Elves’ Workshop Summit Guide: 32 Free Holiday Craft Workshops
Every year somewhere around the middle of December, a lot of us look at the calendar and realize the handmade gifts we planned in October never got started. The yarn is still in the bag and the card stock is still in the closet, and now there's no time left to make anything.
The Elves' Workshop Summit is our answer to that. It's three days of free online holiday craft workshops, November 10-12, 2026, and it's timed so you can make your gifts, cards and ornaments while there's still plenty of season left to enjoy them.
At HobbyScool, we've hosted free online creative summits every month since 2022, and more than 110,000 makers have joined us for one. The Elves' Workshop Summit is the one people ask about all year, so here's everything you need to know about this year's event in one place.
What the Elves' Workshop Summit Is
The Elves' Workshop Summit is a free, online holiday craft event from HobbyScool. Thirty-two instructors each teach one holiday project or planning session, and you watch from home at your own craft table.
Each day has its own theme. Day 1 is handmade gifts and wrapping, Day 2 is cards, paper and paint, and Day 3 is ornaments and holiday decor. You pick the workshops that fit what you like to make and skip the rest, and nobody's keeping track.
The lineup covers a lot of ground. There's sewing, crochet and knitting, papercrafting and Cricut projects, watercolor and acrylic painting, clay, dough and Dollar Tree crafts, and a few sessions on organizing and budgeting for the holidays so the season feels a little easier on you.
How Watching Works
Nothing is live, so you can't miss a start time. Here's how the three days run:
- 9:00 AM ET each morning: that day's workshops go up on hobbyscool.com.
- A new email each morning: you'll get the day's links in your inbox, so there's nothing to hunt for. On Tuesday, November 10, look for the subject line "Day 1 is open: here's where to watch."
- 24 hours to watch: each day's workshops stay free until 9:00 AM ET the next morning.
- No app or login: the workshops play right on the HobbyScool site.
Every workshop is pre-recorded, which means you can pause while you thread a needle or let the paint dry, rewind the tricky part, and make along at your own pace.
If one day isn't enough to get through everything you want to watch, there's an optional VIP All-Access Pass that keeps all 32 workshops yours to rewatch whenever you like. You never need it to take part in the free summit.
The Full Schedule
Here's every workshop by day, so you can plan which ones you want to make along with.
Day 1: Handmade Gifts & Wrapping
Free to watch through 9:00 AM ET Wednesday, Nov 11
Sewn, crocheted and knitted gifts, baskets and gift bags that make the wrapping part of the present, plus planning sessions for a season that's easier on you and your budget.
- Hope Ware: 3 Simple Steps to Create a Christmas Rich in Memories, But Not Bills
- Susan Santoro: 10 Things to Organize Before Christmas
- Chas Greener: The Ultimate Budget Holiday Toolkit: Decor, Gifts & Hacks
- Christine Burrows: Sew Cute Lavender Bags (With an Optional Embroidered Flower!)
- Heidi Rodriguez: Chunky Cowl, Quick Win: The Last-Minute Handmade Gift They'll Actually Wear
- Kirsten Joel: Stash, Stitch, and Slow Down: Start a Kerchief in Just 10 Minutes a Day
- Crystal Martin: When the Wrapping Steals the Show: Coiled Gift Baskets
- Gina Tepper: High-End Holiday Gift Bags from Reused Christmas Decor
- Nicola Brown: Beautiful Botanical Tags, Cards & Gift Wrap with Eco Printing
- Patti Dolan: One Fun Fold, Endless Occasions: Make a Gift Card Holder
- Adeline Ma: Create a Vintage-Style Christmas Tags Bundle
Day 2: Cards, Paper & Paint
Free to watch through 9:00 AM ET Thursday, Nov 12
Interactive and printable cards, tags and treat toppers, a holiday chalkboard sign, and watercolor trees and winter scenes you can turn into gifts.
- Corinne Schmitt: More Than a Christmas Card: Create an "Open When" Gift They'll Reach for All Year
- Brittany Bly: Think You Can't Letter? Create a Charming Holiday Chalkboard in Less than One Hour
- Elena Anderson: Interactive Snowman Surprise Card with Your Cricut
- Janet Trieschman: A Printable Cottage Core Christmas: Create Charming Cards Without Expensive Craft Supplies
- Einat Kessler: 8 Holiday Tree Cards
- Linh Van: Holiday Cards in a Hurry: Batch-Friendly Watercolor Backgrounds Made Easy
- Terri Johnson: Create Festive Christmas Tags and Treat Toppers with Any Cutting Machine
- Elyse Dean: Oh Christmas Tree: Paint a Watercolor Christmas Tree
- Jackie Partridge: Paint It, Gift It: Create an Easy Watercolor & Acrylic Winter Tree Scene
- Allie Trumpower: From Holiday Chaos to Christmas Keepsake: Create a Planner You'll Actually Want to Save
Day 3: Ornaments & Holiday Decor
Free to watch through 9:00 AM ET Friday, Nov 13
Ornaments in clay, fabric, crochet and dough, a stocking, a door gnome, glowing jar luminaries and festive garnishes for your holiday table.
