Gather with fellow knitters to make hats to share through local organizations that are helping others.
Gather at this monthly hat knit-along to socialize and knit hats for local organizations that are helping keep others warm! Hats can be as simple or complex as you like, and any size. This is a great skill-building and stash-busting project.
Bring your own stash of yarn.
Ages 14 and up are welcome.
View BARN’s current COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition assistance is available. Fill out the application before registering.
For those who might need physical assistance, learn more about our Companion Program.
Jessica Rose recently arrived on Bainbridge from Seattle where she had more than 10 years' experience working and teaching at a local yarn shop, as well as blogging and podcasting about knitting. She’s a knitter, spinner, and dyer who loves to play with fiber and color but most of all she loves to knit hats. She’s so excited to join the creative community at BARN!
Join fellow weavers one day a month for a year-long study group to view Jane Stafford’s Online Weaving Guild episodes on our big screen TV in BARN's small classroom. Learn new weaving techniques while we share our successes as weavers. We will be starting with Season 1, back to the basics!
Participants need to enroll in the JST Online Guild. The online guild requires a fee to join, which is not covered by BARN. Once you join, you also will have access to all past episodes and helpful information posted on the JST Weaving School website. Please register so you can get reminders for the upcoming watch parties.
Details:
Instructor:
Facilitated by Weaving Studio volunteers
Write Now is a weekly time to write in the company of others. Using Zoom to come together, we write for 25 minutes, take a break, repeat.
There is no sharing or critique of your writing, only fast-paced, supportive productivity in the company of other writers. It is fun, exciting, and might be the thing to help you finish (or start...) your manuscript. These virtual sessions help participants set aside time to write and be with other writers in an informal setting.
The sessions are led by a rotating team of hosts including Jen Scheiderman, Amelia Ramsey, Kassia Sing, Genevieve Douglass, and Steve Bice.
Additional sessions available on Thursdays, 9:30-11:30 am.
You can register at any time, even if a session has passed.
A Zoom link will be sent one day prior to each session to the email you registered with. Please watch for this email. Signing up does not mean you have to commit to all the sessions.
Studio Lead: Jessica Dubey [email protected]
Additional sessions available on Tuesdays, 9:30-11:30 am.
Join other weavers to explore traditional tapestry designs.
Thanks to our BARN woodworking friends, a set of Navajo-style looms that also can be adapted to Salish-style weaving are now available.
Learn to warp the looms, explore fiber choice, and pattern. You can use one of our new looms or any loom setup for tapestry-style weaving.
We decide on our learning journey as a group. Please register for this event.
Terry Winer and Catherine Camp lead this group, as fellow explorers of these techniques, and who hope to be accomplished tapestry weavers some day.
Make a sweater over several months in this BARN Knit Along using scrap yarn.
Worked seamlessly from the top down, the Sea Glass Sweater is a great pattern option for using up all of those tiny scraps of yarn you have been saving! This long-sleeved, relaxed-fit sweater is knit in DK weight yarn, using a simple 1x1 colorwork method. With inclusive sizing, tons of tutorials and advice included with the pattern, and no ends to weave in, this is an easy project even for beginning colorwork knitters.
(Photo credit @wool.and.pine.designs, sweater modeled by @kiya.faith)
Skill Level: All Levels
Student should bring:
Naomi Spinak has been digging around in the trash bin for some time to create new treasures. Creator at one time of a line of organic and scrap-based children's clothing (Free Range Kids), Naomi is a costume designer, fiber artist, dressmaker, and currently committee chair for the Bainbridge Island Trashion Show. Her work has been featured in the Bainbridge Island Quilt Show; Bainbridge Performing Arts; the Texas state capitol in Austin; the Kirkland Center for the Arts; and the O'Hanlon Center for the Arts in California. She has a piece in an upcoming issue of Surface Design Association Journal. She has taught numerous classes at her children's school, Odyssey, on Bainbridge.
Explore stitches and needlework with other embroiderers!
A different set of stitches or needlework techniques are the focus each month as we explore how to do it and what we can create with it.
In January, for example, we explored some of the many aspects of buttonhole stitch, and decided where to go from there based on the interest and experience of the group.
Fiber Studio volunteers lead the group.
