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View Details
Sep202012
Making your MarkID #1
Masseria della Zingara, Puglia, Italy - £650
Claire Benn - 0 spaces remaining
Key Info
KEY INFORMATION
Dates: 20-25 September 2012
Venue: Masseria della Zinagara, Puglia, Italy
Experience Level: suitable for all levels.
Class size: 10
Fees & registration: please visit www.masseriadellazingara.com for information on fees and registration.
Supplies fee: a supplies fee of £20 will be charged to each student to cover the cost and shipping of the media to be used.Description
CLASS DESCRIPTION
This period at the Masseria will provide you with time out in paradise to explore the personal marks you can make directly on to cloth. We’ll explore various processes including:- scraping
- writing, doodling, scribbling & sketching
- mono printing
- using found objects
- silk screen (e.g. breakdown printing & temporary on-screen designs)
- brushes
The cloth you make can be used for:
- stitch or embroidery (you’ll produce great backgrounds)
- compositional whole cloth for art pieces or whole cloth quilts
- garments
- soft furnishings (e.g. cushions)
- cutting up and re-structuring (e.g. collage or pieced quilts)
We’ll work with dye paints, discharge paste and fabric paints and Claire will demonstrate different techniques/processes throughout the class.
At the mid-point, there will be a group review to consider work-in-progress and how it might be moved forward, and one-to-one discussions will take place on an on-going basis.
HOURS
Teaching will start at 9am and continue until 5.30pm, with a 1-hour break for lunch. Thereafter, whilst Claire will be available for consult, she may have had a glass or two of wine and be in a relaxed state! Participants can choose to start and finish at any time of their choosing – one of the joys of a residential class is the opportunity to come and go in the studio at leisure!SUPPLIES
To minimise what you need to pack, certain supplies will be made available during the class, and a £20/Euro 20 fee will be payable. This can be paid along with your class fee. The following supplies and tools will be available:- Procion Mx dyes: in liquid and thickened paint format, and for immersion or tray dyeing
- Fabric paints/screen inks; all colours, including 3 metallics
- Discharge media; in liquid and paste form
- Tools; one silkscreen each, bristle and foam brushes, needle-nose bottles, rollers, scrapers, a selection of textural thermoaxes, monoprinting plates, breakdown printing bits & pieces, mono-printing plates, found objects and other miscellaneous items.
Requirements
WHAT TO BRING
Cloth
This is the most important item to bring with you and it must be made from natural fibres: cotton, silk, mixes such as silk-cotton, bamboo, linen or hemp. Anticipate using between 8 to 10 metres. When thinking about what type of cloth to bring, consider what you’re going to be using it for.Please do not bring calico/muslin as whilst it will eventually generate good results, it required a great deal of effort to get there! Generally speaking, higher quality fabrics will generate faster and better results. Cloth suppliers include Whaleys of Bradford, Art van Go, Fibrecrafts, Zijdelings and PDPM; their contact details can be found on the Committed to Cloth website (www.committedtocloth.com).
It’s important that any un-dyed cloth you bring is pre-washed to remove sizing, as sizing can often prevent the dyes and paints from penetrating the fibres. To scour cloth:
- Load fabric into washing machine; you will need between 6 and 8 metres in total.
- Add up to 4 tablespoons of pure soda ash/sodium carbonate (4 for a full load, 2 for a smaller load). Use soda ash, not household soda. If you don’t have soda ash, visit a swimming pool supply company to buy some or buy it mail order from suppliers listed on the C2C website: www.committedtocloth.com
- Run the machine at 60ºC.
- Line or tumble dry.
Having scoured your cloth, please pre-soak two pieces in soda ash as follows:
- Create a soda vat large enough for your needs; the basic recipe is 3 tablespoons of soda ash to 1 litre of water. Dissolve sufficient soda ash for your needs in warm (not cold or hot) water and top up with the appropriate amount of cold water.
- Place the scoured, dry (or spun-dried) cloth in to the soda vat and leave for between 10 to 20 minutes (heavier weight cloth will need longer).
- Dry by drip-drying or spin the soda-soaked cloth before line drying (if you have a spin dryer, recycle the run off back into the soda vat). DO NOT TUMBLE DRY.
- Once dry, stuff it into a bag (don’t fold or iron).
Other Supplies
- 8 to 10 metres of pre-washed/scoured un-dyed natural cloth of your own (see previous notes), with 2 pieces pre-soaked in soda ash and dried.
- 2.5 metres of cotton drill or something similarly sturdy to use as a drop cloth (not calico as it holds creases).
- Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes – or maybe a swimsuit!).
- Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs in case you hole one/a pair).
- If you already own thermofaxes you wish to use, bring up to 5.
- If you feel you’re going to need more than one silk screen, then bring an additional one. However, the emphasis of the class is to explore many different tools, so don’t get too obsessed with screen printing as there are many other fantastic ways of making your mark on cloth. If you do bring an additional screen, please put your name on the frame.
- One 9” Speedball squeegee (again, look on the C2C website for suppliers).
- Notebook/sketchbook (for those who like to take notes)
- Pen and pencil
- One small box of ball-headed or T-pins.
- ipod/MP3 player and headphones if you like to zone out and work to music.
On past experience, we recommend using your checked-in bag for your supplies and your hand luggage for your clothes and personal items. This isn’t a fashion-conscious week, so you only need one ‘nice’ set of clothes for the evenings we eat out! But don’t forget your swimming costume!
If you have any queries about the class or what to bring, then please email Claire direct at cb@committedtocloth.com
Sorry, but this workshop is already fully booked!
But don't panic, you can join the waiting list. We'll also offer you first refusal on our next Making your Mark workshop.
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View Details
Oct292012
Human MarksID #2
Potter's Farm Studio - £400
Dorothy Caldwell - 0 spaces remaining
Key Info
KEY INFORMATION
Tutor: Dorothy Caldwell
Dates: Monday 29th October to Friday 2nd November 2012
Experience Level: suitable for any level
Venue: Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF
Class size: 11
Fees: £400, including lunch every day.
Supplies fee: to be advised – estimated between £30 to £40.
Registration: email Claire at cb@committedtocloth.comDescription
Class Overview
The marks we make record time and human energy. Working with paper and cloth this workshop will examine different kinds of marks including stitching, resist and batik, discharge, drawn and painted marks and more unconventional marks such as burning, piercing, and mending. Each of these will address a different aspect of physical movement and gesture that through time and repetition evolve into richly activated surfaces. Simple bookbinding techniques will be demonstrated for constructing book forms and participants will be able to expand on workshop experiments applying them to their own materials and imagery. Resource material will include slide talks, examples, and videos.Materials & Equipment Provided
To ensure everyone has access to the right materials and equipment, C2C will organize the following supplies at cost for both venues. The supplies fee will be advised as soon as it is known – allow for between £30 – £40.- Black India ink
- White/PVA glue
- Candle, incense and matches
- Masking tape
- Nails
- Soy wax
- Wood scraps for making printing blocks
- Charcoal fixative
- Black printing ink
- Wood to hammer on (to protect tables)
- Dischargeable black cotton (we will organize Cotton Silesia, which discharges to fawn/white with chlorine bleach)
- Cotton organdie
- 1m lengths of dowel
- Rubber bands
- Chlorine Bleach
- Soy wax
- Large format paper
- Rives lightweight cream paper or similar (19” x 26”)
- Fabriano Cards
- Lycra graphite crayons
- Sakura Pigma Micron Pen
- Sakura Pigma Brush
- Tjantings and wax tools
- Waxed thread for bookbinding
- Felt printing pads
About Dorothy
Dorothy Caldwell is a Canadian textile artist working in Hastings, Ontario. Her work incorporates quilting and stitching traditions with resist and discharged dyeing techniques. Her travel and research in India, Japan, and Australia has influenced her work both as sources of dyeing and stitching practices and as places where textile artists share her beliefs in the integration of historical work in contemporary contexts.Dorothy represented Canada at the World’s Fair in Osaka in 1991 and returned to Japan in 1993 to participate in the International Shibori exhibition and conference. In 1997 she received a research grant for travel in India to study women’s co-ops and the revival of Kantha stitching. This research lead to workshops on “the stitch” and curating an exhibition entitled “Stitching Women’s lives: Sujuni and Khatwa from Bihar, India”.
In 1998 she had a studio residency in Newfoundland which resulted in “Ground Cover” a solo exhibition which traveled in Canada and the United States. For the past several years, she has been teaching workshops in Australia, as part of the Fiber Forum Symposiums. A research grant enabled her to travel and research Aboriginal map imagery in painting and textile.
Dorothy has been recognized by the Bronfman Award, given to one Canadian artist each year. In 2003 she was nominated for the Governor Generals Award. She has executed major architectural commissions, and her work is in many permanent collections including the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, The Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, and the Canadian consulate in Bangkok Thailand.
