I was thrilled to see this beautiful feature on my crafty home base here in Austin, The Stitch Lab sewing studio. Apartment Therapy did a home tour of the studio and an interview with the fabulous studio owner, Leslie Bonnell,, and it's too awesome not to share. I feel lucky to teach hand embroidery at such an inviting and inspirational place, and even luckier to have such a rich resource for crafty classes to take myself (I spent last Friday night screen printing and stitching up some spectacular space geek tote bags). Chances are you have an equally awesome local craft studio in your town. Seek it out and support it!

Great news! Betz White has opened up a second session of her Felt + Stitch Holiday II online workshop!

Betz writes:

Join me for a second session* of my first-ever online workshop! No matter where you live we can gather together online to make wonderful felted wool projects for your holiday décor and gift giving. I'll be teaching and working with you along the way through a combination of blog posts, downloadable PDF's, and videos posted weekly, where participants can communicate with each other and with me. Projects will include ornaments, home décor and small gifts, designed especially for this workshop and are not available in my books or anywhere else!

There's a few more spaces left for Yarn School (Oct 1-4) and Felt School (Oct 5-6) taught by Nikol Lohr and Shannon Okey respectively. The location is at Nikol's Harveyville Project, 2 former schoolhouses transformed into workshop and living/studio spaces in Harveyville, KS. I love the idea of this retreat for intense learning as well as a chance to get to know other crafters. You can see the full schedule online. Sign up for both as "Fiber School" and get a free bonus dye lab and overnight Sunday stay.

My favorite snaps from Yarn School and Felt School are after the jump!

The September class schedule is up at The Brooklyn Kitchen, a kitchen store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Some of them really caught my eye:

• September 8: Kombucha brewing with Kombuchman!
• September 9, 16, 23, 30: Knife skills
• September 10: Tasting tempeh
• September 15: Cake decorating
• September 21: Pickling with Bob McClure

And that's just some of them! If you're quick, you may also be able to get in on their Food Science Fridays for the remaining two weeks in August!

The Curiosity Shoppe
855 Valencia St (bet 19th & 20th)
San Francisco CA 94110
phone: (415) 671-5384
web site
RSVP on Facebook

Sublime Stitching founder, Jenny Hart, will be teaching a small embroidery class at Home Ec. in Los Angeles next month. One of my first embroidery learning experiences was in a similar class with Jenny a few years ago, and I left completely inspired and obsessed with stitching. It's a great opportunity to learn hand embroidery!

There's still a chance to grab a spot in one of the great classes going on as part of the Summer of Making at the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland, Oregon.

Summer of Making explores the confluence of art, design and craft practices while fostering a community of makers. This summer, we bring together the PNCA mission of excellence and innovation in arts education with the flourishing Portland DIY ethos of creating and community building.

The program features a weekend quilting and fabric arts workshop with internationally known quilter, textile designer and artist Denyse Schmidt. Additionally, there are a number of four-day workshops on art and craft focusing on textile art and design and evening classes on using new media to discuss, distribute and document art.

Instructors include Susan Beal, Jess Beebe, Diane Gilleland, Kim Lakin, Brenda Mallory and Sarah Schlosser-Moon, all experts in the disciplines they teach and all are engaged with current ideas and practices in their fields.

From Jill's blog:

This intimate workshop is a hands-on opportunity to learn Jill's intuitive drawing techniques while learning how to understand, appreciate and translate the world around you through drawing. Drawing can become second nature to everyone, and everyone has the ability to draw! It just takes a positive attitude, a little understanding, and some practice.

Another fantastic discovery from my weekend in Portland was the Summer of Making series presented by the Pacific Northwest College of Art.

Summer of Making explores the confluence of art, design and craft, while fostering a community of makers. ... We bring together the PNCA mission of excellence and innovation in arts education with the flourishing Portland DIY ethos of creating and community building.

The week-long series includes a special grouping of courses designed to expose students to a variety of craft and art techniques, as well as ones focused on "using new media to discuss, distribute and document art." There will be a special weekend workshop with internationally known quilter, textile designer and artist, Denyse Schmidt, as well as a course taught by Susan Beal on bead and button jewelry. Diane Gilleland of Crafty Pod will be teaching a course on podcasting, and Sarah Schlosser-Moon of Sewer-Sewist will teach a course on artful blogging. Other courses include contemporary fiber arts and needlework and macrame. Maybe I'll be heading back to Portland sooner than I thought ....

