Turkish Marbling on Paper & Cloth

with Martha Alexander

June 14, 3:00–6:00 p.m.

Tuition: $100

Materials Fee: $20

Turkish marbling, also known as Ebru (cloud painting) is a traditional Turkish art form that involves creating colorful patterns on water then transferring them to paper and cloth. The workshop introduces the craft; familiarizes the student with the necessary chemistry, specialized tools, paper and paint, and includes basic hands-on marbling. Demonstrations in this workshop will focus on Turkish marbling techniques (floating paint on thickened water) to create a variety of beautiful patterns that can be transferred to a variety of surfaces, such as paper, cloth, wood and clay. The workshop will start with a brief history of marbling, a demonstration of tools, materials and techniques and plenty of time for students to create and experiment with making their own beautiful marbled papers and cloths. 

Plan to bring: Plenty of treated paper and cloth will be provided, but you are welcome to bring a few of your own quality papers that can be treated and used later. Students should bring an apron and a cake pan or tray, 9.5 x 13.5 inches not exceeding 12 x 18 inches, for their individual workstation.

Martha Alexander is a retired art educator from Grand Haven who taught K-12 art for 30 years. She taught in Lawton, North Muskegon and for 26 years in the Grand Haven Area Public Schools. In 2013, she was the first art teacher in Grand Haven to ever receive the school district's Excellence in Service Award. She earned her BFA from Western Michigan University and has taken graduate level art courses at Western Michigan University and Central Michigan University. Her areas of interest include watercolors, acrylic, marbling, book-making, ceramics, and pencil drawing. Her artwork has been displayed and sold at multiple venues in Grand Haven. 

Wild Grapevine Baskets

with Laurie Zientek

June 28, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Tuition: $100

Materials Fee: $20

Using freshly gathered wild grapevines and a variety of hand dyed reed and seagrass, students will learn how to form hoops and make the framework of a ribbed style basket. All materials and tools will be available for this class. Students can expect to complete one medium sized basket in class.

Plan to bring: An old towel and an apron to protect your clothing.

Laurie Zientek has been weaving baskets and teaching basket weaving for 40 years. Zientek exhibits baskets at juried art fairs throughout Michigan. Zientek loves gathering wild grapevine and making up the framework for the ribbed style baskets. No two are ever alike.

Sashiko Embroidery with Mary Baggerman

July 12, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Tuition: $100

Materials Fee: $10

Sashiko is a type of hand stitching that originated in Japan. Used for mending and embellishment, it has a rich history of tradition and design. Today many people are discovering it as part of the visible mending movement. Come and learn the basics of stitching, pattern transfer, tools and techniques. We will be making several small pieces suitable to be made into coasters, pin cushions or used as a patch on clothing.

Plan to bring: While all materials are provided, sketchbooks and bits of fabric or thread from home are welcome.

Mary Baggerman has lived in West Michigan all of her adult life. She loves living in this beautiful Great Lakes region, drawing inspiration from the natural world around her. She exhibits and teaches in Kalamazoo, Michigan, focusing primarily on fiber arts which includes embroidery and quilting. She is currently in the faculty of the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts where she teaches creative embroidery.

The Felted Bowl

with Kelly D. Brandt 

July 26, 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Tuition: $200

Materials Fee: $30

Use traditional wet felting techniques to transform loose fibers into a durable fabric. You will learn how to size the internal resist to achieve the size bowl you wish. In this class you will build two bowls, one small and one larger. We will integrate fabric and yarns to make your piece unique!

Plan to bring:  Two or three old towels for soaking up soapy water, a large cellulose sponge, water to drink. Optional: dishwashing gloves if you do not like having your hands in soapy water; any fibers or yarns of your own that you might want to incorporate in your project.

Kelly Dubois Brandt (she/her) started on her wool craft odyssey in 1975 with four heritage horned Dorset sheep who came to her five acre homestead in Lake Odessa "just to keep the pasture down." As an accomplished seamstress, she first used her wool harvest in wool-filled comforters, but soon taught herself to locker hook, spin, and felt. She first got involved in FiberFest in Hastings, Michigan in the early 1980s and has been teaching since 1985 in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. She is a published author and has won artistic awards for her work using wool and llama fiber from her flocks. Through her fiber based cottage business, Team Effort Artisans, Kelly has shown and sold fine wool craft at shows, galleries, and festivals.  She offers private classes at her new studio/barn outside Lake Odessa as well as through select locations. 

