Creativebug Daily Practice: Shape, Pattern, Color: Hand-Stitched Sampler Books

 I have a new series of workshops on Creativebug!

The series is called:

Shape, Pattern, Color: Hand-Stitched Sampler Books

It is a "daily practice" series wherein one mini-workshop is released everyday in November - starting November 1st, 2024. After the workshop is released it will remain available - so, if you are a Creativebug subscriber, you will have access to the class anytime thereafter.

In this daily practice I will walk you through many textile surface design techniques including fabric painting, stencil cutting and printing, embroidery stitches, mending techniques, natural dyeing, working with earth pigments, and the list goes on...for 30 days! At the end I will guide you through gathering your decorated pages and making them into books: pamphlet, slot book, accordion, and Japanese side sewn.

There is A LOT of information in these 30 days!

At the end you will have beautiful hand-made sampler books that reflect your own hand and style, and that can serve as references for your future projects.

I hope that you will join along on Creativebug. 

Sign up now so you will be ready to go on November 1st!

Here is a link to my other workshops on Creativebug.

Stay at Home 2020

Hello Everyone. I hope that you all are staying healthy and sane during this difficult time, and remaining inside and social distancing in order to do your part in flattening the COVID-19 curve.

There are so many artists, writers, musicians, actors, and other creatives that are being very imaginative and offering services to help everyone stay entertained right now.

Bamboo Rubber Band Book and Orizomegami

I would love to create a new tutorial here for you all but family matters have called me away from doing much creative work currently.

So, I thought I would bring together, in one place, a couple of bookmaking-for-kids tutorials that I have done in the past, a sashiko thread prep demo, and mention that Creativebug has opened up 50 classes for free!

Here are the links:

Snake Book

This is a blogpost tutorial I did a few years ago. The snake book is a super fun structure suitable for kids - I would say Kindergarten and up - as well as adults. HERE is the link.

Snake Book

 

Bamboo Rubber Band Book

I made a guest appearance on the Tinkerlab Blog a few years ago and put together this bookmaking tutorial for kids. Minimal supplies and you can learn how to make the fancy orizomegami covers on Creativebug - it is one of the 50 free classes available on the site now! Link to Bamboo Rubber Band Book HERE
 Scroll down for more info. on the Creativebug classes.

Bamboo Rubber Band Book

Sashiko Thread Prep

This one's for adults - we need entertaining activities, too! Is your sashiko thread collection a mess? This little tutorial tells you how to cut and braid a sashiko skein so that it doesn't become a messy nest in your sewing box. Link to post HERE.

Sashiko Thread Prep

 

Creativebug - 50 classes for Free!

Creativebug is always a good deal and they currently are offering 50 classes for FREE - for kids and adults alike. I just took a peek at them and three of my classes are included: Orizomegami, Japanese Binding for Kids, and the House Book - so happy to see this! They are all great projects for kids. Check them all out HERE.

Japanese Binding for Kids with Orizomegami covers

Wish I could do more and maybe I will be able to once things quiet down for me.

In the meantime, stay inside, stay in touch with your friends and extended family virtually, and be creative - it really helps! 

Squam Art Retreat

I have recently returned from teaching at Squam Art Retreat and thought I would share a little. What a wonderful place!

After spending a few days with friends in the Boston area I headed north and arrived to this idyllic setting.

What a beautiful and peaceful place.

Each cabin is right on Squam Lake and each has its own dock. And, although it was chilly many of us spent as much time in the water as we could - it was refreshing!

 

The cabins are fairly rustic with no refrigerators or heaters but instead each has an icebox and fireplace. Ice and firewood are delivered daily (the ice is sourced from the lake!)

The icehouse

I was invited to teach my Boro Sampler Book workshop there and was assigned a cabin that would act as our classroom. The main classroom was set up in the living room but we also had an adjoining screened porch where students could sit and stitch.

 

Of course, students did wonderful and inspiring work!

Everyone began by practicing mending stitches, inspired by Japanese Boro Textiles, on their sampler pages.

Although I bring plenty of fabric I always encourage students to incorporate materials that are personal to them, or at least their own palette and aesthetic. 