Requirements
WHAT TO BRING
Please bring the following items with you.
- A sponge.
- A hammer.
- Sewing kit with 6 sewing needles with eyes large enough to accommodate embroidery thread (Chenille needles work well).
- One skein of black and 1 skein of white or off-white stranded embroidery thread and some in colours of your choice.
- Rubber gloves.
- Three pieces of black cotton 4 ½” x 13 ½” (doesn’t need to be dischargeable).
- One piece of solid and brightly coloured cotton 4 ½” x 13 1/2”.
- One piece of scrap cotton (any colour) approx. 4 “ x 36”
- A small roll of hardware store string – not too thin as this will be glued to wood to make a printing block.
- A few examples of your work (digital images, slides or printed photographs).
- Please bring a personal collection of materials that might be used in the making of your book. These may include paper, drawings, fabrics you have stitched or dyed, dyes, markers, transparent fabrics, buttons or other objects, photos or photo images on fabric, bring a decent selection of stuff to have around even if you don’t end up using it.
- Optional: bone folder for bookmaking, apron, tapestry needle with a blunt tip for book binding.
If you have any queries or questions about supplies, please email Claire Benn; cb@committed to cloth.com
Sorry, but this workshop is already fully booked!
But don't panic, you can join the waiting list. We'll also offer you first refusal on our next Human Marks workshop.
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View Details
Feb182013
Cloth, Paper, PigmentID #3
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - £400 + £35 supplies
Christine Chester - 3 spaces remaining
Key Info
Tutor: Christine Chester
Dates: 5 days, Monday 18 to Friday 22 February 2013
Experience Level: suitable for all levels
Class size: limited to 9 students.
Venue: Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF
Class fees: £400 + £35 supplies fee
Registration: book through the website or email cb@committedtocloth.comDescription
Essentially, ‘Cloth-Paper-Pigment’ is all about paper lamination. You’ll learn how to combine printed imagery with fabric and laminate to create pattern, depth and texture. The results you produce will be stable enough to add colour through pigment-based media, follow up with stitch or simply be used as they are for art textiles.
Along the way you’ll develop your own imagery to print with, learn how to work with screens and thermofaxes, delve into the world of acrylic mediums, paints and gesso and work with your own printed images and a variety of papers from newsprint to tissue paper.
We’ll look at three different processes of lamination:
- Transparency: working with transparent fabrics, you’ll laminate paper with imagery, colour and/or text. The results can be used individually or in multiple layers to make the most of the contrast between the transparency of the fabric and the opacity of the paper.
- Textures: you’ll use fabric as a support for papers. The results can then be developed to add colour though print or other surface design techniques to create remarkable textural effects. The results often suggest a surface other than fabric but still retain the quality of cloth to support stitch, should that be desirable.
- Gesso; finally, you’ll use gesso and stitch as the laminating medium, and resists to create an interesting mirror image across two pieces of fabric.
The media and wet process equipment required will be available at the studio. This will help you to arrive feeling relaxed in the knowledge that the right materials will be there for you. As such, there will be a supplies fee of £35 per student to cover:
- Matte medium, gloss medium, fabric paints, gesso.
- 1 medium-sized thermofax per person (your own design).
- The use of a variety of tools such as silk screens, thermofax screens, squeegees, brushes, buckets, scrapers, monoprinting plates, cutters and cutting mats, soldering iron, sheet plastic etc..
Housekeeping
Please arrive between 9 to 9.30am on the first day. Tuition will run from 9.30am to 5.30pm, although you can work until 6.30pm from Monday to Thursday. On Friday, the workshop will close at 5.30pm. Lunch will be provided and tea, coffee, water and biscuits will be on-tap throughout the day. Please advise Claire of any dietary restrictions.Requirements
WHAT TO BRING
FABRICS
For ‘sheer lamination’: 2 metres of white or off-white sheer in either polyester or silk (NOT nylon), or both should you wish. If you have a stash of coloured sheers, bring about 1 metre if you wish to experiment with it. The studio stocks suitable ultra-sheer polyester at £5.50 p.m. and silk organza at £9 p.m.
For ‘textures’: bring 1-2 metres of any medium weight fabric – it doesn’t have to be cotton. Polycotton, blends, pieces you have in your stash that you’re not quite sure about – all are fine for this process as they’ll be completely covered with medium. The studio stocks a pre-scoured medium-weight calico that will do the job at £5 per metre.
For Gesso technique: you’ll need half a metre in total of medium weight fabric (which doesn’t need to be cotton). You’ll be ‘pairing’ outcomes so you could use two quarter-metres of one colour or two quarter-metres in contrasting colours – just keep the weight of the fabric the same.PAPER
Just as important as the fabric. You’ll need a decent selection and the following guidance notes will help…- Paper with images and/or text: this could be newsprint, or other forms of printed papers (e.g. photocopies, laser prints in colour or black & white) and some important guidance notes are provided below:
- AVOID: glossy magazines, brochures, coated papers and photographic quality paper; the coating on these pages prevents effective bonding with the fabric.
- Newspaper: collect articles and pictures that appeal to you; maintain variety, and don’t ignore the advertisement section.
- Your own materials: such as photographic images, family letters and documents, childrens’ drawings, invitations, old postcards etc.. You won’t be able to use the originals, so bring at least 10, A4 copies or prints. Please note that inkjet prints have a tendency to bleed and are best avoided – the best results are achieved with colour (or black & white) photocopies or colour/B&W laser prints. When printing or copying, please make sure you print on ordinary photocopy paper, NOT photographic or coated paper and try to get prints/copies made at least one week before the course to allow the chemicals to settle.
- Tissue paper; one pack of white (NOT coloured as it bleeds).
- Other papers: for example: decorative or handmade papers, straw paper, mulberry paper, brown paper, used/recycled envelopes, crêpe paper.
OTHER STUFF
- A small selection of threads in different weights.
- One reel of machine thread to co-ordinate with the fabric you bring for the gesso process.
- Apron (or clothing that you’re prepared to get dirty).
- Comfortable footwear.
- Ball-headed pins.
- Disposable / rubber gloves (if you don’t like getting acrylic binder on your hands).
- Notebook (for design work and notes, although handouts on process will be provided).
- A 2.5m x 1.25m length of cloth to cover the print table and act as a drop cloth. Please use a heavy weight fabric such as cotton drill or similar – the studio stocks a suitable cotton drill at £3.50 per metre.
- Small A4 pad of cartridge paper (or larger if you already have it).
Note: the studio stocks a wide range of cloth and media (including the matte medium you’ll use during the class), and a selection of tools such as silkscreens, squeegees and needle nose bottles. Students are welcome to top up their supplies before leaving, but please note the studio does not mail order. You can also choose to make more thermofaxes during the class and a price list will be available on the different size options.
If you have any queries about the requirements list, please contact Christine at christinechester@rocketmail.com. For queries regarding booking or the venue, please contact Claire at cb@committedtocloth.com.
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Mar182013
Colour Studies for Surface DesignID #4
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - £425 + £35 supplies
Leslie Morgan - 0 spaces remaining
Key Info
Dates; Monday March 18th to Friday March 22nd 2013
Experience level; intermediate – some experience of working with Mx dyes and basic surface design techniques are needed.
Class size; 9 students.
Venue; Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF, UK
Class fees; £425 + £35 suppliesDescription
Study colour from a personal source. The key aims of this workshop are to:
- Use a personal colour source to develop the colours you like.., and discover colours you could learn to like (or which complement your palette).
- Learn how to exploit Mx dyes and develop an unlimited palette by working with only eight colours.
- Build harmonious colour and value schemes and develop contrasts to enrichen, energise and/or pop.
- Create a visual reference of colour and value relationships.
Ultimately, the workshop will enable you to establish a method to explore any colour and value scheme of your choice in the future. We will work with Mx dyes on the bench and in the bucket to enable you to:
- explore a variety of surface design techniques within your own experience level to create cloth with texture, pattern and imagery in the colours and values you want. (Please note that this class will not teach specific surface design techniques in a structured manner – you will decide which techniques to use to explore colour).
- immersion dye to create a family of ‘solids’ in three values for the palette.
Hours will be as follows:
Sunday: arrive and unpack between 3-4pm, opening session from 4 to 6pm.
Monday to Thursday: the studio will be open from 8.30am to 8.30pm. Teaching hours will be from 8.30am until 5.30pm.
Friday: teaching hours will be from 8.30am until 3pm, clear-up between 3 – 4pm, closure session from 4 – 5.30pm.Supplies Fee
The supplies fee of £35 will include use of the following media and materials:Mx Dyes;__ in eight key colours: Scarlet, Magenta, Royal Blue, Turquoise, Golden Yellow, Acid Lemon, Black and Dark Brown.
