Join Dale Walker for virtual open studios focused on slow stitching, which is anything done by hand with yarn or thread.
Basically, we’re considering anything you do with yarn or thread by hand, slow stitch. This includes knitting, crochet, embroidery, needlepoint, mending, tatting, and other handwork.
Details:
Join other weavers to explore traditional tapestry designs. Thanks to our BARN woodworking friends, we have a set of Navajo-style looms that also can be adapted to Salish-style weaving.
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.
This event is free for members, guests pay a $20 drop-in fee.
Please click here for BARN's current COVID-19 health & safety protocols.
Hosts:
Terry Winer and Catherine Camp lead this group, as fellow explorers of these techniques, and who hope to be accomplished tapestry weavers some day.
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 in fiber and friendship!
To be notified about this event, please register, drop-ins are welcome.
Free to members, $10.00 drop in fee for guests.
Registration is not required.
Host:
Betsy Hagestedt had 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 the fiber arts. Knitting gradually became her specialization due its portability as she began to travel around the world. You can see some of her fiber experiments on her Instagram feed at behestknits.
Bring your handwork projects and stitch with your BARN friends.
What is slow stitch? Basically, we’re considering anything you do with yarn or thread by hand, slow stitch. This includes knitting, crochet, embroidery, needlepoint, mending, tatting and other handwork.
To receive a reminder notice about this event, please register. Drop-ins are welcome.
Free to members, guests $10.00 drop in fee.
Host: Dale Walker
Calling All Weavers:
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?
Do you love turning cards when you tablet weave?
Do you want to practice your inkle loom weaving?
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 2:00 to 4:00 PM.
If you would like a reminder before each session, you can register. Drop-ins are welcome.
Come spin with us
Everyone - first-timers to experts are welcome! Spin on one of BARN's spinning wheels or bring your own. Dive into BARN's stash of fleece or bring your own.
Whether you've been spinning for years or you are just curious, drop by and check out BARN's spinning community. Emily is excited about getting you started in spinning, so come on in.
To receive reminder emails about this event, please register. Drop-ins are welcome.
Free to members, guests $10.00 drop in fee
Host: Emily Grice
Love making bags of all kinds? Curious about how to start? Got some great tips you’d like to share? Join us for a monthly discussion about bags!
This group is guided by the folks who come. We have a topic each month - usually with a presentation - plus show-and-tell. This is a great place to ask your fellow attendees your burning bag questions. Bring your bags, your questions, and your successes!
Free to members, $20 drop-in fee for guests. Please register so we know you are coming and you get notifications of the next meeting.
The group is led by rotating studio volunteers.
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, we explore some of the many aspects of buttonhole stitch, and decide where to go from there based on the interest and experience of the group.
If you would like to be reminded of this event, please register, drop ins are welcome.
Fiber Studio volunteers lead the group.
This class has been canceled. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Have a garment you love so much it has worn out? Or you want more in multiple colors or fabrics? Join us to clone your clothing to create a pattern you can make again and again.
Learn how to analyze your garment’s assembly, determine what pattern pieces you need and what they should look like and create a new pattern. Then cut the pattern from your new fabric and, finally, assemble your new garment.
Chosen garments should be woven and fit you reasonably well. Please note: your existing garment may be damaged beyond repair during its analysis.
Students meet with Jackie via Zoom on Jan. 15 to discuss the clothing you’d like to clone and go over any other questions you might have.
Supplies to Bring:
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.
Instructor:
Jackie Kelly - Jackie taught fashion design and construction for 25 years before her retirement. In the '70s, she was a pattern maker for Santa Cruz Imports, had her own line of clothes, and ran various fashion shows. In the ‘80s, she managed Shirley Hyatt Designs while having one of her own gowns featured in a Nordstrom trunk show. In the ‘90's, Jackie enjoyed a season costuming at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival before moving to Washington to teach full time. Jackie continues her love of sewing and fashion by adding to her own wardrobe and designing and constructing garments on commission.
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.
Find more about Season 6's topics and resources here.
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 episodes.
We will watch episodes the Wednesday after they are released:
Facilitated by Weaving Studio volunteers
Pi shawls are infinitely versatile and can be as simple or complex as you want them to be. They begin with a few stitches in the middle and become a large circle with simple increases at specific intervals, forming distinct sections that can each be knit in a different pattern.
Want something simple? Choose your favorite color and use garter or stockinette. Want something complex and challenging? Design a custom lace motif for each section. Don’t want to make a full circle? Make a half-pi shawl.
During our first meeting we go through the basic pattern together and discuss options for increasing, as well as what you need to consider when choosing designs for the sections. During later meetings we check in with each other, troubleshoot, and watch as the beautiful patterns emerge!