 

At the end of the class we bound the pages into books using the Japanese side-sewn binding. Students can refer to these sampler books later when tackling visible mending projects or incorporating what I call the "boro aesthetic" into their artwork or other projects.

What a wonderful workshop and experience. And, if you are still wanting to see more Squam scrumptious-ness then check out the blog post that my roommate Rachel Hazell just posted.

Thank you to everyone (Elizabeth, Forrest, students, and fellow teachers) who made the week a successful and enjoyable one! I hope to return to this glorious lake someday. 

Boro Sampler Book Workshop - and more to come

I completed another season of workshops at Wishi Washi Studio with my Boro Books workshop.

Preparing my materials and tools for teaching

 

This is quickly becoming one of my favorites to teach since Japanese textiles are becoming a favorite subject of mine, particularly Boro textiles. 

I'm trying to learn everything I can about Japanese textiles since the history of Boro textiles is intrinsically linked to the history of Japan and the textiles created there.

Boro textile from my personal collection

 

In my Boro Books workshop (a.k.a. Boro Sampler Book) I share my modest but growing collection of Boro and other Japanese textiles so we can examine the stitching techniques up close.

My Boro Book pages in progress

Then we work on "pages" to re-create mending and strengthening techniques seen in Boro textiles. Students are encouraged to bring materials meaningful to them that can include fabric, paper, and other ephemera.

My completed Boro Sampler Book

The finished product is a book, bound with the Japanese side-sewn binding, that can be referred back to for future art or mending projects. It can be added to over time and even used as a needle book! (See post on a previous Boro Books workshop here)

Detail from my current series: KEEP: Modern Library

The Boro aesthetic has inspired my current series: KEEP: Modern Library that will be in my Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship exhibit at the end of this year. I look forward to sharing more of this series in the coming months.

I'll be teaching this workshop twice this summer at Cameron Marks in Santa Cruz on July 11th, and at Handcraft Studio School in Emeryville on July 18th. Come and join us for a day of learning and making!

Japanese Bookbinding with Rhiannon Alpers

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love having guest instructors in Wishi Washi Studio!

This past Saturday, Rhiannon Alpers came to Wishi Washi Studio to teach Japanese Bookbinding with a Hardcover Enclosure. Rhiannon is such a nice person, knowledgeable and patient instructor and a quite talented artist. Be sure to check out her websites: her personal site and her studio site called Gazelle & Goat. 

Rhiannon's class samples

 

The structure we made was a softcover Japanese side-sewn binding with a hardcover enclosure. Rhiannon brought beautiful papers and book cloth for the class.

cover paper, book cloth and text paper

We started with the binding and made sweet little books out of the beautiful papers that Rhiannon brought

Japanese four-hole side-sewn binding

 

Then, we carefully measured our own books and made "maps" to figure out the size of our materials so that the case, or enclosure, would fit just perfectly.

 

Graph paper helps with map making

We cut and glued down our book board and spine pieces. This is where everything looks a little ugly before it gets pretty again. 

 

the not-so-pretty guts of the enclosure

 

And, the nice touch of making the loop pieces to hold the bone clasp:

Loops made out of the cover paper

And then you hope that it all fits together - not too tight and not too loose.

Almost done with mine...

 

I'm very pleased with how my sample came out and it was so nice being a student in my own studio - one of my favorite things.

 

Everyone in class did beautiful work!

 

Rhiannon returns to Wishi Washi Studio in a few weeks with a Shaped Boxes workshop. Can't wait! Thanks Rhiannon.

Summer Deals

There is a seriously good deal going on over at Creativebug now.

Those of you who have taken classes with me in Wishi Washi Studio or at the various centers at which I teach, out and about, know what a good deal this is. 

Consider re-taking a class you have taken with me in person as a review - you will have it with you always to review those tricky steps.

Or, if you have been wanting to learn some of these fabulous book structures or paper techniques, now is the time.

Available classes are Coptic Bookbinding, Japanese Side-Sewn binding (four variations), Iris Fold, Accordion Book, Make Your Own Bookcloth, Book Safe, Star Book, and more...

 

Purchase by June 22nd, 2013 and watch it whenever you want, as many times as you want.

Have fun!