Eco Printing on Silk & Wool

with Theresa Filarsky

August 16, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Tuition: $200

Materials Fee: $30

In this beginner friendly workshop participants will learn how to imprint beautiful natural plants on provided silk and wool scarves. Eco printing (also known as botanical printing) is a sustainable printing process which involves collecting leaves, plants, and flowers to imprint their images directly upon protein fibers. Students will learn techniques to transfer beautiful natural designs from Ox-Bow and their surroundings onto silk and wool.  At the end of the day, students will take home their silk and wool eco-printed samples and the knowledge to continue eco printing from nature's resources.

Plan to bring: An empty 1 gallon water jug, leaves, flowers, and clippings from your yard. Suggested species are maple, sumac, rose, blackberry, eucalyptus, daisies (no thick plants).

M Theresa Brown is a professional artist whose long art career embraces many areas of the Arts. In the fiber arts, she uses natural dyes and low impact synthetic dyes and merges them into unique, beautiful designs on silk, wool, paper, and leather. She turns her transformed work into artisanal clothing, accessories, and art. Her articles and designs in the fiber arts have appeared in international publications and the national art chain, Jerryartarama. She has a line of instructional PDF’s on ecoprinting techniques and is the first instructor to teach Ecoprinting on Leather in the US. She teaches in her studio and online and is a sought after instructor at many events and fiber art shows across the country. 

Indigo & Shibori

with Sue Cortese

August 23, 10:00 a.m. – 5: 00 p.m.

Tuition: $200

Materials Fee: $20

Learn to use indigo dye and shibori, or Japanese manual tie-dyeing, techniques to create stunning textiles. We will learn several tying methods and then use an indigo vat to dye the bound cloth. In Arashi, we will use a pole to help manipulate the fabric. In Itajime, we will fold and bind the fabric between boards or sticks. In Kumo, we will use string to bind the fabric. We will also touch on stitched techniques or nui shibori. Try out all styles or concentrate on one or two! Open to learners of all levels.

Plan to bring: You will be given a yard of cloth on which to practice techniques, but you may also bring your own pre-washed clothing or fabric to use.

Sue Cortese is a quilter, fabric dyer, teacher, vendor, and NACQJ Certified Quilt Judge. Her current work falls into the art-quilt realm, combining her love of dyeing and surface design into her quilted compositions. Her goal in the beginning was to make a quilt in every style and/or pattern.  This quest led Sue to taking a lot of classes and learning many different techniques.  She enjoys hand quilting as well as machine quilting, and hand applique as well as machine piecing.  Judging is a means for encouraging quilters, as well as promoting excellence in quilting.  Judging has helped Sue improve her work, and she hopes to help others through judging.  Sue has been fortunate to have her work displayed in places like Muskegon Museum of Art, The View Gallery, and The Diary Barn to the International Quilt Show in Houston and American Quilt Show in Paducah.

The Felted Slipper

with Kelly D. Brandt

October 11, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Tuition: $200

Materials Fee: $30

Use wet felting techniques to create slippers that will keep your feet nice and warm and make an artistic statement as well! We will introduce the wet inlay technique to decorate your slippers, and add locks or flaps to give your creation a three dimensional effect. You will learn a technique for making a matching pair! These boots would be suitable to have leather applied to the sole afterward.

Plan to bring: Two or three old towels for soaking up soapy water, a large cellulose sponge. Optional: dishwashing gloves if you do not like having your hands in soapy water; any fibers or yarns of your own that you might want to incorporate in your project.

Kelly Dubois Brandt (she/her) started on her wool craft odyssey in 1975 with four heritage horned Dorset sheep who came to her five acre homestead in Lake Odessa "just to keep the pasture down." As an accomplished seamstress, she first used her wool harvest in wool-filled comforters, but soon taught herself to locker hook, spin, and felt. She first got involved in FiberFest in Hastings, Michigan in the early 1980s and has been teaching since 1985 in Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. She is a published author and has won artistic awards for her work using wool and llama fiber from her flocks. Through her fiber based cottage business, Team Effort Artisans, Kelly has shown and sold fine wool craft at shows, galleries, and festivals.  She offers private classes at her new studio/barn outside Lake Odessa as well as through select locations.