Ideas and/or needles and yarn for a pi shawl (approximately 1500-2000 yds, depending on the yarn weight and needle size).
Betsy Hagestedt - 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
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.
Free to members, $10 drop-in fee for guests.
Ages 14+ welcome.
Skill level: We are all on a learning journey!
Betsy Hagestedt - 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 its portability as she began to travel around the world. You can see some of her fiber experiments on her Instagram feed at behestknits.
Friends Helping Friends Get a Better Fit With Sewn Garments
Fitting garments for yourself is tough. It’s hard to make adjustments while you’re wearing the garment, and once you manage to figure out the adjustments you need to make, how do you translate that to your pattern? And by the way, what does “good fit” even look like?
While BARN looks for a fitting teacher, let's try helping each other. This group is guided by the folks who come. Bring patterns, garments, and projects-in-process that have you wondering about fit, and we’ll pool our collective knowledge to answer our questions to find the right fit.
Please sign up each month so we know you’re coming!
Led by rotating studio volunteers
Love to weave, but hesitant to "sley" the dragon? This one-day workshop coaches you through the warping steps of a floor loom.
Bring enough warp fiber for your project. We can coach you through winding your warp, setting up your loom, and putting your warp on the loom. This workshop focuses on back-to-front warping. Sign up for a floor loom in the studio.
Students need to have some floor loom weaving skills.
Skill Level: Advanced to Beginners
Ages 14+ welcome
Feel free to bring a lunch. BARN has a refrigerator and microwave on the lower level.
Deb Sweet - Deb is a long-time weaver who has taught at BARN for the past several years. Her love for weaving is catching!
Learn Japanese Sashiko Stitching
Are you fascinated by intricate white stitching on indigo or other dark-colored fabric? You’re probably looking at Sashiko, which was developed in Japan as a way to preserve and strengthen textiles. Lately, Sashiko has made its way into high fashion, and you’ll see it on home decor items, as an accent on a collar, or as a beautiful overall design covering a jacket, shirt, or jeans.
In this Try It! class, we’ll start with some very basic stitching on a pre-printed kit from Japan. The pre-printed design will show us where to stitch, so we can focus on practicing the stitching motion. By the time we’re finished, you’ll know what makes a “good” Sashiko stitch, and you’ll be ready to start on a new project, maybe one that you draw yourself! You’ll also have a stitched 4”-by-4” design you can put in a frame to show off what you’ve accomplished. We’ll also talk about how to find Sashiko inspiration and instruction.
Instructor Bio:
Fran Fuller has been using a needle and thread to sew and embroider since she was about 6 years old. In the 1980s and 1990s, she lived in Japan and admired Sashiko stitching, but she didn’t try it until 2018. And of course, she fell in love with it. In 2020 and 2021, she dove deeply into Sashiko at BARN with Shannon and Jason, and she’s thrilled to share her experiences with you in the hope that you’ll fall in love with it, too.
Get to know our Baby Lock Solaris 2 Embroidery Machine working one-on-one with a studio volunteer.
Hoop and embroider a couple of 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.
Please note: While this session is scheduled for two hours, you may finish more quickly depending on what designs you choose.
Bag up some fun in this beginning sewing class where students use a sewing machine to make four different types of fabric bags.
The first class covers sewing machine basics, and students make a simple, reusable fabric bag with a ribbon closure suitable for gift-giving or holding treasures.
In the second class, students sew a lined drawstring bag. The final class includes making a lined, zippered, cross-body bag, with an optional project of a lined, zippered, ear-bud pouch. Students can choose from pre-cut fabric kits for all projects.
Clothing and Textile Advisors (CTA) is donating all materials: fabric, zippers, thread, ribbon, etc.
Karen Oldham - Karen taught sewing to 4-H youth for more than 30 years and now volunteers as a member of the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas Clothing and Textile Advisors (KOP CTAs). For the last 20 years, Karen has taught independent sewing students at the CTA summer sewing camps. She has judged sewing exhibits at multiple county fairs, the Washington State Fair, State 4-H Fair, and Make it with Wool contests. She will be assisted by additional CTA volunteers for this class.
Details
Instructor: Rotating Fiber Studio Volunteers
Make a zipper pouch - quickly - as you learn more about the Solaris 2 Embroidery Machine.
Join Bob Mathisrud as he demonstrates making a zipper pouch “in the hoop." Start with a piece of stabilizer loaded into the embroidery machine hoop, then layer the zipper, pouch front, back, and other pieces and - voila! - make the quickest zipper pouch you ever made!
When you finish this demonstration and make this pouch, you’ll have the skills to make other “in the hoop” projects using files you purchase and download - from bags to holiday ornaments, stuffed toys, and more.