Calling All Open Weavers:
Basket makers of all levels and backgrounds are welcome! Bring your current projects, completed works, or just your curiosity. Weavers share techniques, design ideas, materials information; ask and answer questions, and problem solve.
To receive email reminders of this event, please register. Drop in are welcome.
We meet the third Tuesday of each month, from 10 am to 2 pm in the Fiber Arts Studio. Email Cyndy Holtz with questions: [email protected].
Free for BARN Members and a suggested $10 donation for non-members.
Registration is not required.
Please click here for BARN's current COVID-19 health & safety protocols.
If you have questions, please contact Fiber Studio lead at [email protected]
Join Fiber Arts Studio Lead Dale Walker for virtual open studios focused on slow stitching.
This is an ongoing, virtual open studio rather than a class. Drop in via Zoom Tuesday afternoons to see what others or doing, show them your work, or just say "Hi" and let us know how you're doing!
Basically, we’re considering slow stitch anything you do with yarn or thread by hand. This includes knitting, crochet, embroidery, needlepoint, mending, tatting, and other handwork.
Bring your handwork projects and stitch with your BARN friends.
This ongoing gathering - not a class - is all about hand needlework and embroidery. It is a time to get together and stitch, and get a little advice and help with your project.
Come if you're interested in embroidery, visible mending, needlepoint or hand sewing. It's always interesting and fun to see what others are doing, and to share your work!
Free to members, guests pay a $10 drop-in fee.
Registration is not required, and drop-ins are welcome, but please register to receive reminder notices.
Dale Walker hosts these Better Together sessions. She is the Fiber Arts Needle Arts Coordinator, and enjoys weaving, knitting, embroidery, sewing, dyeing, and surface design.
Time to grab your knitting and head to BARN!
Join knitting enthusiast Betsy Hagestedt, share your projects, and plan your next one. Explore new ideas, finish projects, and see what fellow knitters are making. This is a great time to immerse yourself in fiber and friendship!
Please register so you can get reminders of the next Knitting Circle.
Skill level: All levels
Free to members, $10 drop-in fee for guests.
Betsy Hagestedt hosts these Knitting Circles. She Betsy has been working with fiber since she was in elementary school, having learned to sew and knit from her mom. As an anthropologist, she uses her fiber practice as a means of connecting with people from other cultures, embracing the universal nature of fiber arts. Knitting gradually became her specialization due to its portability as she began to travel around the world. You can see some of her fiber experiments on her Instagram feed at behestknits.
Building or repairing a violin is a challenging project, and not one that can be completed in a few class sessions. So this class is structured to let you work at your own pace with a minimum of stress. The class fee covers three hours a week of instructor time for 12 weeks — approximately three months. You can also work independently between sessions. If your instrument is not completed after three months, you can sign up for another 12 weeks (or more). It's likely that 12 weeks will not be enough to build a new violin, especially if you don't already have hand woodworking experience or if you can't devote much time to work on it between sessions.
The instructor will focus instruction on what each student needs. If you're building a violin, you will start with a bundle of wood and go through all the steps, from shaping the parts to assembling them, applying finish, and setting up your instrument so it's ready to play. If you're repairing a violin, the steps will depend on what is needed.
This class is open to beginning woodworkers and students who do not play the violin or fiddle (the instruments are the same; it's the playing that differs). But experience with either or both crafts would be an asset.
Bring in a piece of furniture that's broken, wobbly or dinged and learn how to get it back into shape.
Have a well-loved piece of furniture in need of repair or just wish you knew how to bring one back into usable condition? Or do you want to touch up or even completely renew the finish on a fine piece? In this hands-on class, you will learn how to assess a piece of furniture and how to repair it.
You can bring your own piece of furniture or a part, such as a drawer, that needs help. If you don’t have a piece but would like to learn repair techniques, the instructor will provide a project for you to work on. The instructor will discuss the repair issues of each piece that students bring, so you will learn about a wider array of techniques than just what is needed for your own project.
Spend the afternoon weaving at BARN.
Do you like to weave on a rigid heddle loom?
Crazy about frame loom weaving?
In love with weaving on floor looms?
Does weaving tapestry pieces make your heart flutter?
