Blog

ONSITE: Needle Felting Flowers + House Plants

April 04, 2024

Learn the ancient art of needle felting and how to make decorative plant sculptures. Be inspired by local plants or potted plants in your home. Can't keep a house plant alive? Let's felt one! Fill your felted pot with overflowing Pothos or create a grassy knoll to set a Pink Lady Slipper on. It's up […]

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ONSITE: Improvisational Quilting

April 04, 2024

Improv quilting is quilting with freedom in mind. Beginning a quilt with no real concept, quilters will spin the fabric into an ever-evolving fabric tapestry. We’ll dive into improv quilting blocks of our own while talking about the pioneers of this technique (Rosie Lee Tompkins, Quilters of Gee’s Bend, Etc.)

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ONSITE: Round Reed Basket Weaving

April 04, 2024

In this Bundle Dye Intensive, students will make a 16” x 16” scarf and dye it with natural dyes through the ‘bundle’ method. Students will learn to machine sew a french seam, mordant fiber, compose raw dye material on fiber, and bundle dye.

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ONSITE: Intermediate Sewing + Patternmaking

April 04, 2024

Improve your sewing skills or use class time for guided practice. You can work on your pre-approved projects and explore more advanced techniques after weekly demonstrations. Demonstrations may include specialty seams and finishes, making fit adjustments to sewing patterns, drafting simple sewing patterns, and other student requests.

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ONSITE: Learn to Use a Sewing Machine: Make a Tote Bag (A)

April 04, 2024

In this beginners' course, students will learn the basics of machine sewing. Students will learn how to set up their machines, measure and cut fabric. Instruction will cover common user mistakes and thread choices. Once students feel comfortable with simple machine sewing, they will sew a tote bag.

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ONSITE: Sculptural Basketry

April 04, 2024

Learn the basics of basketry with an emphasis on using the techniques to make 3D sculptural forms. We will cover the basics of weaving and dyeing with reed, coiling with raffia, and looping with waxed thread. We will use these skills as the starting point for thinking about baskets as sculptures. Plan to leave class […]

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ONSITE: Power Shield: Upcycled Pillow

April 04, 2024

Create your own POWERSHIELD pillow inspired by Franchell's current series of works being created in her VisArts studio. You can repurpose your clothing or fabrics to create a memorable pillow. We will make cords, use embroidery, buttons, and beads to embellish geometric patchwork panels. We will make pillows from these panels.

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ONSITE: Fusible Quilting

April 04, 2024

In this class we will explore alternative methods of quilting using ironing instead of sewing. First class we will learn and explore- second class we will "quilt" a finished piece.

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ONSITE: Shibori Dyeing

April 04, 2024

Learn to dye fabric using the ancient Japanese tradition of shibori, otherwise known as tie-dye. You’ll use fiber reactive dyes to add color to white fabric. Your finished fabric will be perfect for quilting, garment sewing and home decorating.

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ONSITE: Walk, Clip, Print: Ecoprinting on Fabric

April 04, 2024

In this one-day workshop, mindfulness, natural-dyes, and textiles collide to create a communal art-making experience. Students will be taken on a guided walk around The Fan District and learn how to identify plants that can be used for natural dying and eco-printing. Students will explore and create eco-prints on fabric, ink-transfer prints on fabric, and […]

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ONSITE: Introduction to Natural Dyeing

April 04, 2024

Intro to Natural Dying is a six week course that teaches the history, processes, and expansive modalities of Natural Dye. The objectives of the course are to learn and experiment with several different natural dye methods, complete independent creative projects using the methods demonstrated, and gain an understanding of natural dye as a potential disruptive […]

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ONSITE: Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving

April 04, 2024

Learn how to weave on a rigid heddle loom! We'll warp a rigid heddle loom using the direct warping method. This method is unique to rigid heddles and quick to set up so you can start weaving in no time. You can expect demonstrations on maintaining straight selvages, dealing with weft tails, changing colors, and […]

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ONSITE: Wet Felted Jewelry

April 04, 2024

Learn foundational wet felting skills to create jewelry from wool based on your own designs. Wet felting is the process in which wool fibers (roving) are matted together with soap and water to create soft, textural forms.

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ONSITE: Introduction to Loom Weaving

April 04, 2024

The magic of this alternative photographic process transforms plain fabric into beautiful, deep blue-hued works of art. In this course, students will gain a solid understanding of the history and basics of cyanotype printing; experiment with creating unique patterns, designs, and arrangements on their fabric through contact printing; as well as drawing your own designs […]

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ONSITE: Learn to Use a Sewing Machine: Make a Tote Bag (B)

April 04, 2024

In this beginners' course, students will learn the basics of machine sewing. Students will learn how to set up their machines, measure and cut fabric. Instruction will cover common user mistakes and thread choices. Once students feel comfortable with simple machine sewing, they will sew a tote bag.

read more

ONSITE: Introduction to Sewing Knits: T-Shirt or Legging

April 04, 2024

This class is a 2-day crash course on learning to sew with knit fabric. Students will end the workshop with a finished simple t-shirt or pair of leggings. Topics and demonstrations will include knit fabric basics, how to sew knit fabrics without a specialty machine, basic knit seams, and knit finishes.

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ONSITE: Learn to Use a Sewing Machine: Make a Zippered Pouch

April 04, 2024

In this fast-paced beginners' course, students will learn the basics of machine sewing. First, students will learn how to set up their machines and practice using them. Once students feel comfortable with simple machine sewing, they will have the opportunity to sew a zippered pouch to apply their new skills. Along the way, students will […]

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ONSITE: Sun-soaked Textiles: Exploring Cyanotype on Fabric

February 13, 2024

In this one-day workshop, mindfulness, natural-dyes, and textiles collide to create a communal art-making experience. Students will be taken on a guided walk around The Fan District and learn how to identify plants that can be used for natural dying and eco-printing. Students will explore and create eco-prints on fabric, ink-transfer prints on fabric, and […]

read more

ONSITE: Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving (A)

February 13, 2024

Learn how to weave on a rigid heddle loom! We'll warp a rigid heddle loom using the direct warping method. This method is unique to rigid heddles and quick to set up so you can start weaving in no time. You can expect demonstrations on maintaining straight selvages, dealing with weft tails, changing colors, and […]

read more

ONSITE: Sculptural Basketry

February 13, 2024

Learn the basics of basketry with an emphasis on using the techniques to make 3D sculptural forms. We will cover the basics of weaving and dyeing with reed, coiling with raffia, and looping with waxed thread. We will use these skills as the starting point for thinking about baskets as sculptures. Plan to leave class […]

read more

ONSITE: Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving (B)

February 13, 2024

Learn how to weave on a rigid heddle loom! We'll warp a rigid heddle loom using the direct warping method. This method is unique to rigid heddles and quick to set up so you can start weaving in no time. You can expect demonstrations on maintaining straight selvages, dealing with weft tails, changing colors, and […]

read more

ONSITE: Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving (C)

February 13, 2024

Learn how to weave on a rigid heddle loom! We'll warp a rigid heddle loom using the direct warping method. This method is unique to rigid heddles and quick to set up so you can start weaving in no time. You can expect demonstrations on maintaining straight selvages, dealing with weft tails, changing colors, and […]

read more