studio courses
Basic Beaded Embroidery
This course is a great introduction to the basics of hand beading for embellishment and surface texture. Multiple stitches and tips for securing all bead types will be covered. You will create a small round sampler that can be used as a brooch or button. Absolutely no beading experience needed. 1-day (Beading workshops can be combined to create a 1-3 day session)
Beaded Bezels for Cabochons & Mirrors
This class will cover two different methods of attaching flat-backed cabochons and shisha mirrors to projects. These techniques can be used on quilts, as well as parts of necklaces or other jewelry. Basic beading experience needed. 1-day
Beaded Edges & Fringes
This class will introduce many beaded fringe techniques, simple and advanced beaded edges and finishing tips. Basic beading experience needed. 1-day
Block Carving & Printing
This workshop will cover the creation of design by cutting soft blocks and foam to create your own unique stamps. The blocks can be combined to create detailed textures or focal point images on paper and textiles. Paint, dye, foils, and inks will be used. Half or 1-day
Color Play
Learn the basics of using Procion MX permanent dye on cotton - and create the first pieces of unique cloth to your stash. Then play with dyes to create unique fabrics for your fiber projects. Start with an introduction to basic vat dyeing and then create a coordinated family of 3 parfait dyed samples. 1-day
Dyeing Made Easy: An introduction to all over dye techniques for cotton, rayon and silk
Learn to create your own fabrics using MX dyes. Starting with basics, learn step by step to mix your own colors and dye over all pattern and color to make what you need for your next project.
This introductory sampler class is for anyone interested in learning how to dye fabric, using easy formulas and explanation, dyeing is very approachable. Using MX dyes you will learn all the basics of "small batch"dyeing. After you have mastered the very basic, you move on to learn techniques to create those awesome crackle and parfait patterns and those coveted gradation collections. Now that you are a master of the dyepot, we will learn the basics of resist dying. Using techniques including: stitches and binding, wax, and flour paste resist, you will learn to create loosely controlled patterning with dye. MX dyes are perfect for dyeing cotton, rayon and silks. You can make fabrics using natural, white and even transform those "ugly" fabrics you have in your stash into something great for your next project.
Introduction: Learn how to prepare fabric, about using dye and chemicals, MX dye safety, and start dyeing!
Hand-dye Crackles and Parfaits Learn about color strength and direct mixing to create a spectrum of colors on one piece.
Dye me a Rainbow Learn how to control color to dye a rainbow from primary dye colors, making "solid" colors, and how to make coordinated fabrics and gradations.
Resists 1 Getting started with resists: Learn to use tied, sewn and clamped resists to create pattern.
Resists 2 Water soluble resists Learn to use paste made from your pantry as resists to create subtle crackle effects.
Resists 3 Drawing pattern How to draw patterns and control color flow by using liquid resists such as: "gutta", dish soap, jacquard resists, soy wax.
Embellished Hand-bound Travel Journal
Each student will learn to make a sheet of “fabric paper” using decorative papers, fabrics, and imagery including stamps, photos. Learn a simple hand-stitched binding technique to create a book using watercolor paper for the pages. The pages will include gold deckled edges and pockets for mementos, ephemera or photos. The Fabric paper can be further embellished using threads, charms, transfers, etc. the book can be finished in a day if extensive embellishment of the cover isn't a priority. This will become the cover of the Journal. 1-day
Embellished Travel Journal & Memory Book
This book is a great place to save all those tickets, name and luggage tags, invitations, and prized photos of a trip or personal event in a special memory book. The book can be made before or after your trip and taken along to add sketches "plein aire" – or use some of your photos to make sketches when at home.
Lesson 1: Learn to make a sheet of "fabric paper" using decorative papers, fabrics, and imagery including stamps, photos for the cover and end pages.
Lesson 2: Create the pages, known as signatures, for your journal these can include pockets and photo corners to hold memories. A simple hand-stitched binding technique binds the gold deckled edged signatures together.
Lesson 3: Complete embellishment for the cover with stitch, beads and charms, learn a beaded edge finish for your cover, embellish the spine with cording, beads, and charms.
Fill the book with memories.
Encaustic Collage –
Embedding paper and ephemera in wax
For this workshop we will focus on layering and fusing wax without any pigments. The images and color is placed into the collage with paper, fabrics, and other objects.
Learn about panel and paper substrates to support your work. Learn to use purchased encaustic media, learn to encase paper and other ephemera with light layers of media.
Learn to properly fuse the collage layers with a craft iron, heat gun, or torch.
Learn how to buff your work to reveal a nice patina and shine.
