Category: Textiles

Posted on by

Spring Short Session Textiles

Textiles – Spring Short Session
April 27 – May 2, 2025 (4 studio days)
Nick DeFord
Text(tiles): The Stitched Word

The words text and textile share the same origin in the Latin “textere” meaning “to weave.” In this workshop students will weave together textile techniques and text to create meaningful embroideries that celebrate the stitch and the written word. The workshop will cover basic and complex embroidery stitches that will be used for design, appliqué, collage, and embellishment on both fabric and paper. Exercises and projects will encourage students to consider meaning as they incorporate idioms, poetics, fiction, and the visual word. Students of all skill levels welcome, including writers who are interested in exploring visual art. Upper textiles studio.

Note: This workshop takes place in a third-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible by a stair lift. 

Artist, educator, administrator; teaching: Arrowmont (TN), Penland, University of Tennessee; exhibitions: Knoxville Museum of Art (TN), Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Vanderbilt University (TN), Pyramid Atlantic Art Center (MD); Rauschenberg Residency (FL); juror: American Tapestry Biennial 13, Center for Craft Teaching Artist Cohort.

nickdeford.com | @nick_deford

Regular enrollment begins October 15.

Nick DeFord, Automatic Writing (Medium), hand embroidery on found paper, 12 x 10 inches
Nick DeFord, Automatic Writing (Medium), hand embroidery on found paper, 12 x 10 inches
Photo by Rudy Salgado, River City Tintype
Posted on by

Textiles Spring Concentration

Textiles – Spring Concentration
March 2 – April 25, 2025 (8 Weeks)
Zak Foster
Narrative Quilt-Making

This workshop will focus on the storytelling qualities of quilts. Using a series of narrative prompts designed to draw out personal stories, beginning to advanced students will be guided through the process of making experimental quilts. Instruction will be geared toward hand-sewing techniques such as stitches, appliqué, embroidery, quilting, and finishing (sewing machines will also be available). Other topics will include color relationships, elements of composition, and visual storytelling concepts. We will work with repurposed cloth; thrift shop trips are on the itinerary. A willingness to mess up will be a definite plus. All levels. Upper textiles studio.

Note: This workshop takes place in a third-floor walk-up studio that is made partially accessible with a stair lift. 

Studio artist who draws on southern textile traditions using repurposed fabrics with an approach to design that is intuitive and improvisational; teaching: Tatter Blue Library (NYC), Sawtooth Center (NC), Madeline Island School of the Arts (WI); work featured in New York Times, Vogue, People, Paper, The Guardian, Wall Street Journal, High Snobiety, and other publications. 

zakfoster.com | @zakfoster.quilts

Note: Here is a set of videos Zak made demonstrating seven basic hand-sewing techniques. Check them out if you have time. If you need a review during the workshop, Zak will be happy to go over them again.

Regular enrollment begins October 15.

Zak Foster, YES MORE PLEASE, repurposed textiles, 45 x 45 inches
Zak Foster, YES MORE PLEASE, repurposed textiles, 45 x 45 inches
Posted on by

Textiles Fall Concentration

TEXTILES – FALL CONCENTRATION
SEPTEMBER 29 – NOVEMBER 8, 2024 (6 weeks)
Amanda Thatch
Thinking with the Loom

Starting from the basics of planning a project and dressing the loom, we will explore how the loom can be a partner in thinking about structure, use, and meaning. We will learn about traditional patterns and learn to draft our own. We will study color interactions and use dye processes such as ikat, woven shibori, and warp painting to make ever more intentional choices about desired results. We will be working toward a sense of fluency with the loom so we can express our ideas with precision and confidently combine skills to create unique cloth. All levels. Lower textiles studio.

Note: this workshop takes place in a second-floor, walk-up studio that is made partially accessible with a stair lift. 

Studio artist; teaching: Arrowmont (TN); KANEKO (NE), Peters Valley (NJ), University of Wisconsin-Madison (WI); residencies: Praxis Fiber Workshop Digital Weaving Lab (OH), Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library (DE), Alabama Chanin Studio (AL). 

amandathatch.com | @amandathatch

Textile work by Amanda Thatch
Amanda Thatch, Passage/Means of Crossing, wool, silk, Tencel, cotton, commercial and natural dyes; handwoven on computer aided looms, approximately 70 x 20 inches each
Portrait of Amanda Thatch
Posted on by

Fall Short Session Textiles

TEXTILES – FALL SHORT SESSION
SEPTEMBER 22 – 27, 2024 (4 STUDIO DAYS)
Leigh A. Hilbert
Carry and Stow

We are all bound by the particulars of the things we carry, and everyday carry will guide this engaging workshop. Each student will complete a sewn bag with lining, multiple pockets, zippered closure, hardware, and straps of their choosing. The project will be guided by the instructor, but individual details will make each bag cater to the needs of the user. Students will also complete a few small learning items, which, depending on skill level, may include a zip pouch, a dopp kit, a bucket bag, or simple tote. Beginning students will be walked through basic seams and stitches on the home machine, while more advanced students can have a go at the industrial machines, a variety of zipper insertions, trickier seam finishes and detailed constructions in their bag making. All levels. Upper textiles studio.

Note: This workshop takes place in a third-floor, walk-up studio made partially accessible by a stair lift. 

Studio artist; founder: Overlap Sewing Studio (NC), The Drygoods Shop (NC), Open Studio Patterns (NC); teaching: The Drygoods Shop (NC), AB Tech (NC), Penland, The Industrial Commons (NC), Open Studio Patterns (online), UC Berkeley (CA), Creativity Explored (CA); galleries: Tiny Gallery (CA), Valencia 240 (CA), Penland Gallery.

leighahilbert.com | @overlapsewingstudio

Leigh A. Hilbert, Leather Bag, leather, canvas, brass, 16 x 18 x 4 inches
Leigh A. Hilbert, Leather Bag, leather, canvas, brass, 16 x 18 x 4 inches