When Austinites, Kathie Sever and Bernadette Noll, founded the Future Craft Collective in 2008, they sought to help kids make the connection between craft and consumption and to recognize the beauty in reusing items to make something new.

We want kids to discover ways to create a world in which the belief in handmade looms larger than the messages of the marketing machine.The time has come to infuse our children with the message of appreciation, creativity and sustainability. It is our belief that this message can instill a great feeling of self worth and save a kid from a lifetime of seeking contentment through mindless consumption.

The pair hosted several series of Future Craft Collective classes for small groups of kids, and feedback from parents and children was highly positive. More than just a sewing class, the series got parents and kids thinking about issues around reducing, reusing and recrafting. Soon, the demand for their curriculum outgrew their studio and schedules.

"The classes were filling rapidly with requests to take the curriculum out into the community," says Noll. "We really needed to scale back the amount of time and energy we were spending in the classroom. At the same time that we were needing to pull back, we were also wanting to offer more because we really and truly saw the great value in what we were offering."

Noll and Sever decided to build the Future Craft Collective curriculum into a series of monthly workbooks and are offering them for purchase and download on their web site. Noll says their goal is not only to encourage families to tackle these projects together, but to also provide the inspiration and encouragement to communities to gather and work together to form their own collaborative collectives around the projects and ideals.

"We want them to feel the connection that such projects can offer - the connection that comes from working together, learning, making, creating, talking - around these projects, around the ideas that we offer in the curriculum, and around the table," Noll says. "Basically, we want them to feel the joy we feel when we make stuff together."

The monthly Future Craft Collective Projects curriculum includes free tutorials, patterns and step-by-step instructions, dialogue prompts for discussions on crafting and consumption and parenting peaceably, thematic poetry and an opportunity to participate in a moderated Yahoo group for support, advice and resources.

"We truly see this as an idea whose time has arrived, and one aimed to arm families from all over with the tools they need to craft positive change in the world," says Sever. "And to make stuff together."

To celebrate the launch of their new online curriculum, they are offering several free tutorials on their web site, as well as a chance to win one of Kathie Sever's Ramonster kids western shirts. See their web site for details.

Related:
Going Back to School in Green, DIY Style

Just wanted to share the news that I have teamed up with CRAFT contributors BIllie Lopez and Tootie Maldonado to open a new "Home Ec. Department" within their Los Angeles gift shop ReForm School! We're kicking things off next month with a series of amazing classes from a variety of local makers (including many folks who have written for CRAFT, including Cathy Callahan and Christine Haynes). Classes include Sewing 101, Embroidery 101, Reversible Wrap Skirts, Valentine's Charm Bracelets for Kids, Power Tool Empowerment for Women, Knit a Cactus, and Papier Mache Jewelry.

We'll be launching a new website soon at HomeEcShop.com, but for now you can get the scoop on our classes via the ReForm School blog. Be sure to stop by in person as well, since we'll be bringing in a slew of amazing fabrics (including Liberty fabrics!) and supplies like handspun yarn and handcrafted porcelain buttons over the next few weeks. Hope to see you soon!

Beadworld in Seattle is hosting some felting fundamentals classes with CRAFT friend Moxie. They're focused around bead-making with lots of variation in style, shape, and embellishment techniques. Sounds fun: Saturday, Jan 31 in Seattle, 1-4pm and Sunday, Feb 1 in Kirkland, 1-4pm. Registration is limited to six people for each, so move quickly if you're interested!

With the new year here, it's time to learn some new skills! If you're in Austin, Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club can help you with that resolution via her classes at Craft-o-Rama.

STARTING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS - January 13th 7-8:30pm
Did you know you could have your own craft business up and running in under an hour? Signing up for Etsy is that easy. Or do you think a traditional website is the right angle for you? May take a little longer, but it is not a whole lot trickier. Once you have your business all set up the next steps are letting the world know, networking and making some sales. This 1.5 hour long class will you give the run down on getting started!

