2026
MAKE YOUR RESERVATION
November 7th at 11:00 am

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Step into the world of colonial soapmaking with Sarah Farnsworth of the Colonial Pennsylvania Farmstead and learn how soap was made before modern ingredients, appliances, and commercially prepared lye.

Working with traditional materials and methods, you’ll make lye from scratch using wood ash, explore the transformation of rendered tallow into soap, and formulate both hot- and cold-process soaps. You’ll also recreate the soft soap that would have been familiar in an 18th-century household, using homemade lye and rendered tallow.

The workshop takes place in a historic farm setting and offers a rare opportunity to experience soapmaking as both a practical household craft and a piece of living history. Warwick Furnace Farm’s own lavender hydrosol and essential oil will be incorporated into the recipe.

Each participant will take home two 4-ounce bars of handmade soap, with additional homemade soap provided as a gift. Whether you are entirely new to soapmaking or already have experience, the workshop offers something deeper than a modern soapmaking class: an opportunity to work with historic ingredients, understand the chemistry behind the craft, and recreate methods used in the colonial past. (Children over the age of 13 welcome).

Duration: 3 Hours

PRICE Early Bird $95 per person

INCLUDES

All materials and tools to create two 4 oz bars of soap to take home
Soapmaking history by Sarah Farnsworth of the Colonial Pennsylvania Farmstead
Instruction in lye making from ash, hot and cold process soap, and historic soft soap using tallow and lye
A gift of the handmade historic soap preferred by Napoleon and Queen Victoria to take home
Light Refreshments
All Guests will get a 10% discount at our farm store during the event

We suggest;
[ ] Any non lavender additives you would like to include in your soap (optional)
As we are limiting the number of guests who may participate in this workshop, we regret that the reservation fee is non-refundable. Please check the date and time carefully when purchasing. If you must cancel you may transfer your reservation to another person or let us know ASAP and if we can find someone to take your reservation, we are happy to offer you a credit to a future event at the farm.

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION

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ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Sarah Farnsworth is the head hearth cook and Board President with the Colonial Pennsylvania Farmstead. The Colonial Pennsylvania Farmstead is an authentic living history site with the purpose of enhancing understanding of 1760 -90 farm life in Southeastern Pennsylvania by providing high quality, research based experiences to the public. Located within Ridley Creek State Park, just a few short miles from Willistown, Colonial PA Farmstead owns and manages over 100 acres of open space which includes a historic farmhouse, barns and outbuildings, farm animals, and an interpretation of a colonial day farm.

11/7 THE HISTORY OF COLONIAL SOAPMAKING