Slow stitching, the meditative art of hand sewing, is a chance to relax and enjoy the rhythmic dance of needle and thread as we construct a charming needle keeper using new and vintage fabrics, basic stitching, and simple shapes. We’ll enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, a treat or two, and the company of like-minded souls.

Let’s begin this new series with a look at beetles and dragonflies. Craft a small applique for a bag or garment patch. We’ll explore methods of transferring the design, suitable methods of applique, and embroidered embellishment.

These hand quilting styles both originate in India but vary in style and technique. Let’s explore the similarities and differences by making small samplers of each.

All of these hand stitching styles are similar but slightly different in origin and technique. Let’s explore the similarities and differences by making small samplers of each.

This interdisciplinary workshop combines techniques for indigo dyeing, surface design, and bookbinding to create one-of-a-kind books. You’ll start by brewing a simple and safe indigo vat appropriate for home use, then use traditional Japanese dyeing techniques including stitch (nui-shibori) and clamp resist (itajime-shibori), as well as techniques for printing and painting using indigo pigment, to create layered surface design on paper and cloth. You’ll learn how to turn your custom cloth into bookcloth, and then learn the basics of bookmaking including constructing signatures, endpapers, and covers, as well as two simple yet highly customizable methods for bookbinding: Japanese stab-binding and Secret Belgian binding.

This workshop will begin by using the contact method of using natural plant material to pattern paper appropriate for book binding. Students will use contact-printed papers dyed with real leaves along with a “Secret Belgian” binding technique to construct a book with customized decorative stitching along the spine. Students will print a variety of papers to include in their sample book, and are welcome to bring their own precious papers to use for accents. No previous bookbinding experience is required.

Discover the beautiful relationship between indigo dye and rust prints. We’ll learn an easy method for activating the rust (oxidizing) action on cloth and a variety of methods of adding indigo patterning for a more complex design. This method is suitable for all cellulose and silk fabrics. A variety of metal shapes will be available to borrow and we’ll include a field trip to a nearby scrapyard as an option for personal pieces.

In this workshop we’ll go from blank canvas to finished garment, exploring various techniques for surface design along the way! We’ll start by dyeing cotton fabric using natural plant dyes, then cut stencils or stamps to print unique designs with plant and earth pigments. Finally, we’ll use our custom cloth to sew versatile and stylish jackets based on a Japanese happi, perfect for light cover indoors or as a jacket in warmer weather.

Expand on the basics of shibori and indigo dyeing with advanced techniques and more indigo recipes! We’ll practice more complex stitch-resist techniques including boshi, double arashi, compound itajime, and combination patterns, and explore a variety of indigo reduction methods including henna and iron-based vats.

Achieve incredibly vibrant, realistic leaf prints using contact printing, a natural dye method of transferring the pigments found in plant material directly to cloth or paper (also known as eco-printing or botanical printing). In this workshop we will explore the basics of contact printing, including some rudimentary plant physiology and how to manipulate prints with mordants and dye blankets. We will also experiment with some simple shibori techniques and easy methods of embellishing the finished prints. 

Learn to make a variety of personal natural indigo vats without worrying about toxicity or cost of heavy chemicals! These vats use a natural chemical reduction process to produce a quick, reliable, long-lasting indigo blue. I’ll provide a brief overview of indigo’s historical highlights and chemical quirks, and guide you through making a natural reduction vat. We’ll explore simple resist techniques to produce pattern on fabric and thread. Finally, we’ll cover care and maintenance of the vats and give you the option to take one home.

Don’t believe the hype! Natural dyes can provide brilliant and fast color to rival their modern-day competitors, and under much safer conditions for both the dyer and the earth. I’ll teach you how to use natural dyes to achieve a range of colors from your home dye pot. I’ll cover a bit of history and explain how natural dyes differ from their synthetic counterparts. We’ll talk about common mistakes beginning dyers encounter, and learn how to control your results. We’ll use different mordants for light and color-fastness, and explore different natural fibers to obtain maximum color variations from a single dye plant. Finally, we’ll experiment with overdyeing and variegated dyeing to give you plenty of avenues for later exploration at home.

Capture a vignette of one of your favorite memories by “painting” with layers of fabric and a variety of hand embroidery stitches. Working from a favorite photo or printed postcard, we'll "paint" with layers of fabric and add detail with a variety of hand embroidery stitches to render personal imagery in this meditative workshop.

Create a well-fitting garment using your favorite pattern or by draping a basic tunic. We’ll make a muslin, adjust the fit, and sew a finished garment that will receive compliments from all your friends! This is a perfect use for the fabric you printed in October, a vintage tablecloth, or another precious piece you’ve been saving for something special!

Dye yardage for a personal project! Choose your fabric and dye, your design (stencil, screenprint, direct application) and print option (pigment, mordant, or indigo) and create a fabric unique to you! Limit 2 1/2 yds of natural fiber fabric (that will be cut in pieces).

This yardage may also be used for the Basic Tunic or Shirt workshop.

Don’t believe the hype! Natural dyes can provide brilliant and fast color to rival their modern-day competitors, and under much safer conditions for both the dyer and the earth. I’ll teach you how to use natural dyes to achieve a range of colors from your home dye pot. I’ll cover a bit of history and explain how natural dyes differ from their synthetic counterparts. We’ll talk about common mistakes beginning dyers encounter, and learn how to control your results. We’ll use different mordants for light and color-fastness, and explore different natural fibers to obtain maximum color variations from a single dye plant. Finally, we’ll experiment with overdyeing and variegated dyeing to give you plenty of avenues for later exploration at home.