CHARM BRACELETS - January 17th 11am - 1pm
Learn the fundamentals of jewelry making while whipping up your own one of a kind Revamped Vintage Charm Bracelet. And matching earrings. This fun and informative 2 hour class will cover the basics of jewelry making like the difference between head and eye pins, wire wrapping, and how to open and close a jump ring. Class supplies include everything you need to make your charm bracelet and earrings including a giant assortment of vintage beads and charms from the Naughty Secretary Club stash for you to choose from! You will need flat and round nosed pliers as well as wire trimmers for this class. You will be able to buy a set from the instructor on day of class as well for an additional $10.

MARKETING YOUR SMALL BUSINESS - January 20th 7-8:30pm
The success of your business is 40% what you make and 60% how you market it. Not yet signed up for Twitter? Don't have a blog? Not swapping swag with other crafters? You could be missing out on easy, crucial and often times free ways to promote your crafty business. Whether you knit booties or solder jewelry this class will help you understand the best avenues to market your small business.

REVAMPED VINTAGE NECKLACES - January 22nd 7-9pm
This two hour class will teach you all the basics you need to get started whipping up jewelry. Jen will bring all the supplies you need to string up a necklace including findings and a big stash of Naughty Secretary Club goodies for you to choose from. You will also get your own beading board to take home! After you make your perfect revamped vintage necklace we will be learning basic wire wrapping and making a matching pair of earrings. Once you have this skill down you will be able to make almost anything! Again all the findings and beads will be provided. Bring your own set of jewelry tools if you have them or Jen will have sets at $10 a pop for sale.

TAKING YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL - January 27th 7:00-8:30pm
Things are running along smoothly with your small crafty business, but you want to know what else the world has to offer. How do people get product lines, book deals and TV shows? There is no secret formula, but Jennifer Perkins has experience in all three areas and will tell you what she knows!

Yarn School will be back in session at the Harveyville Project in Kansas this February, as the folks from Camp Pluckyfluff help teach fiber fans all the ins and outs of taking their handspun yarns to the next level. Head over to the Harveyville website for full details.

Our Old School columnist Cathy Callahan tips us off to the news that she'll be teaching a Vintage Flower Loom Class at The Craft Kitchen in Santa Ana, CA on Saturday, December 13th, from 11am - 2pm.

I will teach you all the basics of how to use a flower loom, you will make a few flowers and I will show you how to turn them into brooches and hair clips.

To sign up for the class please visit The Craft Kitchen.

Cathy notes:

Pictured above is an image from Flower Loom Projects from Studio Twelve, Volume III (by Margaret Weymouth, published by Studio Twelve, Costa Mesa, California, 1971) that shows just a few of the probably hundreds of craft projects you can make using a flower loom!

Here's an interesting online teleseminar coming up on November 20:

Are you looking for some ways to market your craft business - without going broke? If so, this seminar is for you. You'll learn how to market online - even if you don't have a website, find out how to get your products featured on shopping sites, learn how to promote your business through social networking, how writing a few articles can help you strengthen your sales, and more!

The Craft Business Seminar, hosted by Crissy Herron of Indie Biz Chicks, will be held on November 20 at 9pm Eastern. If you can't make the live call, don't worry. It will be recorded and everyone who registers will receive the Mp3. You'll also be able to submit your own questions in advance and have them answered live on the teleseminar!

Registration's only a dollar; might be worth checking out!

Lena Corwin announced that she is teaching a doll making class with Sian Keegan in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The class will use Sian's dinosaur, pug, or lion pattern. I saw Sian's toys at the Renegade Craft Fair this summer and fell in love. The class sounds great.

Related
Pictures from Renegade Craft Fair Brooklyn 2008

At You Bazaar is a trio of workshops by your favorite crafters. Learn how to make a DIY plush fortune cookie with Heidi Kenney, have fun with personalizing your plush with Missy Balance, and learn the art of 3D needle felting with Made by Moxie. All workshops are free to attend with a purchase of a kit.

We've mentioned the amazing talents of textile artist Andrea Zuill here on the blog before, and there's good news: she'll be passing on some of those skills in a new quilt class she's teaching at The Crafter's Studio in Santa Cruz on October 25 and 26. Here's the class description:

Folk Art Quilt for the Imperfect Quilter - Two Day Workshop In this two day workshop, you'll be working with our special guest instructor, Andrea Zuill! You'll be learning easy hand applique techniques and basic embroidery to begin creating your own folk art quilt. This is a great workshop for beginners as well as anyone who wants to create textile art with little to no help from a sewing machine. Imperfections only intensify the heart and soul of these quilts.