Note: Class size is limited so that everyone can see easily. This class is offered four times this winter-spring. If this or other sessions are full, join the waiting list so we know to schedule additional sessions later this year.
Along with the demonstration, you’ll receive a .pes file (containing several project options) and materials to make a 4”x6” zipper pouch, with directions and a link to the demonstration video. You can stay late or come back later to make the zipper pouch on your own. Schedule time individually with Bob or another mentor if you think you’ll need extra help.
The $15 materials fee included in the price of the class includes:
Skill Level: All levels
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.
Bob Mathisrud was cross-trained in many trades as a stationary operating engineer, for more than 20 years. His curiosity, fearlessness, and willingness to help have led him to develop skills in several BARN studios. In the Fiber Studio, he is becoming an expert in the Solaris 2 sewing and embroidery machine, figuring out how to use the machine’s many, many features.
This class will certify you to use the Baby Lock 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 orientations for other sewing machines in the studio.
This class also qualifies you to use the Presto 2 machines for your own projects any time you’re in the studio.
The Presto 2 machines are easy to use and have 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 it’s ready for the next person.
BARN will provide thread, a size 80/12 needle, and quilting cotton for the orientation. You are welcome to bring other materials for your own use.
Please note that this class is about the Baby Lock Presto 2 sewing machines, not the industrial sewing machine or embroidery machine. We will not focus on learning to sew, although learning to use the machines is a great start!
Instructors: Rotating Fiber Studio Volunteers
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
In order to use the fiber lab in the Fiber Arts Studio on your own, you'll need to take our updated orientation.
The fiber lab is a great setup for dyeing, printing, felting, fleece washing, and fiber or textile prep - that is, processes that require heat, water, chemistry, or a mess.
Once oriented, members are welcome to reserve lab times to work on their projects outside of a class setting. The orientation explains how to do this and more. Orientation takes about an hour, including time for questions and discussion.
Even if you used the lab previously, this refresher covers some procedures and features that are new for 2023. If you're unsure whether you need this new orientation, or if this monthly time slot doesn’t work for you, contact [email protected]
Don't confuse this with the full Fiber Arts Studio Orientation - Get Your Member Fob Activated!, for which you register separately. The focus here is on lab use only.
Skill Level: All levels.
Fiber Studio volunteers
Weave willow bark in a pattern that produces a triple layer incorporating plaiting and twining in this online class.
Weaving with willow bark is a construction method that produces a triple layer of material and incorporates plaiting and twining. It creates a lovely basket that offers interesting design possibilities. The variety of willow colors will enhance the design.
Create what is sure to be a treasured basket, measuring about 4” x 4” x 5” high.
Kit fees are $70 per student and include materials plus a handout.
Joan Carrigan is a full-time basket maker and basketry teacher living on Salt Spring Island, BC. Over the past 30 years, her passion for baskets has led her to study, travel, and explore many different techniques and materials. Joan studied fine art and art history at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and her love of history has fueled her research in traditional techniques. Her inspiration comes from the plant materials she respectfully harvests from nature.
Joan’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. She has received two Project Grants from the Canada Council of the Arts and is the recipient of two Handweavers Guild of America Awards. http://joancarrigan.com/
Make a stunning, intriguing Convergence Quilt top and learn basic sewing skills with just four fat quarters, some straight sewing, and some clever cutting and re-sewing.
The technique is based on the 2003 book, Ricky Tims’ Convergence Quilts: Mysterious, Magical, Easy, and Fun (C&T Publishing). Newer sewists will appreciate making a gorgeous quilt top while perfecting their straight sewing and accurate rotary cutting skills. Both new and experienced sewists will appreciate the range of fascinating design possibilities in this simple technique.
So we can finish within class time, we’ll cut and sew a wall-hanging-size quilt top. After class, you can add more sections to the top to make it bigger, or quilt it as is. You’ll leave with the skills to plan and cut a larger quilt top in the future.
Please note: “Quilt top” means we’re making the top layer of a quilt. We will not be finishing the quilt, though we can discuss options for finishing it with back, borders, binding, batting, and quilting.
Your sewing machine in good working order with a fresh needle (or register to reserve a BARN machine)
Four coordinating fat quarters - a mix of batiks and large and medium prints gives the best results. A “fat quarter” is a piece of quilting cotton measuring 18” by 22”, equal to a 1/4-yard of fabric. You can buy precut fat quarters in any fabric store (recommended for this project), or make your own from your stash.
Thread to coordinate with the fabric
Pencil
Rotary cutter with a fresh blade (or use one of BARN’s)
Skill Level: All Levels.
A $5 materials fee is included in the cost of the class.