- Jasmine Kaur Dhillon: Create 7 Beautiful Christmas Ornaments with Affordable Dollar Tree Supplies
- Shelly Carlson: Mix, Mold & Make: Easy Cornstarch Dough Christmas Ornaments
- Cindy Hopper: Crochet Wreath Ornament
- Siobhan Fitzpatrick: Quilt as You Go Holiday Ornament
- Nancy Hall: From Boring Bauble to Handmade Treasure
- Kira McCoy: Create a Lightweight Clay Poinsettia Brooch or Ornament
- Melissa Steiner: From Toe to Tradition: Crochet a Classic Santa Stocking
- Katherine McCrory: Holiday Door Gnome
- Robin Simmons: Mason Jar Magic: Turn Dollar-Store Jars into Glowing Christmas Luminaries in One Cozy Afternoon
- Susannah Brinkley Henry: Shake, Sip, Sparkle: DIY Holiday Garnishes That Wow Every Guest
- Paula Iniguez & Cori George: Think Outside the Ornament: Make Your Own Christmas Tree Picks!
How to Pick Your Workshops
Thirty-two workshops is a lot to take in, and you don't need to watch all of them to get a lot out of the summit. A few ways to narrow it down:
Start with your gift list
Look at who you're making for this year and match a workshop to each person. A chunky cowl for someone who's always cold, a coiled basket filled with treats for a neighbor, an "open when" set for a grown kid who just moved away. Day 1 is built for this, and Day 2 has plenty of cards and tags to go with whatever you make.
Go with the craft you already know
If you crochet, the cowl, the wreath ornament, the bauble cover and the Santa stocking will all feel familiar, and you'll walk away with new techniques. A few of the crochet sessions assume you already know the basic stitches, so check the descriptions. If you have a Cricut or another cutting machine, Elena Anderson's snowman card and Terri Johnson's tags and treat toppers are a natural fit.
Try one thing that's new to you
The summit is free, so it's a good time to try something you've been curious about. Several workshops are marked beginner friendly, including Christine Burrows' lavender bags, Nicola Brown's eco printing, Brittany Bly's chalkboard lettering and Elyse Dean's watercolor tree.
Pull in the family
Plenty of the workshops are simple enough to make with kids or grandkids at the kitchen table. Cornstarch dough ornaments, Dollar Tree ornaments and the mason jar luminaries are good ones to try together.
Pick the workshops that suit you and skip the rest.
From the Elves' Workshop Summit FAQGetting Your Supplies Ready
You don't have to buy anything to watch. Lots of people watch every workshop without making along and come back to the projects later.
If you do want to make along, the supply list arrives in your confirmation email as soon as you register. It's ready now, nearly four weeks before the summit starts, so you've got time to order what you need or pick it up locally. It lists what each workshop uses, and you'll find a lot of the projects use things you probably already have at home, like paper bags, last year's decorations, fabric scraps and stash yarn.
A good way to handle it is to circle the three or four workshops you're most excited about, gather just those supplies, and set them out in one bin or basket before November 10. Then when Day 1 opens you can sit down and start.
The Community Part
You can watch the whole summit on your own, and a lot of people do. If you want company, our free Skool group is where people share what they're making, ask questions and cheer each other on during the summit. You're welcome to post every project or just scroll and enjoy what everyone else is making.
If you have questions about watching or your registration, the HobbyScool knowledge base has answers to the most common ones.
Bring a Friend
The summit is more fun with someone to compare notes with. Send your sister, your craft group or your coworker who's always knitting at lunch to go.hobbyscool.com/2026-elves-workshop so they can grab their own free spot. Picking a workshop to make together and texting each other photos of how it's going is a fun way to do it.
What Comes After
The Elves' Workshop Summit is one of twelve free summits HobbyScool runs every year. In December we're hosting the Create & Reflect Retreat, December 15-17, which is all about cozy, reflective projects to close out the year. If you want to hear about every summit as it opens, you can get on the upcoming events list.
Save Your Free Spot for the Elves' Workshop Summit
32 free holiday workshops, November 10-12, 2026. Register now and the supply list comes straight to your inbox.
Save My Free Spot See Every HobbyScool EventFrequently Asked Questions
When is the HobbyScool Elves' Workshop Summit in 2026?
The Elves' Workshop Summit runs online November 10-12, 2026. A new set of workshops goes up at 9:00 AM ET each morning: handmade gifts and wrapping on Tuesday, cards, paper and paint on Wednesday, and ornaments and holiday decor on Thursday.
Is the Elves' Workshop Summit really free?
Yes. All 32 workshops are free to watch during the summit. Each day's workshops stay free until 9:00 AM ET the next morning. There's an optional VIP All-Access Pass if you want to keep the workshops to rewatch later, but you don't need it to take part.
Are the Elves' Workshop Summit sessions live, or can I watch on my own schedule?
Nothing is live. Every workshop is pre-recorded and goes up at 9:00 AM ET on its day, so you have a full 24 hours to watch, pause and make along whenever it suits you.
How do I get the supply list for the Elves' Workshop Summit workshops?
The supply list comes in your confirmation email as soon as you register at go.hobbyscool.com/2026-elves-workshop. It lists what each workshop uses, and many projects use things you probably already have at home.
What crafts are taught at the Elves' Workshop Summit?
The 2026 lineup covers sewing, crochet, knitting, papercrafting, Cricut and other cutting machines, watercolor, acrylic painting, clay, dough ornaments, mason jar luminaries and holiday drink garnishes, plus sessions on planning a calmer and more affordable Christmas.
