Hand-Dipped Beeswax Candle Making with Jess Kaufman
December 20 @ 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm
About the Workshop: Hand-Dipped Beeswax Candle Making
Join Jess Kaufman for this fourth annual beloved Solstice tradition and gather with friends—old and new—to taper, shape, and shine with hand-dipped beeswax candles on these, the longest nights of the year!
In this cozy, hands-on workshop, you’ll circle around the “fire” (our stovetop cauldrons of golden beeswax) and practice the soothing rhythm of dipping and cooling, as your candles slowly grow before your eyes. Jess, local batik artist and founder of WAXON, will guide you not only in the craft of candle making but also in the deeper story of beeswax—an increasingly rare and precious gift from our pollinator kin. You’ll discover how WAXON’s zero-waste batik studio reclaims and recycles every drop of wax, giving new life to this sacred resource.
Participants will leave with:
- Two pairs of hand-dipped taper candles (four candles total, with the option to make more!)
- Practical candle-making skills—from wick selection and tapering to trimming and shaping
- A sense of joy and connection as we honor the dark, and prepare for the return of the light together
As Jess says, her favorite part is “how joyful everyone is when they see their candles grow!” Come celebrate the Solstice, kindle your own light, and take part in a tradition that’s as much about community and conservation as it is about craft.
This class will be held indoors on Saturday, December 20, 2025, from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm near 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.
Equitable Pricing Model $75 – $35
* 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 $75: 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 $55: The Standard reflects one person’s share of what it costs to produce the class and cover basic expenses.
- Equity Discount $35: 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?*
*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!
Class Price includes all Materials for the Class
Registration closes at 12pm on December 20th