Various Chemicals;__ for making chemical water and print paste, and salt and soda ash.
Tyvek labels; for marking your cloth.
Tools: __a selection of tools will be supplied for general class use including; silk screens, squeegees, foam and bristle brushes, scrapers, rollers (textured & plain), monoprinting plates, sponges, needle-nosed bottles etc. etc.
Resists:__ Soy Wax, cover film, freezer paper and masking tape.Housekeeping
Please arrive no later then 9am on Monday 18th March. Lunch will be provided every day in addition to on-tap teas, coffee, water & biscuits. Please advise Claire if you have any dietary requirements.Requirements
WHAT TO BRING
CLOTH
Please stay with a single type of high-quality, natural fibre cloth as you will develop a greater understanding of how colours and values perform. By high quality, I mean a cotton such as Cotton Sateen, Silk-Cotton or a medium-weight silk (nothing light and flimsy). The studio keeps good supplies of cotton, viscose and silk so if you wish to source from the studio, please give us six weeks notice. PLEASE DO NOT BRING CALICO AS IT’S NOT SUITABLE FOR THIS WORKSHOP..In total, you’ll need between 13 to 15 metres (and a breakdown of how it will be used is shown below) and if it’s not PFD, please scour it by washing at 60C, with 3 tbsp of soda ash and a tsp of rinsing agent (e.g. Synthrapol/ Metapex), then dry it.
Your cloth will be utilised as follows (roughly!):
For colour sampling: 3 metres in total, pre-scoured, soda-soaked and dried.
For solid colour families: 4 metres if working in fat quarters, or 8 metres if working in half metres, pre-scoured.
For surface design: 6 to 8 metres in total, pre-scoured, soda-soaked and dried (although soda-soaking tubs will be available throughout the class).I prefer to work on soda-soaked cloth rather than putting soda ash into the dyes (the benefits of this approach will be explained). To soda soak scoured cloth:
- Create a soda vat large enough for your needs; the basic recipe is 3 tablespoons of soda ash to 1 litre of water. Dissolve sufficient soda ash for your needs in warm (not cold or hot) water and top up with the appropriate amount of cold water.
- Place the scoured, dry (or spun-dried) cloth in to the soda vat and leave it to soak for 15 minutes.
- Dry by drip-drying or spin the soda-soaked cloth before line drying (if you have a spin dryer, recycle the run off back into the soda vat). DO NOT TUMBLE DRY.
- Once dry, stuff it into a bag (don’t fold or iron).
OTHER STUFF
Whilst the supplies fee will include the use of media and various tools, you’ll still need to bring some stuff of your own:- INSPIRATION! Choose a colour source that excites you that has 4 or more major colours in it – monochromatic does not work for this workshop! The source can be a photograph, postcard, a tear-out from a magazine etc. – keep your references simple.
- Various tools; you’ll see that a good supply of tools will be provided but if you have specific tools you wish to use, then bring them.
- Personal thermofaxes;* up to 6 should be sufficient so try not to bring your entire collection! You’ll be able to make your own thermofaxes at the studio and pricing on different sizes will be provided.
- One box of ball of T-headed pins.
- Three 10-litre buckets.
- One 1.25 × 2.5m drop cloth of cotton twill or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash it and write your name on all four corners.
- Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs), well fitting.
- Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).
- Comfortable, rubber-soled shoes (you’ll be standing a great deal).
- Notebook; handouts on recipes and some process will be provided, but be ready to take notes.
- A folder or ring binder to record your colour studies and findings.
- A glue stick or double sided tape.
- Pen and pencil.
- A Sharpie or similar waterproof pen.
- An iPod if you like to work to music
- Your camera.
Please contact Leslie if you have any queries: lm@committedtocloth.com
Sorry, but this workshop is already fully booked!
But don't panic, you can join the waiting list. We'll also offer you first refusal on our next Colour Studies for Surface Design workshop.
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View Details
May052013
Colour Studies for Surface DesignID #5
The Crow Timber Frame Barn, Ohio, USA -
Leslie Morgan - 20 spaces remaining
Key Info
Dates; Sunday May 5th (starting at 1pm) to Friday May 10th 2013
Experience level; intermediate – some experience of working with Mx dyes and basic surface design techniques are needed.
Class size; 20 students.
Venue; Crow Timber Frame Barn, Baltimore, Ohio, USA
Class fees; $50 supplies, plus water and power.
Registration: please register at Nancy Crow’s website, www.nancycrow.comDescription
Study colour from a personal source. The key aims of this workshop are to:
- Use a personal colour source to develop the colours you like.., and discover colours you could learn to like (or which complement your palette).
- Learn how to exploit Mx dyes and develop an unlimited palette by working with only eight colours.
- Build harmonious colour and value schemes and develop contrasts to enrichen, energise and/or pop.
- Create a visual reference of colour and value relationships.
Ultimately, the workshop will enable you to establish a method to explore any colour and value scheme of your choice in the future. We will work with Mx dyes on the bench and in the bucket to enable you to:
- explore a variety of surface design techniques within your own experience level to create cloth with texture, pattern and imagery in the colours and values you want. (Please note that this class will not teach specific surface design techniques in a structured manner – you will decide which techniques to use to explore colour).
- immersion dye to create a family of ‘solids’ in three values for the palette.
Hours will be as follows:
Sunday: arrive and unpack: 1-2pm, opening session: 2-6pm, dinner 6-7.30pm
Monday to Thursday: the studio will be open from 7am to 10pm. Teaching hours will be from 8.30am until 5.30pm, although Leslie will be available to the class between 8.30am and 8.30pm.
Friday: the studio is open from 7am until 5pm. Teaching hours will be from 8.30am until 2pm. Clear-up between 2 – 3pm. Closure session from 3 – 5pm.Supplies Fee
The supplies fee of $50 will include use of the following media and materials:- Mx Dyes;__ in eight key colours: Mixing Blue, Turquoise, Strongest Red, Mixing Red, Golden Yellow, Sun Yellow, Hot Chocolate and Deep Black.
- Various Chemicals; __for making chemical water and print paste, and salt and soda ash.
- Tyvek labels;__ for marking your cloth.
- Tools: __a selection of tools will be supplied for general class use including; foam and bristle brushes, scrapers, rollers (textured & plain), monoprinting plates, sponges, needle-nosed bottles, and mixing pots.
- Resists:__ I will supply Soy Wax but would request that someone brings a Soy Wax pot – please advise me if this is something you can do. There will also be cover film, freezer paper and masking tape available for class use.
Requirements
WHAT TO BRING
CLOTH
Please stay with a single type of high-quality, natural fibre cloth as you will develop a greater understanding of how colours and values perform. By high quality, we mean a cotton such as Pimatex or a medium-weight silk (nothing light and flimsy). Please buy your cloth in advance and bring it with you as you will not be able to source back-up at the barn/locally. PLEASE DO NOT BRING MUSLIN.In total, you’ll need between 13 to 15 yards (and a breakdown of how it will be used is shown below) and if it’s not PFD, please scour it by washing at 60C, with 3 tbsp of soda ash and a tsp of rinsing agent (e.g. Synthrpol/ Metapex), then dry it.
Your cloth will be utilised as follows (roughly!):
For colour sampling: 3 yards in total, pre-scoured, soda-soaked and dried.
For solid colour families: 4 yards if working in fat quarters, or 8 yards if working in half yards, pre-scoured.
For surface design: 6 to 8 yards in total, pre-scoured, soda-soaked and dried (although soda-soaking tubs will be available throughout the class).I prefer to work on soda-soaked cloth rather than putting soda ash into the dyes (the benefits of this approach will be explained). To soda soak scoured cloth:
- Create a soda vat large enough for your needs; the basic recipe is 3 tablespoons of soda ash to 1 litre of water. Dissolve sufficient soda ash for your needs in warm (not cold or hot) water and top up with the appropriate amount of cold water.
- Place the scoured, dry (or spun-dried) cloth in to the soda vat and leave it to soak for 15 minutes.
- Dry by drip-drying or spin the soda-soaked cloth before line drying (if you have a spin dryer, recycle the run off back into the soda vat). DO NOT TUMBLE DRY.
- Once dry, stuff it into a bag (don’t fold or iron).
OTHER STUFF
Whilst the supplies fee will include the use of media and various tools, you’ll still need to bring some stuff of your own:- INSPIRATION! Choose a colour source that excites you that has 4 or more major colours in it – monochromatic does not work for this workshop! The source can be a photograph, postcard, a tear-out from a magazine etc. – keep your references simple.
- Silkscreens: one screen no larger than 18” in any direction (it doesn’t matter if the screen is rectangular or square).
- Squeegees: one squeegee suitable for use with your silkscreen (such as a plastic 9” Speedball type) and a squeegee suitable for use with thermofaxes.
