Return to Home
**This workshop will be live streamed via Zoom.**
Years ago, our great-grandparents made beautiful quilts using a technique known as English Paper Piecing. Prior to the mass production of the sewing machine and the emergence of long arm quilting machines, quilts were made by using paper templates and scraps of fabric. First, individual pieces were made, then those pieces were assembled into larger quilt blocks. Finally, the individual blocks were sewn together by hand to create the final quilt. Lucky for us, traditional sewists and quilters have kept this elegantly simply and portable quilting technique alive so we can share it with you.
For this workshop, our quilt blocks are inspired by the work from the hands of our grandmothers. Mary’s Garden block is based on a wall hanging Shannon’s grandmother, Mary, made for them before they left for college. That same wall hanging has traveled with them for all of these years and has hung on the walls of every bedroom in every apartment and house since and currently hangs in the Shibaguyz’ home in Seattle. Virginia’s Star block is based on a quilt block that was part of a collection of blocks found under a mattress after his grandmother passed away. Initially held by Jason’s aunt, some of the blocks were passed to his mother and, finally, to Jason. The block is now framed and hangs on the wall of the Shibaguyz’ home in Seattle.
Session One:We’ll start off with Mary’s Garden block and cover two types
of basting and two ways to sew the blocks together. Order of operation is key here and we’ll give you the skills you’ll need to complete Mary’s Garden block and start on Virginia’s Star.
Session Two:You should have at least one of your blocks finished by the start of class. For day 2, we will teach you two ways to appliqué the blocks onto a fabric backing for display. We’ll also show you examples of how to expand your blocks into larger arrangements to make wall hangings or quilts.
Supplies students need to have on hand:
Kits provided by the instructor will include:
Paper piece templates for both quilt blocks, fabric for both quilt blocks, sewing needle, Aurifil 50 wt thread, Wonder Clips, glue stick
Kits will be mailed to participants 10 days before the class. To ensure you receive your kit in time, registration for this class will close on Monday, Sept. 28th.
Details:
Meet the instructors:
Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, the inspired creators of Shibaguyz Designz studio.
The Shibaguyz’ award winning crochet, knit, and sewing designs have been featured in and on the covers of dozens of domestic and international publications. Together, the Shibaguyz team currently has over 300 published patterns and 11 books credited to their name since their first design was featured on a magazine cover in 2010.
Their fashion and portrait photography work can be seen in four of their books. They are sought-after freelance book-packaging designers having created books for major publishing companies like Sterling Publishing, Leisure Arts, and Creative Publishing. The Shibaguyz have been teaching adults for 30+ years. Their enthusiasm, quirky sense of humor, and relatable teaching style have made them sought after teachers in both local and national venues like STITCHES Events, Vogue Knitting LIVE, and DFW Fiber Fest. They also have a wide range of online classes available from Blueprint and Interweave.
Shannon and Jason are proud ambassadors for Aurifil, Clover, BERNINA, Soak Wash, and the Daylight Company. They are working on a new book with C&T Publishing. Look for it in December 2020.
Shannon and Jason live in Seattle, Washington with their three Shiba Inu who, more or less, support their ventures in sewing, stitching, and crafting… so long as enough time is taken for walks and treats.
Break through the barriers of the fabric industrial complex and create your own FAB improv fabrics! Let go of pre-made and pre-printed fabrics and start creating our own textiles starting with one simple shape and working outward to build a one-of-a-kind improv fabric panel. No experience necessary! If you have a basic machine, random fabric, and thread, we will have you creating your own Improv FABric in no time then we’ll transform that fabric into a one-of-a-kind designer tote bag. Be the envy of everyone in the market!
Want to recycle/upcycle your own wardrobe? Feel free to use some of your own garments to cut apart and sew into new textile pieces. Anything goes… denim, linen, cotton… bring it on!
Session One – 2 hours
Homework: finish your fabric panel and baste it to the tote template; make the fabric for the handles
Session Two – 1.5 hrs
Session Three – 1.5 hrs
Optional:
(You don’t HAVE to use these if you don’t have them on hand but you’ll see us using them in the workshop.)
Meet the instructors: Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, the inspired creators of Shibaguyz Designz studio.
Please note that this class will only be held at BARN if Kitsap County has been approved for Phase 3.
Looking for a community service project that will lighten the day for a cancer patient?
Work with Carol Latham, the Women's Club, and fellow members of the Fiber Arts Studio at BARN to make colorful and imaginative pillowcases for cancer patients living in Seattle while going through cancer treatment at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle Children's Hospital, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Resource Center.