If your answer to one or more of these questions is yes, then drop on by and come hang out with your fellow weavers every Wednesday from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. This is also a time we schedule labs or study groups.
If you would like a reminder before each session, you can register. Drop-ins are welcome.
Free to members, guests $10.00 drop in fee.
Learn the art of lost wax glass casting from an accomplished artist, and make your own glass figures.
Day One - Choose from any number of pre-poured wax models to turn three cast glass replicas into pendants or bolo ties using the lost wax process. The first session will demonstrate silicone replica molds, how they are made and used to create highly detailed wax models and the process to do so. You will learn how collaging and combining waxes can be used to create interesting compositions. Instructor Jason Chakravarty will make this a dream by preparing the wax models before and after class, streamlining the time-consuming elements.
Day Two - The next week you will pack the empty molds of your choosing with glass to be fired in the kiln.
Day Three - The final meeting will instruct you on divesting the mold from the glass, how to best clean the glass casting and prepare it to be mounted to a pendant or bolo hardware.
This class is part of our Visiting Glass Artist Series for June. You can also register for Jason's enamel classes scheduled for June 1, June 8 and June 15.
Jason Chakravarty began incorporating glass through the use of neon into his sculpture in 1998 at Arizona State University. He was employed for four years at a commercial neon sign shop where he learned technical fundamentals of the neon process.
In 2002, he began illuminating hot shop forms and kiln casting glass while attending graduate school at California State University Fullerton. He has taken workshops nationwide including at Pilchuck, Pittsburgh Glass Center, Penland School of Crafts, and University of California San Diego. He has taught neon and kiln casting workshops worldwide. His work has been shown in more than 100 exhibitions. Currently his work is represented at Adam Blaue, Corning, Duncan McClellan Gallery, Habatat Galleries, Hive Contemporary, Kuivato Gallery, Penland Gallery, Piece and Vetri Gallery. He is a full-time artist and splits his studio time between Arizona and Washington.
Learn the basic safety principles of five key tools in the woodworking shop.
In this hands-on class, you will make practice cuts on wood that the shop will supply. Completing this class qualifies you to use the following tools during open studio time or in classes that have this as a prerequisite:
You will shape a piece of wood using specific studio tools.
All needed materials will be provided.
None.
Mike Morgan
Learn how to solder earring posts, chain links, bails, joints, and mixed metal to hone your torch skills.
Designed for students who have taken Introduction to the Jeweler's Torch and Introduction to Jewelry: Skills classes. The skills learned in this class, with practice, will help you feel more confident and ready for project classes.
Each student gets to take home their soldering sample exercises and handouts for future practice and revision.
You will learn through instructor demonstration and guided hands-on practice exercises. And you'll get the opportunity to work with the jewelry industry standard Smith® Little Torch and a propane/oxygen torch.
Sarah Jones is a BARN founding member and member of the Jewelry Studio programming and steering committee. She is a Bainbridge Island artist, and teacher with experience in fine metal arts, jewelry, ceramics, sculpture, stained glass, and photography.
Because she is a visual and tactile learner herself, her classes typically involve a lot of hands-on learning time. Sarah’s classes are accompanied by printed information and resources for her students to refer to when practicing their new skills.
Sarah’s art has been displayed in the Seattle Metals Guild and Bainbridge Arts & Craft exhibitions. Her work is sold at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. www.foggyroaddesigns.com.
This orientation grants members access to the Fiber Arts Studio seven days a week (some classes may preempt use).
You will spend 30 minutes in the studio reviewing safety and equipment care protocols. In exchange, your BARN member fob will be activated to gain access to the studio 8 am to 10 pm.
Open to BARN members only. Register so we know how many will be attending. Guests may use the studio during Better Together sessions.
Orientations are conducted by a various studio members.
The Fiber Lab’s natural indigo vats will be opened for supervised overdyeing and up-cycling in this special event.
This is your opportunity to bring new life to worn and faded textile by overdyeing it in a natural indigo vat. These vats use a natural reduction process to produce a quick, reliable, long-lasting indigo blue.
Participants may bring items such as cotton T-shirts, linen tops, vintage napkins, cotton socks, or up to one yard of natural fiber fabric to be dip-dyed. If you've never experienced the magic that is indigo, this is your chance!
