Workshop Description:
Using scraps from handwoven fabrics, participants will create their own “crazy quilt” square(s). These squares can then be applied to (purchased) simple tote bags and used as a decoration—or as wall art or any other design the student prefers. Embroidery techniques will be used to decorate and apply the squares to the tote bag. Participants can bring their own handwoven scraps, or use the instructor’s store of handwoven fabrics or use a combination of both! Sewing skills are preferred, but the easy method of creating the square can be sewn by hand or the student can be helped using the sewing machine. Several methods of creating the crazy quilt squares will be demonstrated, so students have options for their creations. At the end of the workshop, everyone will have at least one handwoven quilt square embroidered on to a purchased tote bag.
The class will begin on Saturday afternoon, November 11, at Valley Presbyterian Hospital's Health Education Center. It will continue a week later, November 18, at the instructor's house, giving participants time to work on their projects during the week
Included in Workshop by Instructor:
Pre-purchased black & white tote bags
Handwoven fabric scraps
Embroidery thread/needles
Purchased Backing Fabric
Scissors
Some sewing machines
Iron/Board
Extension Cords
Various handouts for crazy quilt methods, sewing and embroidery
Materials fee, payable to instrutor: $35.00
Students will supply:
Fabric Scissors and Snips (labeled)
Handwoven fabric scraps (optional)
Embroidery thread (optional)
Sewing Machine (if have one)
About Kathleen Waln:
Kathleen has been working with fiber and fabric for over forty years, first as a theatre educator/costume designer and more recently as a fabric designer. She has been dyeing, spinning, and weaving for over twenty years. Her passions include shibori and ikat and researching the history of the fabric arts. She enjoys making connections between her field and larger cultural patterns, an interest that dates back to her years as a university professor and costume historian. Although retired from the university, she now teaches at the Charter Oak Weaving and Spinning class in Covina, which is famous for its 100 looms in one large room! She also harvests her own wild, organic cotton trees and loves to dye and spin their yield. Kathleen holds a MFA in Theatrical Design from the University of Texas at Austin where her love of weaving began.