If you're anywhere near Santa Cruz, you should definitely check this out!

Related:
• Appliqué Tutorial
• Appliquéd Deer Quilt
• Gnome Embroidery Pattern Download

Yarn School only: September 25 - 28
Fiber School (Yarn School + Felt School): September 25 - October 1

CRAFT readers can register with the secret password "latebird" and you'll get a bonus fiber surprise when you check in.

Nikol writes:

Yarn School will be taught by Adrian Bizilia of Hello Yarn and Fiddlehead Mittens fame and Jennifer Schermerhorn of Whirled Yarn and Settlers Farm (and a wee bit by me). It's $475 ($425 in the a hostel/group room) for 4 days, including room, 3 meals + snacks, all classes, equipment use & supplies, 2# fiber to dye, and a sweet goodie bag. Sept 25-28.

Yarn School also coincides with our tiny (pop. 267) town's annual fair, so there will be a small-town parade, hot dog eating contest, chainsaw sculpting, funnel cake, etc., just a few blocks away!

Felt School is taught by Shannon Okey of the Knitgrrl books, Felt Frenzy, Spin to Knit, Alt Fiber, etc. It's $325 ($295 in the a hostel/group room) for 2 days including room, 3 meals + snacks, all classes, equipment use & supplies, needle felting tools to keep, and a another awesome goodie bag. Sept 30-Oct 1.

Students who do both and stay for the full week get a free bonus day, plus a free 4-hour session in the Dye Lab.

Be sure and stop by Crafty Wonderland in Portland, OR this weekend, where you can not only shop for fun handmade goods by over 40 vendors, you can also learn to make earrings at the hands-on workshop led by Bead Simple author Susan Beal!

More:
Bead Simple How-To Videos

Cathy Pitters from Bossa Nova Baby and Crafty Wonderland will be teaching a Mexican Sugar Skull Decorating class this October at DIY Lounge in Portland. Sign up online now, before the classes fill up!

For more information, read the informational PDF or go to www.jewelrytraining.com.

For more information, read the informational PDF or go to www.jewelrytraining.com.

The Harveyville Project in Kansas is hosting a couple of wonderful-sounding workshops in late September.

Enjoy a long weekend packed with lessons and supervised hands-on practice dyeing fiber and spinning yarn. A wonderful workshop for all skill levels. Novice yarnmakers can build fundamentals, while experienced students focus on improving and picking up new techniques. Everyone will go home with a huge spinning fiber stash they've dyed themselves, plus a sweet goodie bag!

For full details, dates, and venue information, visit the Harveyville Project.

The Little Knittery is my favorite yarn shop in L.A., and they've got a whole new roster of classes coming up in August. Here are the ones that jumped out at me as ones that would be fun to try:

Magic Loop Socks: Do you believe in magic? Teacher Ruth Waytz will show you how to use the magic loop technique to make a pair of socks. This is a great class if you are learning socks for the first time, or if you've been knitting socks on double pointed needles and crave a change. Skills req'd: cast on, knit, purl.

Knitted Cacti: Knit a cactus that won't prick you. Plant pot and pebbles included in class price. This makes a great little gift and is a good way to use up any and all green yarn you have leftover from other projects.

Entrelac Zipper Pouch: Learn the steps required to knit entrelac (pronounced on-tri-lahk), a beautiful woven look. This is a great project to use up some of your yarn scraps. The class price includes access to my personal stash of yarn ends. If you'd like your pouch lined and zippered, you can drop it off with me for $10 extra.

Knit Market Bag: Learn how to knit this practical and ecological carryall. Skills req'd: cast on, knit, purl.

Basic Knitting 101 and Crocheting 101 classes are always free (visit the site for details), check out the calendar for the rest of the class descriptions, schedules, and prices.

Austinites rejoice: Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club is coming back to Craft-o-Rama to teach three more jewelry classes! Visit Craft-o-Rama for more info and details on how to sign up.