Piia’s woodworking journey: “I can take a birch log from the firewood pile and make a vase out of it”

Piia Sipinen pursues many types of handcrafts, but what makes woodworking special to her is the element of surprise and the natural will of the wood. Its scent, texture, and unique character make every piece one of a kind. As she works, the outcome can even surprise her, because the wood often shapes itself in unpredictable ways.

In Piia’s hands, wood becomes both beautiful and functional pieces. Her talent is on display in everything from stools and serving boards to candleholders around the house.

Piia, have you always been a maker?

Handicraft classes in school didn’t particularly inspire me. In middle school, I knitted a sweater that ended up so tiny it could have fit a baby! Still, I spent a lot of my childhood at my father’s childhood home in the countryside, where handicrafts were a regular part of life. My father was a carpenter, so woodworking has always been a part of my life in some way.

My real passion for crafts began 17 years ago when my first child was born, and I started knitting and sewing clothes for them. From then on, different handicrafts have been part of my everyday life. I do a lot of knitting, but I also sew and crochet. I find working with clay especially relaxing, but I’ve explored felting, printmaking, making himmeli straw mobiles, and weaving rya rugs, too.

How did you become interested in woodworking?

One year, the adult education center’s ceramics class was full, so I decided to give woodworking a try and got hooked. When we started planning our cottage project, the idea of making my own furniture really intrigued me. For three years now, I’ve attended a woodworking course at the adult education center, and I’ve learned so much along the way.

I’m the kind of person who likes to get things done quickly, but woodworking demands patience. Luckily, I’ve had a great teacher and encouraging, experienced hobbyists around to offer advice and moral support.

I mostly do my woodworking at the adult education center because it provides a wide range of tools and plenty of room. I also work on projects at the cottage, where I’ve built a bench and a side table for the terrace, among other things.

Where do you get your ideas for woodworking projects?

I find inspiration in magazines and on Pinterest, for example. Sometimes, I’ll just grab a birch log from the firewood pile and see where my mood takes me. That’s how my wooden vases took shape. I first roughed out the form with a band saw, then refined it with a belt sander, and finally used a vertical drill to make the opening.

What self-made woodworking pieces do you have in your home?

I’ve made small tables, stools, benches, vases, candleholders, trays, cutting boards, and bowls. While wood is often used for functional items, my approach is a bit broader. You can shape wood into art objects, such as whimsical flowers. I also believe that what you make doesn’t need a strictly practical purpose—sometimes creating is the purpose.

What’s so fascinating about woodworking?

When you're working with wood, everything else slips away. Between sawing, using the circular saw, and measuring, I’m completely in the moment. I’m a trained engineer, and in my job as a housing specialist, I spend most of my day at the computer. Crafting tangible objects feels deeply rewarding precisely because it’s so different from my day-to-day work.

I also love that making things by hand is so unbound by rules. I don’t follow tutorials too closely; instead, I adapt them and let my inspiration guide the process.

Each craft I do has its own place in my everyday life, but they all have the same essence: they bring relaxation and joy. For instance, I can knit casually while watching TV or even while listening to a meeting.

Which woodworking project are you most proud of?

The small tables I made during my first autumn of woodworking felt like huge victories. Discovering you can build something genuinely useful is a thrill like no other. The wooden bowl I chiseled out last spring is also special to me. It was a slow, deliberate process—a real lesson in patience—and the time I invested made the journey just as meaningful as the finished piece.