Studio Arts: Fiber Arts Classes

There’s something centering and calming in immersing yourself in a hand-sewing project. Create a textile panel featuring a spiral design that inspires reflection.

This 2-day introduction offers the rare opportunity of working in the home studio of artist Diane Tuckman, who helped introduce this ancient Chinese art to America, to learn basic techniques while creating several beautiful painted silk pieces.

Get a jump on Father’s Day by giving a new life to the fabulous silks found in men’s neckties in both traditional pieced-quilt patterns and contemporary art quilts.

The thobe, a handmade embroidered dress, has symbolized Palestinian textile artistry since the 11th century. Author and Wafa Ghnaim leads a fascinating exploration of the heritage of Palestinian embroidery and examines how generations of women have preserved and modernized these traditions in diasporic communities. Then in a workshop, Ghnaim guide participants in creating a bookmark with a stitched thobe design on 12-count Aida cloth.

Capture the color, texture, and grace of plants and flowers in your knitting. This workshop teaches techniques to make flowers, leaves, and vines, all perfect to use in your next knitted garment or art project. 

Circular weaving is a fun and versatile technique for new weavers as well as experienced fiber artists. Learn how to warp and weave on several sizes of circle looms as you create projects from coasters to cushions to home décor.

Use colorful Akua water-based printmaking ink to create evocative spring-themed prints on fabric.

Develop skills in a range of weaving techniques as you design and create a one-of-a kind miniature tapestry on a small-frame loom.

Learn the basics of hand-stitched quilt-making—including piecing, applique, and finishing techniques—as you work on a small-scale piece that can be used as a doll quilt or a wall hanging.

Add the touch of your own hands to clothing as you apply basic hand-embroidery stitches to create modern designs to enhance knits, felted wools, and ready-made garments, including infant onesies.

Textile historian Elizabeth Lay examines a trio of 19th-century British women whose exceptional skills elevated embroidery to fine-art status. Afterward, fabric artist Lauren Kingsland leads a studio project in which participants create their own Arts and Crafts–inspired embroidered needle case.

Japan and India have a long history of using brilliant blue indigo dye to apply dramatic patterns to fabric. Learn to work with this timeless natural color as you create one-of-a-kind silk scarves using the classic Japanese shibori resist-dyeing technique.

In a hands-on workshop, quilt-maker Lauren Kingsland shares new way to use T-shirts and other garments of sentimental value: Transform them into usable quilts to give as gifts or to preserve cherished memories.

Nuno, the Japanese word for fabric, lends itself to the name of one of the newest textile trends. Create a one-of-a-kind nuno-felted scarf and explore variations on this unique and versatile technique used to create accessories, jewelry, wall hangings, curtains, and other projects.