Islander finds 'serenity' in crafting ukuleles and finding their 'special' owners

It was about a decade ago when Heidi Litke first began her journey working as a luthier, building ukuleles — and now, she spends most of her time crafting the instruments in her studio in Clinton, P.E.I.

"It was love at first sight," Litke said.

'Never a player'

The studio where Litke works is filled with different varieties of wood as a fan hums in the background to help prevent humidity coming into contact with the wood.

Litke first "fell into" her passion for ukuleles while living in Colorado and from there she learned the craft of making them.

Since she was a teenager, Litke liked to craft things out of wood. Her very first projects were wooden paddles, which now hang in her studio.

"I was never a player, a musician, but ukuleles are so easy to play," she said.  

Not only is building ukuleles a passion of Litke's but it also acts as a kind of therapy for the Island shopkeeper.

"I get the serenity of coming in here, working with wood and bending it and carving it and gluing it and — voila, I come up with a ukulele," she said.

The process of creating a ukulele takes Litke between two and three months, she said, and it can be a little frustrating at times.  

'I've changed a lot'

"Sometimes wood can be a little persnickety, it doesn't want to bend that day or I carve and I chip away something too much and I'll have to take it all apart."

But as she has become more experienced in the craft, she has come to learn that "it's all a part of the process." Litke said becoming a luthier has helped her develop patience.   

"It's very intricate work, it takes a lot of time. I've changed a lot," she said.

After putting together the instruments with care, Litke often donates them to people she believes will benefit from them. She doesn't often sell them.

Many of them have gone to persons with varying disabilities or even music programs.

"I just build them, then I find the special person to take it. What better way to retire than to build instruments and play them?"

In early February, Litke will be heading to Ontario to study under a master luthier to further hone the craft she fell in love with.

"I'll probably be 80 before I stop doing this."

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