- Various tools; you’ll see that a good supply of tools will be provided but if you have specific tools you wish to use, then bring them.
- Personal thermofaxes; up to 6 should be sufficient so try not to bring your entire collection! I will endeavour to have a Thermofax machine available for use at class, but don’t rely on this facility. If you can provide a thermofax machine, please advise me and I will organise mesh and frames for people to make thermofaxes at cost.
- One pair of scissors.
- One box of ball of T-headed pins.
- One small cutting mat.
- One craft knife.
- Three 3-gallon buckets.
- One 1.5 × 3m drop cloth of cotton twill or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash it and write your name on all four corners. DO NOT use plastic-backed decorators’ cloth, or a coarse-weave.
- Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs), well fitting.
- Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).
- Comfortable, rubber-soled shoes (you’ll be standing a great deal).
- Notebook; handouts on recipes and some process will be provided, but be ready to take notes.
- A folder or ring binder to record your colour studies and findings.
- A glue stick or double sided tape.
- Pen and pencil.
- A Sharpie.
- An iPod if you like to work to music
- Your camera.
Please contact me if you have any queries: lm@committedtocloth.com
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May272013
Exploring Design through CollageID #6
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - £435 + £25 supplies
Jette Clover - 0 spaces remaining
Key Info
Tutor: Jette Clover
Dates: 5 days, Monday 27 to Friday 31 May 2013
Experience Level: suitable for all levels
Class size: limited to 9 students.
Venue: Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF
Class fees: £435 + £25 supplies fee
Registration: register through the website or email cb@committedtocloth.comDescription
Experimentation is essential in collage and the handling of materials – the cutting, tearing, folding, stacking and attaching bits and pieces into a whole – reinforces the importance of the process. A process that seems very familiar to the making of quilts. This spontaneous way of working also helps develop an intuitive feeling for design and composition.
In this workshop we will work with both paper and fabric and the integration of these materials. Through a variety of exercises you’ll explore visual and tactile layering to express personal content. We’ll deal with the concept of recycling, artistic control and the ‘art of taking away’, and discuss what makes a series work.
The media and wet process equipment required will be available at the studio to ensure you come feeling relaxed in the knowledge that the right materials will be there for you. As such, there will be a supplies fee of £25 per student to cover:
- Black India Ink
- Mx dyes
- Fabric paints in yellow, red, blue, black and white
- Acrylic matte gel medium
- Mixing plates
- Silk screens
- Various brushes, rollers, scrapers and mark-making tools
- Masking tape & double-sided tape
Housekeeping
Please arrive between 9 to 9.30am on the first day. Tuition will run from 9.30am to 5.30pm, although you can work until 6.30pm from Monday to Thursday. On Friday, the workshop will close at 5.30pm. Lunch will be provided and tea, coffee, water and biscuits will be on-tap throughout the day. Please advise Claire if you have dietary requirements or restrictions.About Jette
Jette was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, but she has lived and worked for many years in the United States and the Netherlands. Since 2005 she has been living in Antwerp, Belgium.She was a journalist before she became an artist, which explains why text and lettering are almost always present in her work. She is also an art historian and worked for 12 years as a curator at the national Dutch Textile Museum, where she organised the very first European Art Quilt exhibition. Since 1998 Jette has worked as a full-time studio artist and taught workshops in surface design. She has been a member of the European group ‘Quilt Art’ since 2000.
Requirements
WHAT TO BRING
PAPER
- Plain paper, A3 size, 250 gr (a ‘block’, which is about 20 sheets).
- Two sheets of black construction paper.
- A couple of old magazines.
- Papers that you find interesting: drawings, old letters, music or book pages, shopping lists, tickets, wrapping paper, transparent silk paper and so forth.
- Black & white photocopies: a good variety of lines, shapes, textures and of images that inspire you. Think about scale. We will be working relatively small but you might want to have words, letters and numbers in several different sizes (so do some enlarging on the copy machine).
CLOTH & THREAD
- 3 metres of good quality white cotton, ready to dye (e.g. PFD, scoured/pre-washed).
- Assortment of fabric scraps, also transparent pieces (the studio scrap box will be made available during the class for further delving!)
- A ½ meter of white polyester sheer/voile.
- 1 meter of batting.
- 1 meter of fabric to use for backing materials
- An assortment (not too huge) of threads, both machine and hand-stitch variety.
Note: __the studio stocks cotton sateen, ultra-sheer polyester voile, cotton batting and many other fabrics should you wish to buy at the workshop.
OTHER STUFF
- Sewing machine: oiled and in good working condition, with quarter inch, free machine and walking feet. Note:__ there are 3 sewing machines at the studio and precedence for their use will be given to anyone travelling by plane.
- A piece of sturdy cotton (such as cotton drill) measuring 1.25m x 2.5m to use as a ‘drop cloth’ on the workbench. The studio stocks drill at £4.50pm if you wish to buy at the workshop.
- A small assortment of found objects suitable for rubbing or mark-making (don’t go crazy!).
- A couple of thermofax screens (if you have some favourite images).
- Pins.
- Needles (suitable for the threads you’re bringing).
- Glue stick.
- Scissors for paper and fabric.
- One small cutting mat.
- One craft knife.
- One metal ruler.
- One water spray bottle/plant mister.
- Cloth apron or wear studio/gardening/decorating clothes.
- Disposable gloves if you don’t like getting medium on your hands.
- Comfortable shoes.
- A camera for recording output.
- A notebook and pen.
- An ipod and headphones if you like to work to music.
NOTE:
- Thermofaxes; you will be able to make thermofaxes at the studio should you wish to. Prices of the different sizes will be available.
- Other materials: if you decide you wish to invest in silkscreens to use at home, the studio stocks a range of three different sizes, plus squeegees. There are also stocks of cloth and most media/chemicals should you wish to top up your supplies before you leave, but please note the studio does not mail order.
If you have any queries please contact Claire at cb@committedtocloth.com.
Sorry, but this workshop is already fully booked!
But don't panic, you can join the waiting list. We'll also offer you first refusal on our next Exploring Design through Collage workshop.
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Jun242013
Working with IntentID #7
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - £425 + £25 supplies
Claire Benn - 0 spaces remaining
Key Info
Dates; 9am Monday 24th June to 5.30pm Friday 28th June 2013
Experience level; intermediate to advanced. Participants must be familiar with a reasonable number of surface design techniques, comfortable with using Mx dyes & wet processes and able to work with a level of independence.
Class size; limited to 9.
Venue; Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF.
Fees: £425 plus supplies fee of £25
Registration: register through the website or email Claire at cb@committedtocloth.comDescription
This retreat is for those seeking:
- mentoring & guidance (rather than structured tuition)
- discussion and debate on many aspects of surface design, composition, format, finishing and presentation.
- a dedicated window of time to focus on their own work, take time out to contemplate and discuss ways forward, and create momentum.
This retreat therefore seeks to help participants work with Intent, using surface design techniques and wet processes to either:
- generate compositional whole cloth or a palette of cloth to a plan or vision
- explore and push boundaries with wet processes and develop technique
- explore personal imagery and mark-making.
Claire’s main focus will be to guide and mentor rather than instruct, for example:
- discussing individual plans/intentions.
- providing advice and guidance on the best choice of tools to generate the imagery sought and where appropriate, developing good technique.
- providing advice and guidance on the order of processes.
- input and demonstrations on technique and process as needed/ requested
- one-to-one and group discussions to help participants respond to their work as it evolves, and plan next steps.
As such, whilst this is a hands-on retreat, the goal is not to teach specific processes. Instead, participants will be working to the beat of their own drum. The evaluation of work-in-progress and discussion of ideas, concepts, design and composition will be encouraged.
RETREAT FORMAT & HOURS
To encourage the sense of retreat, the following format will be (roughly!) followed:Monday to Thursday; the studio will be open from 8.30am to 8.30pm. Whilst formal ‘class time’ will be from 8.30am to 5.30pm, Claire will be available to the group from 7.30am to 6.30pm Monday to Thursday. These extra hours are invaluable for one-to-one consultation and individual and/or group critiques and discussions.
Friday (last day); the studio opens at 8.30am and class closes at 6pm. Clear-up between 3-4pm, closure session 4-6pm.OPTIONAL FOLLOW-UP WEEK – ‘OPEN BENCH’
To enable people to build and consolidate on their retreat, I have scheduled an extra 6 days of ‘open bench’ time at a reduced rate in the week following the workshop. Students will be able to book a bench at £25 a day for wet work or £20 a day for dry work. This ‘open bench’ facility will not be tutored so students must be able and willing to take responsibility for their own output. Availability will be as follows and precedence will be given to those attending the ‘Working with Intent’ workshop:Saturday June 29th
Monday July 1st through to Friday July 5thIf not all students choose to stay on for the extra 6 days, the open bench facility will be offered to other students who may wish to come and work. Please advise at the time of booking if you would like to take advantage of Open Bench, and on which days.