Patients coming from all over Washington, the USA, and the world for cancer treatment at these facilities stay at the Pete Gross House, a 70 unit furnished apartment complex. This means they often can not bring much from home to personalize their Pete Gross House apartment or make it more cheerful. Getting something as simple as a pillowcase made with love and creativity can brighten these cancer patient's world and make them feel like people care about what they are going through.
You don't need to know how to sew to participate in this community service project.
What to bring:
Please register so we know how many people will be attending. Feel free to bring someone with you. Please enter number of "guests" you will be bringing when you register.
All Community Service Project Workshops in the BARN Fiber Arts Studio are Free for BARN and Non-BARN Members
Sashiko, the Japanese hand stitching technique for patching and reinforcing fabric is the hot “new” trend in hand stitching. Traditional Sashiko stitches and modern adaptations can be seen in the visible mending trend, in home décor, and on fashion runways. In this class, we will learn the traditional hand stitched patterns of Kogin Sashiko – a version of the sashiko running stitch that is worked by counting threads or “bars” in fabric to create stunning Japanese motifs of repeating geometric patterns. Once you learn the skills for creating these motifs, you can apply them on a larger scale to overall fabric embellishments and enhancements. Embroidery enthusiasts will love adding this stitching technique to your repertoire.
Overview:
Session one – 2 hours
Homework: finish beginning motif
Session two – 2 hours
Kit provided by instructor:
Kits will include: fabric, sashiko needle, palm thimble, Aurifil embroidery floss, hand sewing needle, 50 wt thread and extensive handout with Sashiko templates.
Kits will be mailed out to participants 10 days before the class. Please verify your mailing address when you register.
Supplies students need to have on hand
Magnifier lamp (like the Daylight Yo-Yo or Halo Go) – If you need brighter lights or magnifiers for cross stitch and embroidery, you will need that same lighting and magnifier for Kogin. You will probably see us working with one or both of these during class and we definitely use them when we are sitting on the couch and stitching.
Instructor Bios: Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz, the inspired creators of Shibaguyz Designz studio.
**This workshop will be live streamed via Zoom.** Moth holes in your favorite sweater, rip in a comfy pair of jeans, tore your jacket getting out of the car? Take these unfortunate mishaps and turn them into one-of-a-kind acts of creation. With sustainable fashion at the forefront of everyone’s minds right now, visible mending is one of the hottest trends in the fashion world. Why buy new, when you can fix up the old and make it a one-of-a-kind piece of wearable art? Easy, inexpensive, and artistic at the same time, learn how to take your garments and home décor in need of some repairs and turn them into articles of clothing (or works of art) you’ll be proud to show off.
This is an on-line class, you will be guided by the Shibaguyz right from their own studios. They’ll use yarn, thread and fabric to walk you through the stitches and patches to turn those potential wardrobe malfunctions and home dec disasters into functional and stylish pieces again. By the end of class, you may even find yourself making visible mends just to embellish your favorite pieces!
On your own: We encourage you to practice these stitches between the two classes.
Kits will be mailed to participants 10 days before the class. Please be sure to verify your mailing address when you register.
Supplies Students Need to have on hand:
Instructor Bios: Shannon and Jason Mullett-Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo known as the Shibaguyz,the inspired creators of Shibaguyz Designz studio.
Shannon and Jason's Social Media Links:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Two days, six sheep breeds, twelve preparations, all local: Here’s a spinning workshop about the woolly wonders to be found nearby.
Our part of the Pacific Northwest suits a wide range of sheep types, so the fibers will be diverse and appealing—and a number of them will be rare breeds. Within a context of hands-on experience, participants will learn about the historical and cultural backgrounds of the featured sheep, as well as their present-day situations.
Fully rooted in place, this workshop comes about as a collaboration between Twisted Strait Fibers, a local community organizing a cooperatively-owned fiber processing mill on the North Olympic Peninsula, and Bainbridge Artistan Resource Network (BARN), the non-profit community arts organization in Winslow. It will be facilitated by Deborah Robson, fiber author of The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook and The Field Guide to Fleece (and UW graduate).
Students Should Bring to Class
Instructor Bio: Deborah Robson is a fiber generalist who specializes in spinning, knitting, and weaving, although she experiments with all aspects of textiles. She is the fiber author of The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebookand of The Field Guide to Fleece, in collaboration with livestock expert Carol Ekarius. For fourteen years she served as an editor at Interweave Press, including twelve years as editor-in-chief of Spin-Off: The Magazine for Handspinners. At Interweave she initiated the Save the Sheep project and the book Handspun Treasures from Rare Wools. She also edited Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot, has worked in trade, literary, and scholarly publishing, and has written for many publications, including PieceWork, Interweave Knits, Spin-Off,and The Journal for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, as well as several fiber-related anthologies. Her textile designs have appeared in several magazines and collections.
