Hand-Dipped Beeswax Candle Making w/ Jess Kaufman

December 19 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

About the Workshop: Hand-Dipped Beeswax Candle Making w/ Jess Kaufman

On the longest nights of the year, we’ll come together in warmth and good company for this age-old Solstice tradition: hand-dipping beeswax candles, a timeless practice that invites patience, presence and a quiet resilience.

In the 5th Annual cozy, hands-on workshop, you’ll gather around the “fire” of gently simmering cauldrons of golden beeswax, the earthy-sweet smell filling the air. Settle into the calming rhythm of dip, cool, and repeat as your tapers slowly take shape. Jess Kaufman, local batik artist and founder of WAXON, will guide you through the candle-making process while sharing the deeper story of beeswax—an increasingly rare and precious gift from our pollinator kin.

You’ll also learn how WAXON’s zero-waste batik studio reclaims and reuses every drop of wax, honoring this sacred material through careful stewardship and creative reuse. The result is a practice rooted not only in craft, but in sustainability and care.

Participants will leave with:

Two pairs of hand-dipped beeswax taper candles (four total, with the option to make more)
Practical candle-making skills, from wick selection to tapering, trimming, and shaping, along with tricks learned over time
A shared sense of connection and joy as we honor the darkness and welcome the returning light in the 5th Annual Solstice Beeswax Candle Dipping Workshop

Jess says her favorite part of the class is “watching the joy on people’s faces as their candles grow.” Come celebrate the Solstice, kindle your own light, and take part in a tradition that weaves together community, craft, and reverence for the natural world.

This class will be held indoors on Saturday, December 19th, 2026, from 2:00pm – 5:00 pm in Asheville, NC.

This class is suitable both for experienced crafters and beginners alike! The minimum age is 10 accompanied by an adult or 16 unaccompanied. Please be prepared for long periods of standing.

About the Instructor: Jess Kaufman

Jessica Kaufman (she/her) has an MA in crafts education and is the owner of WAXON Batik & Dye Studio in Asheville, NC. With over 22 years of teaching experience, Jess has taught a wide variety of fiber and textile arts to summer campers, school children, high schoolers, and adult workshops up and down the East Coast. Her enthusiasm for teaching is apparent in every class she leads. Jess maintains over 80 free knitting videos at HappyGoCrafty.com.
Find out more about Jess and her offerings at waxonstudio.com.

Equitable Pricing Model $37 – $77

* Please click here to learn about your pricing options before you register for your first Perennial Workshop. The pricing options are the same for all events, so you only need to do it once!

In order to make our workshops more accessible, we offer two price options for each class, with an additional Equity Discount for qualifying individuals. Please consider these options and select your price at checkout.

Sponsor Price $77: For those who have enough to share, thank you for being a Sponsor. This is an opportunity to contribute towards the cost of the class for someone else.
Standard Price $57: The Standard reflects one person’s share of what it costs to produce the class and cover basic expenses.
Equity Discount $37: We offer an additional Equity Discount for those from the following communities who support reparations and/or an equitable redistribution of wealth and would not have access to this workshop without this discount:
- Indigenous or Native American, Black, Latino/a/x
- Other peoples of the global majority, or racialized communities
- Ethnicities underrepresented in the Southeastern earthskills community

Thank you for helping transform the world into a culture of abundance, resilience, and opportunity for all.

Which Price Option is Right for You?*

Find your Pricing Option

*Please check your pricing options before you register for your first Perennial Workshop. The pricing options are the same for all events, so you only need to do it once!