Quilting, weaving, felting, hand and machine embroidery, wearable art, beading, knitting, crochet, surface design, rughooking, dollmaking, collage, basketmaking, spinning, canvaswork
September 12 & 13, 2017
10:00 Business Meeting and Program
Brenda specializes in handcrafted leather purses, totes, wallets and accessories. Her one-of-a-kind pieces may incorporate handmade metal work, leather flowers, leaves, tassels, vintage hardware and buckles. In her PowerPoint presentation she will talk about how she started in leatherwork, the challenges she encountered and her design process. She will show examples of her work highlighting various techniques and embellishments. She'll discuss how she selects cowhides and the types of leather best used for purses, earrings and bags.
Tuesday: 12:45 pm - 3:45 pm
Wednesday: 9:00 (doors open) 9:30 - 3:30
Brenda will discuss how leather can be incorporated into sewing, quilting, knitting and jewelry applications. Participants will make a small basic leather clutch purse with a flower. The project is hand cut and sewn requiring some basic tools.
Beginner level
Leather for one clutch and two flowers, a magnetic closure, leather stitching needle, wax thread, use of leather glue and various other supplies.
October 10 & 11, 2017
10:00 Business Meeting and Program
Jacqueline is an international speaker and instructor. In her PowerPoint presentation we will follow her journey in fiber arts and see examples of her fabric, paper and calligraphy artwork. She will discuss techniques used to create her work.
Tuesday: 12:45 pm - 3:45 pm
Wednesday: 9:00 (doors open) 9:30 - 3:30
Jacqueline will demonstrate painting with fluid textile and high flow acrylics and applying image transfers explaining the advantages and differences for each. Fabrics with fluid and high flow acrylics are washable and can be used in many ways such as for a collage, quilt, pillow, table runner, handbag or garment. Image transfers are used as a focal image on fabric, are not washable and can be used on fabric projects not intended to be washed. Participants will paint and apply transfers to create samples and yardage.
Beginner level
High flow and fluid acrylic paints, mediums, an assortment of graphic image transfers, use of miscellaneous tools and a handout booklet with color photos.
November 14 & 15, 2017
10:00 Business Meeting and Program
Dawn is an international speaker and instructor in eco-printing and felting. Through eco-printing Dawn uses leaves and plant matter to print through a bundling and heating process to create colorful leaf prints on fabric. In her PowerPoint presentation Dawn takes you on an eco-printing tour to meet some of her friends from around the world including Australia, Ireland and the Netherlands. She will show eco-printed creations and end with a quick stop to her Plainwell, Michigan studio. She will conclude her program with a simple bundling demonstration.
Tuesday: 12:45 pm - 3:45 pm
Wednesday: 9:00 (doors open) 9:30 - 3:30
Dawn will show a method to create felt vessels with cracks resembling the cracked earth/mud or a stonewall texture. This highly textured surface utilizes a multiple resist technique to form 3-D wet-felted vessels. Dawn will explain how students will be able to incorporate this resist technique to create bags, hats, and wall hangings.
Beginning to intermediate level
Bergschag wool batts, laminate floor underlayment for the pattern and resist, bubble wrap, written instructions and use of instructor's tools.
January 9-10, 2018
10:00 Business Meeting and Program
In a PowerPoint presentation Linda will talk about how she became an art-quilter, why she chose cloth and how her spirituality developed from the choices she made. The trunk show of over 25 quilts is a retrospective of her work including her first piece, working throughout the stages of her development and ending with her latest piece. She will explain the techniques used and the thinking behind her pieces.
Tuesday: 12:45 pm - 3:45 pm
Wednesday: 9:00 (doors open) 9:30 - 3:30
Using fabric paint, Linda will assist students in creating their own leaf-looking cloth. When fabric is dry, students will stiffened and sculpt their fabric with Heat and Bond. Once the leaves are cut and veins defined, Linda will help students design them into an arrangement that can be mounted onto an artist's canvas frame or be the start of a larger sculpted leaf sculpture.
Beginner level
March 13-14, 2018
10:00 Business Meeting and Program
Ana Lisa, a national speaker and instructor, will show and talk about her work and techniques. She will share images of ethnic textile traditions that have informed and inspired her including Japanese shibori, Chinese carved clamp resist and African machine stitch resist.
Tuesday: 12:45 pm - 3:45 pm
Wednesday: 9:00 (doors open) 9:30 - 3:30
Students learn how to use shibori resists on fabric for dyeing including Itajime folding and clamping, Kyokechi carved clamp shibori, a simple arashi process and stitch resist. Sewing machine stitches through folded or layered fabric act as a clamp to control where the dye penetrates the fabric. Rayon thread allows for easy pulling of stitches. A variety of dye techniques will be incorporated into the process. This will be an informative and intense workshop.
Intermediate level for sewers and dyers.
Fabric, scarves, dyes and chemicals
April 10-11, 2018
10:00 Business Meeting and Program
For over 25 years Helen has researched, designed and sewn costumes, which would have been worn in the ballrooms of the 19th and early 20th century. She'll show how fashion has changed with the developments on the world stage and explain how the influences of society and the textile industry have affected fashion and its construction. Her fashion show will give us a close look her historical inspired costumes, both inside and out, plus her current work - vintage inspired fashions brought together with new materials and treatments.
Tuesday: 12:45 pm - 3:45 pm
Wednesday: 9:00 (doors open) 9:30 - 3:30
Helen will discuss color, texture and fit in garments that complement the wearer's best features. There will be two jacket patterns to choose from, one simple and the other complex, each offering options for seams, sleeves, length and fabric placement. The workshop will focus on selecting pattern pieces, creating and fitting a muslin, and making a pattern for a final jacket. Participants are guided in choosing design lines, shapes, textures and colors. Completion of the garment will depend on how complicated the pattern becomes, if garment is lined and if it has additional detailing. Those new to sewing garments can choose to simplify their jacket for a faster and easier introduction to garment making!
Beginner to intermediate level
May 8-9, 2018
10:00 Business Meeting and Program
Michelle is an international speaker and instructor. In her PowerPoint presentation she will discuss her evolution as a self-taught fiber artist, show photos of past and current work and discuss the materials and techniques used. She will show samples of her work and have copies of her published printed materials.
Michelle will guide students in creating abstract fabric designs on a small scale for notecards, bookmarks and mats. Students will layer fibers, bits of fabrics and recycled paper scraps and then sew them together with free-motion sewing. This exercise prepares the students for Wednesday's project, turning landscape photos into textured fiber art. Prior to the workshop students email a digitally landscaped photo to Michelle and she will enhance and print it onto fabric. With Michele's design guidance students work with their digital fabric adding small rectangles of fabric to shape and color the background. Machine sewing tiny stitches adds texture. The finished piece is wrapped around canvas stretcher bars ready to hang on the wall.
Beginner to intermediate level
Digitally prepared fabric from your photo...