Are you interested in using the fiber arts studio? By completing this orientation, members can have access from 8:00am to 10:00 pm seven days a week. Some classes may pre-empt studio 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.
Orientation will be conducted by a various studio members.
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 orientations for other sewing machines in the studio.
Ages 14 and up are welcome.
Use the magic “burrito” technique to turn flat fabric into a pillowcase without raw edges – and no hand sewing!
Cotton and flannel make lovely pillowcases. Or how about kicking it up a notch and using linen?
You can use our embroidery machine to add a monogram or a small motif to the cuff of the pillowcase, if you want. Even if you haven’t yet been oriented on the embroidery machine, we’ll help you stitch out a small design in one-, two-, or three-color embroidery. Choose a tone-on-tone design or monogram for an elegant look, or choose cheerful fabrics with a cute motif to brighten your bedroom.
A standard-size pillowcase or pillowcases without any hand sewing.
You must have completed Learn How to Use the Fiber Studio Sewing Machines.
Skill Level: All Levels
Marcia Adams-Landry is a BARN founding member and a life-long sewist. She learned to sew along with lots of her friends from her mom, a 4-H leader who taught cooking and sewing. Marcia and her sister entered stitching and cooking projects in the county fair for several years.
Marcia’s biggest experience with fabrics was designing a fabric line and developing production techniques to produce cosmetic bags, tableware, and other products. In her current profession as a custom picture framer, Marcia’s love of fiber continues, and she always jumps at the chance to use fiber or frameworks of fiber.
Make a free-standing lace bookmark on the Solaris 2 Embroidery Machine.
Want to know more about the Solaris 2 Embroidery Machine? Join machine embroidery expert Carol Brown for this demonstration of making a free-standing lace bookmark using just thread and water-soluble stabilizer.
You’ll receive a complete kit - pattern file, thread, stabilizer, and lots of instructions - so you can return to the studio and make the bookmark on your own. Schedule extra time with Carol or another mentor if you think you’ll need extra help.
PS: Ask Carol how you can turn flat machine-embroidered lace into a 3-D object!
Note: Class size is limited so that everyone can see easily. We’re offering this class three times this winter-spring. If this or other sessions are full, join the waiting list so we know to schedule additional sessions later this year.
There is a $15 materials fee included in the price of the class.
The $15 materials fee includes thread, stabilizer, electronic download of the pattern, and written instructions.
Carol Brown has almost 60 years of sewing experience. Her mother was a beautiful seamstress, and Carol got her first sewing machine at age 9. She still has that machine and it still works! Carol owned a workroom in Seattle making window treatments and customer decorating accessories for 26 years. She has also owned a personal embroidery machine for 24 years and is happy to be at BARN introducing machine embroidery to everyone.
Our Learn to Sew series teaches skills through simple projects – this class project is a zip pouch.
If you’re new to sewing, join us for all or just some of our Learn to Sew classes where you can gain new skills and have your good practices reinforced. Skills covered are cutting with a rotary cutter, sewing with a consistent seam allowance, looking at the typical "order of operations" for a sewing project, and gaining more confidence using a sewing machine.
Projects are designed to teach specific skills:
Feb. 9: Zip Pouch (installing a zipper, making boxed corners)
March 9: Drawstring Bag (making a casing, making buttonholes)
April 13: Simple Tote Bag (sewing a larger project, applying a magnetic snap)
May 11: Apron (applying bias binding, topstitch)
A zip pouch with zipper and boxed corners.
A $15 materials fee is included in the price of the class.
Skill Level: Beginning
Fran Fuller learned to sew when she was 6 or 7 from her mother, who was a precise, creative, and inspiring sewist and a very patient teacher. Fran sewed her own clothes through high school and college, and now she sews clothing, home decorating items, and bags.
Artist Theresa Halbert leads this workshop where you learn the tools, thread, and materials of the craft. Learn the basic stitches that are the backbone of bead embroidery and make a fun, beaded pouch.
A $10 materials fee is included in the cost of the class.
Make a pouch
Included in your materials kit:
None
Theresa Halbert has worked professionally in costuming and apparel for more than 30 years, including costume design work for the theater in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Portland. She has worked in apparel development for companies such as Nike, Adidas, and Eddie Bauer. She has won awards for both her artwork and costumes. Theresa loves the texture and depth that can be created with textile art. She believes art is not just something to look at, but something to experience.
Teens (7th-12th grade), come on down to BARN for a free evening of art, friends, music, and creativity! You're not going to want to miss it. We'll have pizza and snacks and you'll get to choose from activities like cooking, woodworking, sewing, jewelry making, metal working, and more - every month is a different lineup. Come with a friend or come on your own and meet new friends!
Teen Night is so popular that we're now requiring registration to ensure that there's enough food and activities for everyone!