About a month before the event, we will send you instructions for preparing your garment or textile for dipping in one of our Indigo vats, along with more information about what to expect during this experience. The volunteer staff is made up of experienced natural dyers led by Judilee Fitzhugh, who is directing this community activity.
Student should wear work clothes that can get dirty.
If it is a warm day, bring a water bottle.
You will learn the indigo over-dyeing technique by dyeing one piece of garment that you bring.
Students should bring:
Judilee Fitzhugh is a textile artisan who specializes in natural plant dyes and couture sewing. A tour of duty in Japan with the U.S.Navy led to a profound Japanese influence and a lifelong affection for vintage kimono and other historic textiles. Her finely crafted work combines natural objects with vintage textile remnants, hand dyed and printed fabrics, handweaving and surface design for couture-inspired garments, home textiles, and art work. www.judileefitzhugh.com
The inherent risks to national security posed by most satellites and how to mitigate them is the focus of this discussion.
In the early years of space exploration, it took large and heavy components to perform most tasks. That necessitated large and expensive rockets, which in turn necessitated designs with long lifespans. After a trillion dollars of research went into developing the smart phone, however, suddenly it was feasible to build satellites as small a bottle of wine that could perform useful tasks.
Suddenly, everyone from the local high school science team to venture capital-funded startups could finance, design, build, launch, and operate satellites. If satellites and their rewards are available to all, then so, too, are the risks they carry. The risks include cyber compromise, and risks to national security. This discussion centers around those risks and how to mitigate them while, paradoxically, improving market conditions.
Gather with other woodcarvers to share tips, explore different techniques, and work on individual carving projects.
More a weekly gathering than a formal class, Carving Afternoon is open to beginners as well as experienced woodcarvers.
Each session begins with basic safety and carving instruction, so beginners should plan to arrive promptly at 1 pm. Blanks for a simple carving project and all tools will be provided.
More experienced carvers should bring a project to work on as well as any personal carving tools, although BARN tools also are available. Once beginners are engaged in their projects, there will be time at each session to explore more complicated techniques, discuss carving traditions, learn about topics such as sharpening or wood selection, and get advice about the best way to proceed.
Work on your own project or one provided for beginners, which will be a simple basswood figure or design. The projects shown are all by BARN members who plan to participate in these sessions. Dan Webb carved the wooden balloon and the hand. Jeff Iller made the spoons. Bill Clapp carved the halibut bowl.
All materials and tools are provided at no cost for the instructor-led project. Participants must bring materials for their independent projects.
Learn how to make a hammer from aluminum and brass as you
Machining operations covered in the class include basic metal turning, external thread cutting, knurling, chamfering, cutting off, milling a flat on a round work piece, drilling, and tapping threads.
The hammer - yours to keep - has a brass head and is useful as a "positioning" hammer. If you want a hammer head other than brass that's 1¼ inches in diameter, bring the material to the class.
Before the class, students should view the following four YouTube videos by "That Lazy Machinist" on how to make this type of hammer:
Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition Assistance is available - click here to fill out the simple application before registering for a class. For those who might need physical assistance, please learn about BARN's Companion Program here.
Peter Moseley
Learn how to design, lay out, and mark dovetail joints and how to cut them accurately and efficiently using hand saws and chisels. Also learn tricks to getting them to fit perfectly.
There won't be enough time in this class to complete a project, but you will go home with one or two completed corners, which you can use to refresh your memory later about which parts to cut and which to leave. It's surprisingly easy to get that mixed up if you haven't cut dovetails for a while, so having a reference piece can save you a lot of grief.
Wear closed-toe shoes.
Learn the basic features of VCarve Pro, a popular program used to make signs, engravings, intricate inlays and imported 3D shapes and models on computer-controlled routers.
VCarve Pro is easier to learn than Fusion 360, the other 3D design program taught at BARN, and can be used for projects on both the large CNC router in the Woodworking Studio and the small CNC router in the ETA Lab.
Session 1 is in the ETA studio so you can use the VCarve Pro software to design an 8x16" sign and prototype your design on ETA's laser cutter. In session 2, we meet in the Woodworking Studio to carve it on the CNC router.