SUPPLIES ON-SITE
The supplies fee will cover use of the media, although exactly what any student will use will be dependent on individual goals. The following supplies of wet media will be provided:- Procion Mx dyes; Scarlet, Magenta, Golden Yellow, Acid Yellow, Royal Blue, Turquoise, Black, Dark Brown, Rust Orange, Petrol Green, Red-Brown.
- Discharge; Formosul will be used as the discharging medium. It can be used in paste or liquid format.
- Fabric Paints: Magenta, Scarlet, Acid Lemon, Golden Yellow, Turquoise, Royal/Mixing Blue, Black, White (sheer and opaque), Transparent Extender Base, metallic Gold, Silver and Chocolate.
- Acrylic mediums; matte, gloss & gel mediums (e.g. for use with paper lamination or other techniques requiring acrylic mediums).
- Resists; Soy Wax, water-soluble glue, flour paste, cover film, freezer paper, masking tape (for resist work on cloth or on-screen).
- Chemicals; Urea, Ludigol, Calgon, Sodium Alginate (for making Chemical Water and Print Paste), Soda Ash, Salt.
- Tools: a selection of key tools will be provided, including:
- silkscreens & squeegees
- litter trays
- bristle decorators’ brushes and foam brushes in various widths
- a selection of bristle & synthetic artists’ brushes
- monoprinting plates (large & small)
- tjantings & other soy wax tools
- credit cards and scrapers
- rollers
- needle-nose bottles
- sponges
An ample supply of thickened and liquid (water-colour consistency) dye paints, discharge media, Chemical Water & Print Paste will be ready for use on the first day. Thereafter, a rota will be established where 2 different people per day will be responsible for keeping stocks topped up. Recipes will be posted to ensure consistency throughout the week. Other media such as fabric paints, matte medium, soy wax etc. will be available for use at any time.
HOUSEKEEPING
Lunch will be provided and tea, coffee, water and biscuits will be on-tap throughout the day. Please advise Claire of any dietary restrictions.Requirements
WHAT TO BRING
The Intention
Perhaps the most important element to bring with you. I am aware that some people like to work to a plan and some prefer to respond to the cloth as it evolves. Both approaches are valid and either way, I encourage you to take time before the workshop to consider:- Specific purpose; __consider whether you’ll be working to a specific goal (compositional wholecloth or a palette of cloth); aiming to push processes or explore/develop technique or exploring personal imagery and mark-making (or a combination thereof).
- Key colour and value references; __having an idea of a colour palette can help you to focus, although the palette may (of course) change for any individual piece of cloth. You may wish to consider bringing a small range of references such as painted papers, tear-outs from magazines, paint chips, photographs and so forth. Some participants like to use references, others do not. If you do bring some, limit things to the really useful!
- Personal imagery;__ undertaking design work to generate the marks, lines, shapes and texture you wish to see come alive in your cloth (see note on thermofaxes later).
- Specific tools: __whilst much of what you’ll need is provided at the studio, give thought to preparing or assembling personal tools in advance. This may include thermofax screens, cutting stamps, assembling favourite mark-making tools or making stencils for use with a silk screen.
- Journaling or other notes;__ any written work that may be important to the overall goal.
Bring all of this with you.
The Cloth
Choose the fabric(s) you wish to work with and prepare it accordingly. Scouring – even with cloth that is sold as PFD – is recommended. Bring 15 to 20 metres in total and label each piece in a corner. It may not all be used – this is dependent on individual working styles and pace. Racing is to be avoided, whereas thoughtful consideration will be encouraged.For dye paints, I prefer to work on soda-soaked cloth rather than putting soda ash into the dyes (the benefits of this approach will be explained). As such, please ensure you have two pieces of scoured, soda-soaked and dried cloth ready for use on the first day: don’t iron it or fold it once soda-soaked – just stuff it into a bag once dry. A soda vat will be available for on-going soda soaking throughout the workshop. To soda soak scoured cloth:
- Pre-scour it, then dry it or spin-dry it.
- Create a soda vat large enough for your needs; the basic recipe is 3 tablespoons of soda ash to 1 litre of water. Dissolve sufficient soda ash for your needs in warm (not cold or hot) water and top up with the appropriate amount of cold water.
- Place the scoured, dry (or spun-dried) cloth in to the soda vat and leave for 15 minutes.
- Dry by drip-drying or spin the soda-soaked cloth before line drying (if you have a spin dryer, recycle the run off back into the soda vat). DO NOT TUMBLE DRY.
- Once dry, stuff it into a bag (don’t fold or iron).
Additional Media
If you wish to use media outside of that specified in the class description, please bring it with you.Tools (please label everything you bring)
The studio stocks most of what you’ll need, so don’t be tempted to bring the entire contents of your workshop! However, you may wish to consider bringing:- Thermofax screens (if you have them): thermofaxes can be made at the studio at any time, and prices will be advised for the different sizes. Photocopies of imagery can be made at the studio.
- Mark-making tools of individual choice; a good selection of tools will be provided but if you have favourites, bring them.
Other Stuff
- Two dropcloths: please bring dropcloths that are sturdy, such as drill cotton or denim. Old sheets are too thin and avoid heavy-weight muslin or canvas as it tends to hold wrinkles. Your dropcloths will need to measure 1.25 × 2.5 metres, once scoured and shrunk. Those travelling by plane need NOT bring dropcloths to enable them to use their baggage allowance for more exciting items.
- Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
- 1 x box of ball-headed or T pins.
- 1 x black Sharpie.
- Notebook; handouts on recipes and some process will be provided, but it can be useful to record your order of process on individual pieces, or make notes during general discussions.
- Sketch book or white paper for on going design work.
- Pen and pencil.
- Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).
- Comfortable, rubber-soled shoes (you’ll be standing a great deal and the floor is concrete).
- An ipod and headphones if you like to work to music.
Note: the studio stocks a wide range of cloth and media and a selection of tools such as silkscreens, squeegees and needle nose bottles. Students are welcome to top up their supplies before leaving, but please note the studio does not mail order.
Please contact Claire at cb@committedtocloth.com if you have any queries. In the meantime, I look forward to a week of focused work.
Sorry, but this workshop is already fully booked!
But don't panic, you can join the waiting list. We'll also offer you first refusal on our next Working with Intent workshop.
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Jul222013
One FocusID #8
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - £385 + £30 supplies
Denise Lach - 0 spaces remaining
Key Info
Tutor: Denise Lach
Dates: 4 days, Monday 22nd July to Thursday 25th July 2013
Experience Level: suitable for any level, although if you attended ‘Markmaking & Letterforms’ (2011 workshop), you’ll have a head start.
Class size: limited to 11 students.
Venue: Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF, UK
Class fees: £385 + £30 supplies fee.
Registration: register on the website or email Claire at cb@committedtocloth.comDescription
Note: __this workshop will build on learning from the 2012 workshop, ‘Mark-Making & Letterforms’, although ‘new’ students will be able to get the gist and get good results nonetheless!
This workshop is a challenge or call to focus, persevere and master a single implement. The aim of the workshop is to enable you to:
- explore and understand the specific skills needed to generate designs with a single tool
- develop a wide graphic vocabulary
- arrange marks, letters and patterns by means of repetition, rotation, density and scale to create an enormous range of pattern and texture.
The first morning will be spent exploring a wide variety of calligraphic tools, including found objects. After lunch, you’ll be asked to pick one single tool that’s capable of generating fine and heavy strokes/marks and work with it exclusively for the rest of the workshop.
On the last day of the workshop you will have the option to use thermofaxes to explore some of your output directly on to cloth. In some instances it may be possible to work directly with your chosen tool on cloth.
SUPPLIES ON-SITE
To ensure you have the correct supplies, certain items will be provided for you including:- India Ink
- Paper (in quantity!)
- Wooden stick, glass pipette & needle-nose bottle
- Procion Mx dyes
- Discharge paste
- Fabric Paints
HOUSEKEEPING
Please turn up between 9-9.30am on the first day. Teaching hours will be from 9am to 5pm every day although students can choose to work until 6.30pm. The workshop will close at 5.30pm on the last day. Lunch will be provided and tea, coffee, water and biscuits will be on-tap throughout the day. Please advise Claire of any dietary restrictions.ABOUT DENISE
Denise has been involved with calligraphy and conceptual writing since 1985. She teaches lettering design and screen printing at the Basel School of Design, and leads calligraphic courses and workshops in Switzerland and abroad. To quote Denise from her book:“The creative design potential of calligraphy and lettering is almost limitless. Even a blot or a mistake can become a design element, as long as you let it be. Sometimes it may become an essential part of the whole… The process of inspiration, experimentation and critical examination can open endless creative avenues, improve your feeling for good design and sharpen your sense of rhythm and balance”.
