Fibers Workshops
2012 Fibers Workshops - Full Listings Now Available!
Spring Evening Workshop
February 21 - April 17, 2012 (Tuesday evenings for 8 weeks, 6-9pm; No class March 6-SPRING BREAK)
Yarn to Cloth: A Weaving Primer
Amanda Ross
Fee: $300
Skill Level: Beginning
Instructor Contact:
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; 931-372-3051 ext 135
Description: If you've ever had an inkling to know what weaving is all about, or are interested in a loom and want to know how to get started using it, join us and discover the satisfaction of weaving your own cloth. Start by learning the very basics of using a floor loom and end with your own high-quality scarf and a deeper appreciation of the art of handweaving.
Bio: Amanda Ross received a BFA in Visual Communications from Truman State University in Missouri, then two more BFA degrees in Fibers and Art History from the Kansas City Art Institute. She is the current Fibers Artist-in-Residence at the Craft Center.
Weekend Workshops
May 11-13
Magic Made Small: Books & Boxes
Dea Sasso
Fee: $300
Skill Level: Beginning-Advanced
Materials Fee: $35 (to be paid directly to the instructor)
Instructor Contact: 413-537-2061; www.deasasso.com
Description: Students will learn traditional bookbinding methods to create two books and the boxes to enclose them. At least one of the books will have a leather binding. Among the topics and skills that will be covered are types of sewing, case making, two different book structures, formulas for books/boxes of any size, working with leather, tools, and sources of supplies for more projects.
Bio: Dea has been a professional hand bookbinder since 1988 and operates Light of Day Bindery in Asheville, NC and Northampton, MA. She works on private collections, restores old books, designs and creates new books, editions and miniatures.
June 1-3
Felted Wool Roving Braided Rugmaking
Kay Grider
Fee: $300
Skill Level: Beginning
Materials Fee: $75 (to be paid directly to the instructor)
Instructor Contact:
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Description: Students will begin with an overview of the best wools for rug making. They will learn to braid their wool rovings, felt them, and then stitch them into a finished rug. They will also learn how to choose colors for their rug, how to change colors in their braid, and how to end their braid so that it will seam into the rug smoothly. Rug care will be covered as well.
Bio: Kay Grider has studied under Ann Brown and Letty Klein to learn various techniques of making braided rugs.
June 22-24
Handmade Papermaking
Claudia Lee
Fee: $300
Skill Level: Beginning-Advanced (no prior experience required)
Materials Fee: $65 (to be paid directly to the instructor)
Instructor Contact:
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Description: Students will learn to create decorative sheets of handmade paper right from the vat. Many techniques will be explored including layering and washes of color, stenciling, watermarking, masking and embossing and low-relief. We will be using assorted size mould and deckles as well as deckle boxes and the vacuum table.
Bio: Claudia Lee is a full-time studio artist working in artist-made paper. She owns Liberty Paper, a working and teaching facility in Liberty, TN. She is a recipient of a Masters grant from the TN Arts Commission and was chosen to create twelve wall pieces for the 2011 Governor’s Awards in the Arts.
June 29-July 1
Intro to Feltmaking: Beads, Purses & Scarves
Breanna Rockstad-Kincaid
Fee: $300
Skill Level: Beginning-Intermediate
Materials Fee: $40 (to be paid directly to the instructor)
Instructor Contact:
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; www.feltgoodfibers.com
Description: In this workshop, students will explore the ancient technique of felting and learn about the various types of wool and animal fibers used in the art of feltmaking. They will be introduced to the technique by first making small beads, and then move on to more complicated projects like a small purse. Students can expect to take home at least one completed purse and one completed scarf.
Bio: Breanna Rockstad-Kincaid is a fiber artist, art advocate, and art educator. She is a graduate of the Appalachian Center for Craft where she received a degree in Fibers and Art education. She specializes in creating one of a kind hand-felted accessories. Breanna enjoys teaching as much as she does creating, and makes workshops fun and educational. She shows her work throughout the southeast at craft fairs.