Please note: To take this class, you need a laptop computer with a mouse and a working copy of VCarve Pro 11 already downloaded to that computer (you can download a free trial at www.vectric.com). The software requires a PC or a MAC that has Windows installed. There is no time during class to download the program. If you have questions or run into problems downloading the program, please email the instructor for help. If you don't have a laptop you can bring to class, you may use an ETA Studio desktop computer with the software already loaded.
Al Ebken - Al is a retired ocean engineer with many years of computer and computer-aided design experience. In the picture, he's using the Woodworking Studio's CNC router to make parts for face shields to protect against coronavirus infection.
Learn the essentials of the Centroid CNC VCP (Virtual Control Panel), the interface for all CNC machines in our studio.
This is a prerequisite for the CNC Lathe and CNC Mill classes, and highly recommended for CNC Plasma Cutter classes.
You’ll learn what all those buttons do, which directions the machine moves along the different axes, how to load a G-code program, and the way to communicate directly with the machine via MDI (Manual Data Input).
There’s a lot to know about operating a CNC machine beyond loading a program and pushing the button, and this class will get you started. After attending this class, you can proceed directly to Introduction to Plasma CNC, Fusion 360 CAM for Lathe or Mill, or CNC Lathe and CNC Mill classes.
Wear closed-toe shoe, tie back long hair, avoid loose-fitting clothing and jewelry and roll up sleeves. Wear hearing protectors when warranted and safety glasses (bring your own or use BARN's).
None
Eli Backer is an artist, composer, and engineer, working in a wide range of media and constantly making. A Bainbridge native, she holds an MFA in Glass from RISD, and a BS in Computer Engineering from Cal Poly, SLO. Her work may be found in the Cynthia Sears Artist’s Books Collection at the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, at the Center for Book Arts in NYC, and at the Fleet Library in Providence, RI. She is a self-taught machinist, having bought a lathe during the pandemic, and finds the precision machine tools offer incredibly relaxing.
Contact: David Hays [email protected]
Get to know our Baby Lock Solaris 2 Embroidery Machine working one-on-one with a studio volunteer.
Hoop and embroider a couple of the designs that are among the hundreds that come loaded on the machine in this two-hour tutorial.
Leave the session ready to explore more of the machine’s dazzling number of functions and knowing how to leave the machine clean and ready for the next embroiderer.
Check out our Embroidery Machine Skills series to build your repertoire on the Solaris 2.
Rotating Fiber Studio Volunteers
Weaving beginners and experts alike create a scarf to take home on these portable, easy, and versatile looms.
Weaving on a rigid heddle loom is fun and easy. The looms are small and portable and your weaving can be as simple or as complex as you like. This class is for those new to weaving or established weavers looking for a way to make quick projects.
You will learn how to direct warp the loom, how to do simple balanced weaving, how to identify and fix simple mistakes, and how to remove the finished project from the loom.
Rigid heddle looms are perfect for weaving with hand-knitting yarns. You will choose from a variety of yarns provided by BARN to make a scarf you'll finish by the end of class and take home.
Skill Level: Beginners to advanced weavers
A $25 materials fee, included in the cost of the class, covers all materials needed.
Bring a bag lunch. BARN has a refrigerator and microwave on the lower level.
A scarf to take home.
This class is led by a rotating team of Fiber Studio weavers and fiber artists, including Terry Winer, Dale Walker, and Sybil Carrere.
Create a pattern you can cast into metal and begin your casting journey!
Learn one of many ways to create a pattern of the casting you envision. Once completed, you can use the pattern in our Metal Casting in the Foundry class to create a mold for molten bronze or aluminum to produce your casting.
Making a pattern is the first of three basic steps of the foundry arts:
We recommend you consider three, no-fee informational classes we offer online: Introduction to Metal Casting, Patternmaking for Metal Casting and Finishing Castings. And this class completes that first step, where you learn how to make pattern used to produce a working mold..
The second step involves taking Metal Casting in the Foundry, which can be repeated as desired and qualifies you for guided studio time in the foundry, and where you learn to make molds from patterns and pour molten metal into the mold to for the casting.
Finishing a Metal Casting class is also recommended and can be repeated as desired. Guided studio in the foundry is where advanced casting skills are built.