Requirements
WHAT TO BRING
Tools
Those who have already studied with Denise will have experienced a wide range of calligraphic/mark-making tools. Please bring those tools with you. For those who’ve not studied with Denise before, you may wish to invest in small selection of calligraphic tools, for example:- a parallel pen with different nib widths
- one or two ‘dipping’ calligraphy pens
- some found objects for writing with e.g. feathers, bits of slate, electrical ties etc.
All students will be supplied with a wooden stick, cola-nib, glass pipette and a needle-nose bottle as part of the supplies fee.
Words
Please choose a short sentence to use as a basis for your exlorations – no longer than ten words. You will use this sentence throughout the workshop. Legibility will not be the aim, so it really doesn’t matter what the words are, as long as they are personal to you, and speak to you. You might select something from journals, school reports, poetry, song lyrics, quotations etc.Cloth
You have the option of working directly on cloth on the last day. As such, please bring up to 3m of scoured and soda-soaked cloth.General Supplies
- An A3 card folder or shallow box to store your output in.
- Sketch book.
- A selection of writing tools; pens of different types and nib widths, pencils, charcoal, found objects and so forth. However, DO NOT spend large amounts of money investing in specialist calligraphy tools.
- Pen and pencil (for note-taking and marking up your papers.
- A good quality eraser.
- A Camera.
- A dropcloth: you’ll use this when working directly with cloth. Please bring something sturdy such as drill cotton or denim. Old sheets are too thin and avoid heavy-weight muslin or canvas as it tends to hold wrinkles. Your dropcloths need to measure 1.25 × 2.5 metres, once scoured and shrunk.
- Rubber gloves
- One black Sharpie.
- Notebook; some handouts will be provided, but it can be useful to make notes during general discussions.
- Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).
- Comfortable, rubber-soled shoes.
- An ipod and headphones if you like to work to music.
Note: the studio stocks a wide range of cloth and media and a selection of tools such as silkscreens, squeegees and needle nose bottles. Students are welcome to buy their cloth at the studio and/or top up their supplies before leaving, but please note we do not mail order.
Please contact Claire at cb@committedtocloth.com if you have any queries.
Sorry, but this workshop is already fully booked!
But don't panic, you can join the waiting list. We'll also offer you first refusal on our next One Focus workshop.
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Jul292013
Die Größe macht'sID #9
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - £450 + £25 supplies
Claudia Helmer & Cecile Trentini - 2 spaces remaining
Key Info
Tutor: Claudia Helmer & Cecile Trentini
Dates: 5 days, 29th July to 2nd August 2013
Experience Level: suitable for any level.
Class size: limited to 9 students.
Venue: Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF, UK
Class fees: £450 + £20 supplies fee.
Registration: register on the website or email Claire at cb@committedtocloth.comDescription
Note: this workshop has been organized for German speakers.
Die Größe macht’s: Druck und Entwurfstechnik
Grösse ist eigentlich immer relativ und doch hat jede von uns auch eine absolute Vorstellung von den Begriffen “gross” und “klein”. Wir werden diese Begriffe erforschen, mit ihnen spielen, Die Wechselwirkung zwischen gross und klein erkunden. Kontrast, Spannung, Gleichgewicht sind einige der Themen, die dabei untersucht werden. In dieser Woche werden wir grosse und kleine Motive und Muster auf kleine und grosse bis sehr grosse Stoffstücke drucken und mit diesen Stoffen kleine und grosse bis sehr grosse Werke entwerfen. Kleine Arbeiten werden als Collagen gearbeitet, grosse entstehen an der Entwurfswand. Auf Wunsch kann eine Nähmaschine gemietet werden, man kann aber auch ohne auskommen.Size Matters: Printing and Drafting
Size is always relative but in spite of this, we all have our own interpretation of the words ‘big’ and ‘small’. This workshop will explore the concept of scale and enable you to play with it and explore different ideas.You’ll discover how different sizes interact and the impact they have on contrast, tension and balance. We will spend time working with large and small marks to create patterns, working on creating works of differing sizes. Small pieces will be developed through collage techniques whilst larger-scale works will be developed on the design board.
A sewing machine is going to be potentially useful but not essential. The studio has three sewing machines that can either be shared by the group, and additional machines can be rented on request.
SUPPLIES ON-SITE
The supplies fee will cover use of the media, although exactly what any student will use will be dependent on individual preferences. The following supplies of wet media will be provided:- Procion Mx dyes; 11 key colours
- Discharge; Formosul will be used as the discharging medium.
- Fabric Paints: a large range of colours, including metallics.
- Resists; Soy Wax, water-soluble glue, flour paste, cover film, freezer paper, masking tape (for resist work on cloth or on-screen).
- Chemicals; everything needed for dye and discharge work.
- Tools: a selection of key tools will be provided, including:
- silkscreens & squeegees – bristle decorators’ brushes and foam brushes in various widths – a selection of bristle & synthetic artists’ brushes – monoprinting plates (large & small) – tjantings & other soy wax tools – credit cards and scrapers, rollers, needle-nose bottles, sponges etc. etc.
HOUSEKEEPING
Lunch will be provided and tea, coffee, water and biscuits will be on-tap throughout the day. Please advise Claire of any dietary restrictions.Please arrive between 9-9.30am on the first day. Teaching hours will be from 9am to 5pm, although students can work until 6.30pm (and possibly later). The workshop will close at 5.30pm on the last day.
Requirements
KURSZEITEN
Kursunterricht ist täglich von 9.00 bis 17.00 Uhr mit Pausen; das Studio steht jedem bei Bedarf bis 21.00 Uhr zur Verfügung.MATERIALLISTE FÜR DIE ENTWURFSTECHNIK
- Schreibzeug und Papier / Zeichnungspapier (für Notizen und Skizzen)
- Stoffschere (Scheren für allgemeinen Gebrauch stehen im Studio zur Verfügung)
- Leimstift
- Farbstifte
- Eine Auswahl an kommerziellen Stoffresten in allen Farben uni und mit kleinformatigen und grossformatigen Mustern (nicht mehr als in einen Schuhkarton passen)
- Ein grosses, weisses Tuch, auf dem Du die Stoffstücke Deines Entwurfs befestigen kannst – ca 1,25m x 1.25m
- Schneidematte und Rollmesser
- Nähzeug (Fingerhut, Nadeln, Stecknadeln, usw.)
- Näh- und Stickgarn in verschiedenen Farben
- Wenn vorhanden: Digitalkamera
Das Studio stellt 5 Nähmaschinen zur Verfügung (2 Juki, 3 Bernina), die sich die Teilnehmerinnen teilen können. Da der Schwerpunkt auf der Entwurfstechnik und nicht auf dem Nähen liegt, sollten diese bei Weitem ausreichen.
MATERIALIEN FÜR DIE DRUCKTECHNIK
Die Kursgebühr von £425 beinhaltet Mittagessen, die Benutzung aller Arbeitsgeräte, 3m Dropcloth und die Verwendung verschiedener Materialien:- Procion Mx Farben (verdickt und flüssig)
- Formosul Entfärbemittel (verdickt und flüssig)
- Stofffarben Acryl
- Reservierungen; Soja Wachs, Buchfolie, Freezer Paper, Kreppband.
- Chemikalien; Urea, Ludigol, Calgon, Sodium Alginate/ProThick SH (zur Herstellung vonr
- Chemischem Wasser und Verdickerpaste), Waschsoda und Salz.
Zu Beginn des Kurses werden in ausreichender Menge bereitgestellt: Grundstoffe, Reaktivfarben, Entfärbungsmaterialien, Chemisches Wasser, Verdickerpaste.
Zum reibungslosen Ablauf werden jeweils 2 bis 3 Teilnehmer im Wechsel für die Materialversorgung verantwortlich sein. Die Rezepte werden allgemein zugänglich sein.
Claudia und/oder Cécile leisten bei Bedarf Hilfestellung. Weitere Materialien stehen bei Bedarf jeder Zeit zur Nutzung zur Verfügung.MATERIALLISTE FÜR DIE DRUCKTECHNIK
Allgemeine Bemerkungen zum Stoff:- Jede Teilnehmerin wird insgesamt ca. 4 bis 6Meter Stoff benötigen. Bitte beschriften oder markieren Sie alle Ihre Stoffstücke.
- Für den ersten Kurstag bringen Sie 20 Stoffstücke im Format 30cm x 30cm mit, die vorgängig in Soda eingeweicht wurden. Diese Stoffstücke müssen nicht gekennzeichnet werden.
