the skills learned in class to repair your woven clothing yourself at home, visibly and invisibly.

Repair Fair
2026-06-13 11:00 - 14:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Join us for a community repair event! The Repair Fair is a fun way to learn about repair, save money, and keep things from going into the trash. Handy volunteers will be on site to help you figure out and possibly fix your broken items.

Let us know you’re coming + grab a free ticket above!
The event is free to attend, but repairers may charge their own rates for repairs.

What to Expect:
When you arrive, you will check in at Perennial’s front desk. Whether or not you bring an item to be repaired, we welcome you to roam about the fair’s various Repair Stations to learn about different repairs. If you’ve brought an item to be repaired, you will be directed to the appropriate Repair Station where you will wait for the volunteer to assess your item. Volunteers can spend up to 30 minutes repairing a single item. If the volunteer estimates that your repair will take longer than 30 minutes, they may offer to complete the repair for pick up at a later date, encourage you to continue the repair at home, or refer you to a repair shop. We can’t guarantee that any or all of your items will be repaired at the event, and as with all repairs, there is a slight chance your item could be damaged in the process. But that doesn’t mean we won’t give it our best shot!

What can I bring to be repaired?
Damaged items, or pictures of damaged items, that you are not sure how to repair!
The Repair Station list is still in the works, but take a look at past stations for ideas of what you could bring:

Leather Repair
Bike Repair
Electronic Repair
Jewelry Repair
Clothing Repair
Wood Item + Furniture Repair

How many broken items can I bring?
You are welcome to bring multiple items to be repaired; however, to reduce the wait time for each attendee, one broken item per person will be examined at a time. If there is time after your first repair for another item, you will jump to the end of the line at the next (or the same) Repair Station.

What is NOT accepted?

Items too large or heavy for one person to carry *If your item is too large, consider bringing in a photo.
Items containing hazardous and/or flammable materials
Unwashed clothing

If you’re looking to have an unusual item repaired, email events@perennialstl.org with a description + a picture to see if we can help you out.
We can’t wait to see you there!

Interested in being one of our volunteer repairers?
Please fill out our volunteer registration form.

Tools 101: Lathe
2026-06-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Skills you’ll learn:
lathe woodturning
Learn how to safely and effectively shape reclaimed wood with the lathe in Perennial’s woodshop. In this hour and a half hands-on demo, you’ll learn how to safely use the lathe to turn wood to make bowls, spindles, vessels, and more (with lots of practice!). You’ll discuss the different tools used on the lathe, including different gouges and the parting tool. By completing this crash course, you will be trained to properly and safely use the lathe for future projects at Perennial.
With any woodworking project, it takes practice to master the skills necessary, but this course will introduce you to the tools and safe practices.

Visible Mending With Patches
2026-06-18 18:00 - 20:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
textiles
Skills you’ll learn:
embroidery stitches such as the running stitch, chain stitch, + more
Use original embroidery designs to revive stained + hole-y clothing. You will learn several embroidery stitches and use them to create an original embroidered patch perfectly fit to your garment and personal style!

Vintage Hardback Bookbinding
2026-06-23 18:00 - 21:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
paper, vintage books
Skills you’ll learn:
bookbinding signature sewing, paper tearing, proper gluing methods
A self-taught bookbinder, Katie will teach her personal method of upcycling vintage books. This method conserves the detailed embossing and character of hardback books while giving participants a chance to fill them with new interiors using recycled papers. In this class, participants will learn how to carefully extract the original book innards from its cover and replace it with hand sewn signatures. Participants are welcome to use their own vintage books and/or supplement the insides with their own papers, prints, or use the materials provided.

Custom Cutting Boards, 6/23+6/30
2026-06-23 18:00 - 21:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
hardwood scraps
Skills you’ll learn:
pattern-making, laminating, sawing, planing, sanding, finishing
Please note, this two-day workshop takes place on Tuesdays, June 23 + 30 from 6pm – 9pm each night.
Create your own custom cutting board in this two-day workshop! The class will lead you through the process of making your own wood cutting board from a variety of hardwood remnants. In the first session, participants will design their board pattern, laminate, and clamp their board together. The class will regroup for the second session to saw, plane, and shape their chopping board. Participants will learn the proper care of wood cutting boards and apply Perennial’s food safe and homemade wood wax to keep their boards in good condition.