One-week Workshops
*OPTIONAL: One-week workshops are available for 1 TTU elective credit hour; credit hour fees are in addition to workshop fee. For more information about credit hours, please click here.
May 20-25
Screen Printing Stories
Jen Swearington
Fee: $500
Skill Level: Beginning-Advanced
Materials Fee: TBA
Instructor Contact:
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; www.jennythreads.net
Description: We will focus on image-based, narrative motifs to explore the power and versatility of screen printing on fabric. Techniques range from simple, low-tech stencil-making to more advanced methods such as thermal imaging, photo emulsion, and on to structural embellishment. Layering and juxtaposing imagery and text, students will have the opportunity to work on pictorial compositions, customizing clothing, and/or printed yardage for future projects.
Bio: Jen Swearington is the president and chief designer of Jennythreads, a tiny but busy production studio in Asheville, NC, where she has been creating fun and versatile handmade apparel and accessories since 2003. She is writing and illustrating her first book on screen printing, set for publication in the spring of 2013.
June 10-15
Textile Techniques in Metal
Tracy Krumm
Fee: $500
Skill Level: Beginning-Intermediate
Materials Fee: Students may purchase wire from the instructor during the workshop, cost TBA.
Instructor Contact:
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; www.tracykrumm.com
Description: Participants will learn to use metal as the primary material in the construction methods of fiber processes such as coiling, twining, plaiting, weaving, braiding, knotting, knit, and crochet. Our focus will be on creating textile structures using non-precious metals in a variety of forms, including wire and sheet. Other basic forming techniques will include piercing, sewing, rolling and pressing, and the basics of patina chemistry to achieve color on metal surfaces.
Bio: Tracy Krumm is an Assistant Professor in the Fiber Department at the Kansas City Art Institute where she teaches textile processes and material studies. Her work has been exhibited internationally in over 100 venues over the past 20 years.
July 8-13
Making Wild Animals Using the Materials of Our Lives
Bryant Holsenbeck
Fee: $500
Skill Level: Beginning-Advanced (no prior experience required)
Instructor Contact:
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; www.bryantholsenbeck.com
Description: In this class students will make animals out of wire and gathered materials. They will learn to use found and recycled items to form the skeletons, bodies, fur, and skin to create a custom creature. The instructor will show the participants her techniques and encourage the class to explore their own methods as they build animals from items found in the world around us.
Bio: Bryant is an environmental atist with her roots in craft, and her work is dedicated to the preservation of the natural world. She has taught workshops for many years, and currently she makes installations about the waste stream of our society, as well as making wild animals out of found materials.
Intensive in Fibers*
*OPTIONAL: This workshop is available for 3 TTU elective credit hours; credit hour fees are in addition to workshop fee. For more information about credit hours, please click here.
July 24-August 10
Coats of Color & Collaborative Texture
Liz Spear with Guest Artist & Custom Clothier Linda Veilleux
Fee: $1750
Skill Level: Intermediate-Advanced (Intermediate sewing skills preferred, along with upper body strength and stamina)
Materials Fee: TBA
Instructor Contact:
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; www.lizspearhandwoven.com Pre-workshop communication welcomed!
Description: Students will weave cloth, felt nuno-fabric, play with color, and sew a custom dream coat. The class will begin studying the design process and make samples in both weaving and wet-felting techniques to create coordinating fabrics to be sewn together into each student's final coat. The weaving will be done on floor looms with students' choice of yarns, and each student must be able to warp the loom independently. The wet-felting will explore the wonderful draping qualities of nuno-felt, a lightweight combination of merino fleece and fine woven silk.
Bios: Liz Spear is a weaver of cloth, and maker of classic, comfortable garments. She has been a full-time studio craftsman for over 30 years, and has been based in Western North Carolina since 1992. Nuno-felting is the latest textile process to be added to a series of collaborative efforts between Liz and several other Southeastern fiber artists.
Linda Veilleux bio coming soon!
**Workshop check-in is Tuesday, July 24, 2012; class begins Wednesday, July 25 @ 9am.