Glitter, Glitz & Gilding for Mixed Media
Find your inner magpie! Spend the afternoon playing with shiny surfaces to add to any of your mixed media work - including fabric. This studio workshop will cover techniques for application of various forms of glitter, pigment powders, metallic paints, foils, and metallic leaf. We will begin with an extensive review of the different media, their effect and many adhesive options. Some of these techniques can also be used to laminate papers and photos to fabrics and other surfaces. 1-day
Introduction to Peyote Stitch
Peyote Stitch is one form of off loom bead weaving technique used to create a cloth-like flexible mesh made from beads. The Peyote Stitch is easy to learn and fun to do. In this workshop, we will use basic seed beads (any size) to learn the basic Peyote Stitch, how to start new threads invisibly, and increasing and decreasing. This weaving technique is a fundamental foundation for many beading forms and quite simple. By the end of this workshop you will have the basics mastered and complete a simple amulet or medicine bag in Peyote stitch. Class includes needle and Silamide beading thread, you bring seed beads from your stash - some beads will be available in class. 1-day
Introduction to Textural Beadwork
Learn to use beading as a media for expressive and intimate art. This beading workshop will cover the basics of using beading as textural surface and embellishment. Beginning with a discussion of beads, needles, threads, stitch techniques, and textile foundations you start your journey into the small and intimate world of stitched beadwork.
Each student will create a collection of small samplers or a large one incorporating surface stitches, a flat-backed cabochon or a shisha mirror, beaded fringes and various edge finishes. After mastery of stitches is accomplished all these techniques are combined to design and complete an abstract figurative doll (pattern provided.)
Special focus will be given to elements of designing small scale work, securing, repairing, and adding embellishments to finished projects.
Session 1) Introduction: supplies, beads, planning and foundations. Basic stitches, using traditional and non-traditional beads. Start a collection of samplers of basic stitches.
Session 2) Focus on edge details. Learn various picots and laces. Combine fancy beads for great unique effects. Add to your sampler pieces.
Session 3) Fringes, stacks, and textures. Embellish and finish the sampler pieces.
Session 4) Peyote bezels for cabochons, shisha mirrors and faces. Make a sample bezel, learn to manage weight of stones and beads, making paper clay cabochons. Discussion on designing with beads - design your figure's body.
Session 5) Stitch the beaded shield for the figure, special attention to stitching larger pieces, creating firm foundations, and organized repetitive forms. Correcting mistakes and problem solving. Make body and stuff.
Session 6) Finish Doll details, the face bezel, head & hair. Add edge and fringe details. Trouble shoot tangled fringe threads, loose fringes and stitching. Attach beads to difficult and 3-D surfaces.
Make & Print Your Own Print Blocks
Have you ever wanted to make your own printing stamps? In this workshop you will learn to create print blocks for your own personal stationary – or print on fabric for a great foundation for machine or hand embroidery. Starting with a photograph and no drawing expertise, this workshop will step you through converting your image to 2 or more colors for printing, through hand printing your own cards.
Session 1) Introduction: supplies (inks, papers, textiles), consideration for photograph selection, determine the final print image, make mock up samples for color separation, learn to make registration marks, creating templates for all print blocks.
Session 2) Types of block used for printing, transferring images to easy to cut print block, proper use of cutting tools, cutting methods, and cleaning cut blocks.
Session 3) Selection of final print papers and fabrics, preparing print surfaces, using a brayer and inking up the blocks, printing techniques without a print press, printing up the initial proofs, creating the registration template for final edition of prints.
Session 4) Paper printing "bench" practices for clean prints, using a barren for making the print on paper, using the registration template, printing the edition, solvent free clean up for oil based inks.
Open Mesh Screen Printing
Learn temporary techniques to create print screens using common household materials such as flour, and wax and try your hand with very short run print images using watersoluable media. Screens can be used to print on paper or textiles. Each student will have the opportunity to create several prints and will explore multiple techniques. 1-3 day workshop.
Soy Wax Batik
This environmentally friendly alternative to beeswax for batik is great fun and practically foolproof! The high grade soy wax is easier to remove from fabrics and papers because it melts at a much lower temperature than traditional wax. Using traditional batik tjanting tools and natural bristle brushes; multiple layers of color can easily be applied to one piece. Since the wax dries quickly, you can apply all your layers in one afternoon. 1-day
Shibori Resist Dyeing
Today shibori is practiced by many textile and fiber artists. Some artists continue to use traditional tools to create pattern and some use modern adaptations such as PVC poles, smocking machines, sewing machines, rubber bands, and wood or plexi-glass. In this hands on studio workshop, you will develop and practice basic resist folding and tying techniques to dye a unique shibori resist silk scarf in one color. half or 1 day
Scheduling Courses
Contact janet to arrange a studio workshop for your group or for private studio sessions.