Beeswax Food Wraps
2026-06-24 18:00 - 19:30 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
fabric
Skills you’ll learn:
waxing fabric, cutting fabric
You don’t need to go out and buy new products to reduce waste at home — you can make them yourself from reclaimed materials! In this workshop, you’ll craft along to make a set of cloth beeswax wraps from salvaged fabric and natural materials to replace plastics in your kitchen. You’ll learn the best ratio for making your wraps nice and sticky, and lots of tips and tricks along the way. Leave the workshop with a pair of wraps sized 8″ x 8″ and 12″ x 12,” and knowledge to make many more! As we craft, we’ll also cover best practices to reduce the amount of trash coming in and out of your cabinets, counters, and fridge.

Craft Club
2026-06-25 17:30 - 19:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Join the creative folks at Perennial for Craft Club! Each month, we host this happy hour event to test out our newest craft ideas while building a sustainable, creative community. All of the materials + instruction will be provided for a surprise, bite-sized craft. Whether you have a lot or just a little experience with crafting, we welcome you! This month we’re meeting at Perennial in our ReUse Studio. Coffee, tea, + cookies will be available, but feel free to bring your own drinks and food!
Ticket options:

Perennial members that want to use their Craft Club pass should email classes@perennialstl.org to sign up (and bring their pass with them to the event).
Members attending without a pass can select the member priced ticket.
Everyone else should choose the non-member ticket option.

Home Repair: Wall Hanging Hardware + Methods
2026-06-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
assorted hardware, scrap wood
Skills you’ll learn:
differences of hanging on drywall + plaster, prepping objects to hang, finding studs, and choosing the right wall hardware for the job

Learn how to confidently hang your favorite pieces at home from a former museum installer and current handyperson! In this hands-on workshop, you’ll explore a variety of methods + hardware for hanging objects on both drywall and plaster walls. The instructor will cover hanging items of different weights + sizes, as well as tips for hanging things that may swivel or move once installed – like your TV! You’ll also learn some options for attaching hardware to your object, various anchors to help you get the job done securely, and even a French Cleat installation. By the end of class, you’ll have lots of tips + tricks for leveling + securing objects on your walls. No prior experience needed.

Intro to Cyanotypes
2026-06-27 10:00 - 12:30 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
fabrics, papers, slide film, transparencies
Skills you’ll learn:
cyanotype process
Discover the vintage photographic method of cyanotype printing! Cyanotype printing uses light from the sun to create photographic or silhouetted images in beautiful shades of blue. Class participants will learn how to alter scrap paper, fabric, and clothing into unique prints using just the sun to develop the images. Participants will learn how to process their own exposures and use found objects and transparencies to make one-of-a-kind designs. The class will also cover the process of transforming digital images into cyanotype-ready materials for transferring.

Bushcraft: Basket Weaving
2026-06-27 10:00 - 12:30 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
plant materials
Skills you’ll learn:
weaving, lashing, identifying plants suitable for basket making, harvesting + processing plant materials for basket making
Learn how to create your own baskets using sustainably foraged plants materials! In this workshop, you will harvest plants from Perennial’s Outdoor Classroom + learn how to process them for basketry. As you’ll learn in class, each plant for basket making is best harvested at a specific time in the year. As certain plants work best for certain basket shapes, the shape of the basket and specific weaving technique you will learn in class is dependent on which plants are ready for harvest at the time of class. Come with an open mind, ready to learn a new basket shape!

Home Repair: Small Appliances
2026-06-27 13:00 - 15:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
small appliances
Skills you’ll learn:
assessing a repair job, desoldering + soldering, multimeter, safely opening an appliance
Learn to triage your small appliance’s wounds yourself! Electrical engineer Joel Schad will take you through a simple repair (and what to do when a repair becomes not-so-simple) on a common household small electrical appliance. You’ll get hands-on learning with small appliance surgery from opening up an appliance, to soldering + dressing its wires, to using a multimeter to read its pulse.

Intro to Alterations: Tailoring
2026-06-27 13:00 - 16:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Photo + description coming soon!