She is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and of the Colorado Authors’ League, and served two terms on the board of directors of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (now The Livestock Conservancy). Her current research focuses on the millennia of alliances between sheep and humans, emphasizing the fiber perspective and using Shetland sheep as an example of how the relationships have evolved, and she is publishing monographs on fiber-related topics. Websites related to her work are at independentstitch.com, www.DreamingofShetland.com (a site maintained by friends), www.DRobson.info, and www.Fleeceand Fiber.com.
This is your chance to work with international fiber artist, Sue Spargo. In this 2 session workshop on June 14 and 15, students will be creating an embroidery sampler to be finished into a needle roll.
This class is for students to learn and expand their understanding of many stitches by incorporating them in different formations and combinations.
The focus of the class will be on the use of Eleganza Perle Cotton in sizes 8, 5, and 3. Each cover will be unique, using either Kumquat or Turquoise wool as the front cover. Students have the option to learn English paper piecing to decorate the inside with a floral flower.
Students should bring:
Instructor Bio: Sue Spargo is a much beloved instructor and artist who teaches workshops around the world. We are very excited to welcome her to BARN.
Sue was born in Zambia and educated in South Africa. She later moved to England. She reports that living in both cultures shaped many of her designs. You can see the influence of Africa in her choice of colors. The whimsy and charm of her creations reflect African folklore.
She moved to the United States in 1980 and settled in Ohio where she started her company, Sue Spargo Folk-art Quilts, Inc., in the basement of her home in 2002. It was here where she embarked on her journey of dimensional layering and embroidery and introduced the world to wools saturated in bright colors, multi-medium layering and embroidery which resulted in textural depth and dimension never before seen. The circle of fans that love her and her artistry has grown exponentially over the years. Her company now has a store in Ohio with an abundance of the fiber-related products that she incorporates in her designs as well as her kits, patterns and books.
Creative Stitching Book (2nd Edition) by Sue Spargo.
Sue Spargo's Creative Stitching Book (2nd Edition) book is available at Esther’s on Island, Quilted Strait in Port Gamble, or online through Sue Spargo's store. The Eleganza Pearl Cotton embroidery thread and different needles can also be found at these stores.
Join Sue Spargo on an adventure of learning how to do dimensional layering and embroidery. In this three session workshop on June 16 through June 18, students create a tone on tone piece using creative stitching to form texture.
Sue will guide the students through the study of the stitch. With eliminating color, students will start to understand textural depth and learn the possibilities of simplistic color. Students will also enjoy the art of meditative stitching.
NOTE: Base circles are required to be appliquéd down prior to class. You will receive the Sand Dollar kit several weeks prior to the workshop along with wool thread to appliqué the circles. Please have the circles appliquéd before the first day of this workshop.
Pencil and journal
Embroidery scissors
Small and large circle template
Chalk Pencil
Extra small 'yo yo' maker (check Amazon)
3/8” hexagon papers
Pencil glue stick
Needles: #24 Chenille needles #18 Chenille needles # 10 straw needles #3 and #1 Milliner needles
Scraps of neutral velvet, silk and cottons to make hexagons and yo yo’s
Cream or grey seed beads
Neutral #24 Silk Thread for beading
An assortment of light grey, cream and beige embroidery threads in different weights:
Eleganza Perle Cotton in size 8,5 and 3; Seagrass; Silken Pearl; Razzle; Dazzle; Eleganza; Dala; Silk Ribbon; Shepards Silk; and Oriental Linen.
'Creative Stitching Book (2nd Edition)' by Sue Spargo.
Sue Spargo's 'Creative Stitching Book (2nd Edition)' is available at Esther's on Bainbridge, Quilted Strait in Port Gamble, or online through Sue Spargo's store. The other embroidery supplies and different needles can also be found at these stores.
Sue was born in Zambia and educated in South Africa. She later moved to England.
She reports that living in both cultures shaped many of her designs. You can see the influence of Africa on her choice of colors. African folklore is reflected in the whimsy and charm of her creations.
She moved to the United States in 1980 and settled in Ohio where she started her company, Sue Spargo Folk-art Quilts, Inc., in the basement of her home in 2002. It was here where she embarked on her journey of dimensional layering and embroidery and introduced the world to wools saturated in bright colors, multi-medium layering and embroidery which resulted in textural depth and dimension never before seen. The circle of fans that love her and her artistry has grown exponentially over the year. Her company now has a store in Ohio with an abundance of the fiber-related products that she incorporates in her designs as well as her kits, patterns and books.