Jeff Oens is a widely renowned sculptor with bronze artwork exhibited in prominent art collections and public displays across the United States and Canada. He is best known for his outstanding wildlife sculptures, but his portfolio also includes human figures, mythical creatures, and other diverse subjects, ranging in size from miniature to monumental. Many of Jeff’s sculptures can be seen around the industrial park on Three Tree Lane.
Visiting artist Jason Chakravarty will teach you the fundamentals of line drawing on glass, which you'll fire and frame.
Black enamel and primary colors will be available to get you started with float glass. This can be taken as a one-day workshop or you can sign up for consecutive week(s). The first class will get you started drawing with enamels. Consider the additional days as a guided studio for independent projects to be determined through collaboration with Jason.
This class is part of our Visiting Glass Artist Series for June. You can register for Jason's other class here.
Get certified to use the Baby Lock Presto 2 sewing machines in the Fiber Studio.
This class also serves as a prerequisite for Fiber Studio workshops, sew-alongs, and other events where you'd like to use these machines and for working on your own projects any time you’re in the studio. It is also a prerequisite for orientations for other sewing machines in the studio.
Presto 2 machines are easy to use and have many functions. This class guides you through basic machine use including:
We’ll end the class with a checklist for putting your machine away so it’s ready for the next person.
This class will certify you to use the new Babylock Presto 2 sewing machines in the Fiber Studio. This class is a prerequisite for Fiber Studio workshops, sew-alongs, and other events where you'd like to use these machines, and it is also a prerequisite for future orientations for other sewing machines in the studio. This class also qualifies you to use these machines for your own projects any time you’re in the studio.
Please note that this class is about the Babylock Presto 2 sewing machines. This class is not for the industrial sewing machine or the embroidery machine. We will not focus on learning to sew, though learning to use the machines is a great start for learning to sew.
The Presto 2 machines are easy to use and have many, many functions. This class will guide you through basic machine use including:
We’ll end the class with a checklist for putting your machine away so that it’s ready for the next person to use.
BARN will provide neutral-color thread, a size 70 needle, and quilting cotton for the orientation. You are welcome to bring other materials for your own use.
Instructors: Rotating Fiber Studio volunteers
This is the class you want to take for your first time at a metal-cutting lathe, or if you just want additional experience.
Gain experience making a bolt on our Hardinge lathe, beginning with a hexagonal aluminum rod. Learn the basic functions of the lathe, including facing, turning, threading, parting, and chamfering.
You not only get a chance to gain confidence using our shop tools, but make a lovely bolt that spins freely into the nut you’ll create in our Make Your Own Nut (Intro to the Mill) class.
Machine Shop Orientation
Andy Dupree
This open mic is an opportunity for writers of all levels of experience to read their work to an appreciative audience.
This is a great way to reach new readers and meet people who love words as much as you do. It takes courage to share your work with others. Be brave!
We have slots for 12 readers to read five-minute selections. Register as "Reader" soon to snag one of these spots. We have plenty of room for members of the audience to enjoy some great readings.
View BARN’s currentCOVID-19 health and safety protocols.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition assistance is available. Fill out the application before registering for a class (this event is free).
Learn to sharpen the tools you need to turn spindles, bowls, and other projects on the wood lathe.
To turn wood effectively and enjoyably, you need sharp tools with high-quality profiles.
Learn to sharpen gouges according to BARN protocol and gain an understanding of how to sharpen other tools (e.g., skews, parting tools, scrapers).
If you would like advice on your own tools, you are welcome to bring them.
This class is strongly recommended for students who have completed Intro to Woodturning or are enrolled in Intro to Bowl Turning. The class is required for any turners who wish to use BARN turning tools on an ongoing basis.
This is a skills class focused on sharpening tools needed for the wood lathe.
Any needed materials will be provided.
You must wear safety glasses and closed-toe shoes, tie back long hair, and avoid loose-fitting clothing and jewelry. We recommend bringing your own safety glasses.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition assistance is available. Fill out the application before registering
Jamie Straw has been turning wood for several years, working on both spindle and bowl projects, and has taught woodturning at BARN since July 2017. She also serves as coordinator