Serger Basics
2026-07-11 10:00 - 12:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
textiles
Skills you’ll learn:
serger parts, threading a serger, serging
Level up your sewing game by learning the basics of using a serger! Sergers, or overlockers, are used to create clean + strong seams and finished edges in a sewing project, often in garment making. They are a great partner to a sewing machine since they can speed up a project by sewing, trimming, and finishing the edges of fabric all at once. In class, you’ll practice using a serger to finish an edge of a reusable paper towel. After class, you can come back to use our sergers for your personal projects in Open Studio.

Home Repair: Sinks
2026-07-11 10:00 - 12:30 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
sinks, faucets, and other parts
Skills you’ll learn:
sink problem triage, sink anatomy, addressing common sink + drain issues
Every homeowner or long-time renter has experienced an issue with a sink or faucet. Do you call in a professional or is that little drip or stuck handle something you can take on yourself? Learn the basics of kitchen + bathroom sinks, faucets, and drains in this treasured home repair class. You’ll go through the process of assembling and repairing a drain, replacing faucets, and diagnosing and repairing other common sink and drain issues. This class also covers common tools and materials you may need to tackle that next replacement or repair.

Hand Carved Scoops + Spoons, 7/14+7/21
2026-07-14 18:00 - 20:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
wood
Skills you’ll learn:
carving, shaping, sanding wood
Please note, this two-day workshop takes place on Tuesdays, July 14 + 21 from 6pm – 8pm each night.
Handmade wooden scoops and spoons make beautiful heirloom pieces and wonderful host gifts. The class will lead you through basic hand carving skills to create a wood spoon or scoop from reclaimed hardwood. Participants will use a carving knife, spoon gouge, and sand paper to shape and refine their piece. The class will also cover proper care for wooden utensils using Perennial’s homemade wood wax.

Cyanotypes: Level 2
2026-07-14 18:00 - 20:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
paper, fabric
Skills you’ll learn:
expanding the basics of cyanotypes photograms with natural dyes
If you’ve been bitten by the cyanotypes bug like our instructor Katie, this class is for you! Katie has expanded her cyanotype practice by altering the color results of cyanotypes. You’ll learn how to use household materials to create a range of outcomes from browns to yellows to baby blues. She’ll cover a bit of the science behind the tannins, acids, + bases that transform the classic Prussian blue of cyanotypes. Students will get to design their own creative experiments, exploring different lengths of exposure and various natural dyes.

DIY Solid Perfume
2026-07-16 18:00 - 20:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
waste from store bought perfume bottles, glass jars, essential oils
Skills you’ll learn:
developing a scent blend, melting wax and oil to properly scent your perfume
Develop your own eco-friendly solid perfume from natural and upcycled materials! In this class, we’ll walk through the difference between carrier oils and essential oils and cover the ingredients necessary to make your own blend. Learn about base, middle, and top notes in scent, and leave with a custom-scented perfume in a reclaimed container!

Custom Cutting Boards, 7/16+7/23
2026-07-16 18:00 - 21:00 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
hardwood scraps
Skills you’ll learn:
pattern-making, laminating, sawing, planing, sanding, finishing
Please note, this two-day workshop takes place on Thursdays, July 16 + 23 from 6pm – 9pm each night.
Create your own custom cutting board in this two-day workshop! The class will lead you through the process of making your own wood cutting board from a variety of hardwood remnants. In the first session, participants will design their board pattern, laminate, and clamp their board together. The class will regroup for the second session to saw, plane, and shape their chopping board. Participants will learn the proper care of wood cutting boards and apply Perennial’s food safe and homemade wood wax to keep their boards in good condition.

Fresh Indigo Dyeing
2026-07-18 10:00 - 12:30 | Perennial, 3762 S. Broadway, Saint Louis, MO, 63118, United States
Materials saved from the landfill:
stained textiles
Skills you’ll learn:
techniques for growing and dyeing with indigo plants
Have you ever dyed with a indigo kit? Try something new or take your natural dye skills to the next level by learning how to cultivate and use the indigo plant. As with many natural dye classes, this is a great skill for refreshing and repurposing old or stained textiles made with protein fibers such as silk or wool. Perennial is excited to offer this unique class in collaboration with teaching artist and farmer, Erin Luna of Black Rat Farms. Materials will be provided, but be sure to bring your indigo dye questions!