Im Studio bietet eine reichhaltige Auswahl an Stoffen. Es besteht also die Möglichkeit, Stoffe für den Kurs dort zu kaufen. Mit der Anmeldung erhalten Sie eine Liste mit einer Übersicht an verfügbaren Stoffen und Preisen zugesandt (Preisänderungen vorbehalten). Senden Sie einfach eine email an Claire mit Ihrer Bestellung spätestens 6 Wochen vor Beginn des Kurses, damit das Material bereitgestellt werden kann.
Für die Arbeit mit Reaktivfarben arbeiten wir mit Stoffen, die vorher in Soda eingeweicht wurden und nicht mit Soda im Farbstoff (der Vorteil dieser Vorgehensweise wird im Kurs noch erläutert). Für den laufenden Kurs steht durchgängig ein Soda-Fass zur Verfügung.
Für den ersten Tag und falls Sie mit Ihren mitgebrachten Stoffen arbeiten:- Waschen und trocknen Sie den Stoff.
- Weichen Sie den trockenen Stoff in einem Eimer mit Waschsoda ca. 20 Minuten ein.
- Grundrezept: 3 Suppenlöffel Sodapulver auf 1 Liter Wasser.
- Zum Auflösen braucht das Soda warmes Wasser.
- Gut auswringen und zum Trocknen auf die Leine hängen (nicht in den Trockner!)
- Nach dem Trocknen in eine Tüte stopfen (nicht falten und nicht bügeln!)
Grundmaterialien & Werkzeug
Auch wenn die Kursgebühr den Gebrauch von Materialien und Werkzeug und ein Dropcloth, das Sie nach dem Kurs mitnehmen dürfen, mit einschließt, sollen die Teilnehmerinnen zusätzlich eigenes Material mitbringen:- Werkeug: Sollten Sie außer den oben genannten noch ein Lieblingswerkzeug haben, bringen Sie es mit.
- Thermofax Siebe: Thermofax ist nicht Schwerpunkt des Kurses, aber es kann sich lohnen drei oder vier Ihrer eigenen bevorzugten Thermofaxe mitzubringen – achten Sie wenn möglich auf unterschiedliche Grössen in den Motiven.
- Gummihandschuhe (vorzugsweise 2 Paar).
- Filzstifte oder wasserfester schwarzer Tintenroller.
- Stoffschürze (oder etwas Entsprechendes wie Garten- oder Arbeitskleidung).
- Bequeme Schuhe mit Gummisohle (Sie werden viel Zeit stehend verbringen!).
- Notizblock; Handzettel mit Rezepten und einige Arbeitsprozesse werden verteilt, aber es ist sicherer, wenn Sie für Ihren Arbeitsablauf eigene Notizen machen.
- IPod, falls Sie mit Musik arbeiten wollen.
Bei Rückfragen können Sie gerne mit uns Kontakt aufnehmen:
Cécile Trentini: cecile.trentini@stoffwerke.ch für Fragen zur Materialliste für die Entwurfstechnik
Claudia Helmer: claudia@helmer.com für Fragen zur Materialliste für die DrucktechnikWhat next?
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Sep162013
Graphics & GraffitiID #10
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - £425 + £25 supplies
Claire Benn - 0 spaces remaining
Key Info
Dates; Monday 16 to Friday 20 September 2013
Experience level; suitable for any level.
Class size; limited to 9.
Venue; Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF.
Fees: £425 plus supplies fee of £25
Registration: through the website or email Claire at cb@committedtocloth.comDescription
A workshop for anyone interested in using letterforms, text, graphics, numbers and graffiti in their work. We’ll be exploring a variety of different methods:
- block printing with a range of wooden alphabets, numbers and punctuation marks
- thermofax and screen printing
- writing with a variety of different tools (brushes, needle-nose bottles, home-made nibs etc.)
- spraying
- stencilling
- monoprinting
Using a variety of different media (dye paints, discharge, fabric paints and resists) you’ll be encouraged to:
- use recognisable letterforms, text/script or numbers
- develop your own version of the alphabet, or create marks that reference text or script
- use structure and repetition
- get messy and illegible
- build layers, explore figure-ground, contrasts and relationships
The aim is to build complex, layered surfaces that can be art in their own right, used for stitched textiles or embroidery, collage or piecing or even garments and soft furnishings.
OPTIONAL FOLLOW-UP WEEK – ‘OPEN BENCH’
To enable people to consolidate, build on or complete their output, I have scheduled an extra 6 days of ‘open bench’ time at a reduced rate in the week following the workshop. Students will be able to book a bench at £25 a day for wet work or £20 a day for dry work. This ‘open bench’ facility will not be tutored so students must be able and willing to take responsibility for their own output. Availability will be as follows and precedence will be given to those attending the ‘Graphics & Graffiti’ workshop:Monday 23 to Friday 27 September
If not all students choose to stay on for the extra 6 days, the open bench facility will be offered to other students who may wish to come and work. Please advise at the time of booking if you would like to take advantage of Open Bench, and on which days.
SUPPLIES ON-SITE
The supplies fee will cover use of the media, although exactly what any student will use will be dependent on individual preferences. The following supplies of wet media will be provided:- Procion Mx dyes; 11 key colours.
- Discharge; Formosul will be used as the discharging medium. It can be used in paste or liquid format.
- Fabric Paints: a large range of colours, including metallics.
- Acrylic mediums; matte, gloss & gel mediums (e.g. for use with paper lamination or other techniques requiring acrylic mediums).
- Resists; Soy Wax, water-soluble glue, flour paste, cover film, freezer paper, masking tape (for resist work on cloth or on-screen).
- Chemicals; everything needed for dye and discharge work.
- Tools: a selection of key tools will be provided, including:
⇨ silkscreens & squeegees
⇨ bristle decorators’ brushes and foam brushes in various widths
⇨ a selection of bristle & synthetic artists’ brushes
⇨ monoprinting plates (large & small)
⇨ tjantings & other soy wax tools
⇨ credit cards and scrapers, rollers, needle-nose bottles, sponges etc. etc.An ample supply of thickened and liquid dye paints, discharge media, Chemical Water & Print Paste will be ready for use on the first day. As getting experience at mixing dyes is an important part of the learning process, a rota will be established where 2 to 3 people per day will be responsible for keeping stocks topped up. Recipes will be posted to ensure consistency throughout the week. Other media such as fabric paints, matte medium, soy wax etc. will be available for use at any time.
HOUSEKEEPING
Lunch will be provided and tea, coffee, water and biscuits will be on-tap throughout the day. Please advise Claire of any dietary restrictions.Requirements
WHAT TO BRING
Source Material
As you’ll be exploring letterforms, text, numbers, graphics and graffiti, it can be helpful to have something to write (as opposed to using ‘Kilroy woz here’). As such, bring some source material which might include:- old school reports
- family letters, love letters, postcards, birthday cards etc.
- recipes
- poems, quotes, song lyrics
- pages from old books (particularly if the typeface or font interests you)
- sheet music
- images (of graffiti, ancient manuscripts, advertising hoardings etc.)
Your source material can be meaningful or meaningless – your choice – and pin boards will be made available to each student for ease of reference.
The Cloth
Choose the fabric(s) you wish to work with and prepare it accordingly. Scouring – even with cloth that is sold as PFD – is recommended. Bring up to 15 metres in total and label each piece in a corner. It may not all be used – this is dependent on individual working styles and pace. Racing is to be avoided, whereas thoughtful consideration will be encouraged.For dye paints, I prefer to work on soda-soaked cloth rather than putting soda ash into the dyes (the benefits of this approach will be explained). A soda vat will be available for on-going soda soaking throughout the workshop and we will get an ample supply of cloth prepared on the first day. However, if you wish to pre-prepare some cloth, here’s how:
- Pre-scour it, then dry it or spin-dry it.
- Create a soda vat large enough for your needs; the basic recipe is 3 tablespoons of soda ash to 1 litre of water. Dissolve sufficient soda ash for your needs in warm (not cold or hot) water and top up with the appropriate amount of cold water.
- Place the scoured, dry (or spun-dried) cloth in to the soda vat and leave for 15 minutes.
- Dry by drip-drying or spin the soda-soaked cloth before line drying (if you have a spin dryer, recycle the run off back into the soda vat). DO NOT TUMBLE DRY.
- Once dry, stuff it into a bag (don’t fold or iron).
General Supplies
- Mark-making tools of individual choice; remember you’ll be exploring letterforms, graphics, numbers and engaging in acts of graffiti on your cloth. So, bring tools that might help you with this. You’ll also be able to access the tools at the studio.
- Two dropcloths: please bring dropcloths that are sturdy, such as drill cotton or denim. Old sheets are too thin and avoid heavy-weight muslin or canvas as it tends to hold wrinkles. Your dropcloths need to measure 1.25 × 2.5 metres, once scoured and shrunk. Those travelling by plane need NOT bring dropcloths to enable them to use their baggage allowance for more exciting items.
- Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
- One box of ball-headed or T pins.
- One black Sharpie or similar waterproof pen.
- Notebook; handouts on recipes and some process will be provided, but it can be useful to record your order of process on individual pieces, or make notes during general discussions.
- Sketch book or white paper for on going design work.
- Pen and pencil.
- Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).
- Comfortable, rubber-soled shoes (you’ll be standing a great deal).
- an ipod and headphones if you like to work to music.
Note: the studio stocks a wide range of cloth and media and a selection of tools such as silkscreens, squeegees and needle nose bottles. Students are welcome to buy their cloth at the studio and/or top up their supplies before leaving, but please note the studio does not mail order.
Please contact Claire at cb@committedtocloth.com if you have any queries.
Sorry, but this workshop is already fully booked!
But don't panic, you can join the waiting list. We'll also offer you first refusal on our next Graphics & Graffiti workshop.
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Oct212013
Gorgeous Grey : GrauARTigID #11
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - £450 + £25 supplies fee
Claire Benn & Claudia Helmer - 0 spaces remaining
Key Info
Der Workshop wird zweisprachig (English/Deutsch) abgehalten. Solten Sie eine deutsche Übersetzung der Kursbeschreibung benötigen, senden Sie eine Email an Claudia: claudia@helmer.de
This workshop will work for both English & German speakers. If you would like a German translation of the information about this class, please email Claudia at claudia@helmer.com
Dates; Monday 21 October to Friday 25 October 2013
Experience level; suitable for any level.
Class size; limited to 9.
Venue; Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF.
Fees: £450 plus supplies fee of £25
Registration: through the website or email Claire at cb@committedtocloth.comDescription
Grey can be a misunderstood colour and the aim of this workshop is to explore the breadth, depth and beauty that grey can offer. Students will learn to:
- mix a never-ending palette of grey
- layer greys on grey, white, black and other neutrals
- use colour in under painting as a foundation for grey
- use accent colours (and not always red!)
Using a variety of different media (Mx dyes, discharge, fabric paints, resists) we will explore how grey can be used for figure and for ground, for background texture, strong graphic effects and how it can communicate different moods, atmospheres or a sense of place and time.
In terms of using grey, students will have free range across a variety of surface design techniques including screens and thermofaxes, rollers, brushes, scrapers, needle-nose bottles, print plates and so forth.
The resulting cloth can be used as art in its own right, for stitched textiles or embroidery, for collage and piecing or even garments and soft furnishings.
SUPPLIES ON-SITE
The supplies fee will cover use of the media, although exactly what any student will use will be dependent on individual preferences. The following supplies of wet media will be provided:- Procion Mx dyes; 11 key colours (you’ll be experimenting with mixing many forms of grey)
- Discharge; Formosul will be used as the discharging medium. It can be used in paste or liquid format.
- Fabric Paints: a large range of colours, including metallics.
- Resists; Soy Wax, water-soluble glue, flour paste, cover film, freezer paper, masking tape (for resist work on cloth or on-screen).
- Chemicals; everything needed for dye and discharge work.
- Tools: a selection of key tools will be provided, including:
⇨ silkscreens & squeegees
⇨ bristle decorators’ brushes and foam brushes in various widths
⇨ a selection of bristle & synthetic artists’ brushes
⇨ monoprinting plates (large & small)
⇨ tjantings & other soy wax tools
⇨ credit cards and scrapers, rollers, needle-nose bottles, sponges etc. etc.An ample supply of thickened and liquid (water-colour consistency) dye paints, discharge media, Chemical Water & Print Paste will be ready for use on the first day. As getting experience at mixing dyes is an important part of the learning process, a rota will be established where 2 to 3 people per day will be responsible for keeping stocks topped up. Recipes will be posted to ensure consistency throughout the week. Other media such as fabric paints, soy wax etc. will be available for use at any time.
HOUSEKEEPING
Lunch will be provided and tea, coffee, water and biscuits will be on-tap throughout the day. Please advise Claire of any dietary restrictions.Requirements
WHAT TO BRING
SOURCE MATERIAL
We would like you to research grey before you come. This will involve building a reference bank that might comprise of:- photographic images; your own or cut from magazines, old books etc.
- collecting paint chips from the paint shop in every grey you can find
- collecting paper, thread or fabric scraps in as many greys as you encounter
- exploring how grey manifests itself in words (poetry, lyrics etc.)
- simply being aware of grey as a colour and how it effects you as you exist in the world. For example:
- the soft, almost pink grey of early morning – the hard, perhaps aggressive greys of an industrial or urban landscape – the gentle greys of the natural world – plants, pebbles, lichens etc. – the greys found within the sky, the earth or water
How you assemble and organise your source materials is up to you – each student will have a pinboard to use during the workshop for ease of reference.
And to get your juices flowing, we suggest three contemporary artists for you to consider in terms of their use of grey: Jasper Johns, Gerhard Richter and Rebecca Salter.
THE CLOTH
Choose the fabric(s) you wish to work with and prepare it accordingly. Scouring – even with cloth that is sold as PFD – is recommended. Bring up to 15 metres in total and label each piece in a corner. It may not all be used – this is dependent on individual working styles and pace. Racing is to be avoided, whereas thoughtful consideration will be encouraged.For dye paints, we prefer to work on soda-soaked cloth rather than putting soda ash into the dyes (the benefits of this approach will be explained). As such, please ensure you have two pieces of scoured, soda-soaked and dried cloth ready for use on the first day: don’t iron it or fold it once soda-soaked – just stuff it into a bag once dry. A soda vat will be available for on-going soda soaking throughout the workshop. To soda soak scoured cloth:
- Pre-scour it, then dry it or spin-dry it.
- Create a soda vat large enough for your needs; the basic recipe is 3 tablespoons of soda ash to 1 litre of water. Dissolve sufficient soda ash for your needs in warm (not cold or hot) water and top up with the appropriate amount of cold water.
- Place the scoured, dry (or spun-dried) cloth in to the soda vat and leave for 15 minutes.
- Dry by drip-drying or spin the soda-soaked cloth before line drying (if you have a spin dryer, recycle the run off back into the soda vat). DO NOT TUMBLE DRY.
- Once dry, stuff it into a bag (don’t fold or iron).
GENERAL SUPPLIES
- If you have favourite mark-making tools, then bring a selection.
- Two dropcloths: please bring dropcloths that are sturdy, such as drill cotton or denim. Old sheets are too thin and avoid heavy-weight muslin or canvas as it tends to hold wrinkles. Your dropcloths need to measure 1.25 × 2.5 metres, once scoured and shrunk. Those travelling by plane need NOT bring dropcloths to enable them to use their baggage allowance for more exciting items.
- Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
- One box of ball-headed or T pins.
- One black Sharpie or similar waterproof pen.
- Notebook; handouts on recipes and some process will be provided, but it can be useful to record your order of process on individual pieces, or make notes during general discussions.
- Sketch book or white paper for on going design work.
- Pen and pencil.
- Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).
- Comfortable, rubber-soled shoes (you’ll be standing a great deal).
- an ipod and headphones if you like to work to music.
Note: the studio stocks a wide range of cloth and media and a selection of tools such as silkscreens, squeegees and needle nose bottles. Students are welcome to buy their cloth at the studio and/or top up their supplies before leaving, but please note the studio does not mail order.
Please contact Claire at cb@committedtocloth.com if you have any queries or if you’re a German speaker, contact Claudia at claudia.helmer.com
Sorry, but this workshop is already fully booked!
But don't panic, you can join the waiting list. We'll also offer you first refusal on our next Gorgeous Grey : GrauARTig workshop.
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Nov112013
Human MarksID #12
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - £450 + £30 supplies
Dorothy Caldwell - 0 spaces remaining
Key Info
Dates; Monday 11 to Friday 15 November 2013
Experience level; suitable for any level.
Class size; limited to 12.
Venue; Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF.
Fees: £450 plus supplies fee of £25
Registration: through the website or email Claire at cb@committedtocloth.comDescription
The marks we make record time and human energy. Working with paper and cloth this workshop will examine different kinds of marks including stitching, resist and batik, discharge, drawn and painted marks and more unconventional marks such as burning, piercing, and mending. Each of these will address a different aspect of physical movement and gesture that through time and repetition evolve into richly activated surfaces. Simple bookbinding techniques will be demonstrated for constructing book forms and participants will be able to expand on workshop experiments applying them to their own materials and imagery. Resource material will include slide talks, examples, and videos.
Materials & Equipment Provided
To ensure everyone has access to the right materials and equipment, C2C will organize the following supplies at cost for both venues. The supplies fee will be advised as soon as it is known – allow for between £30 – £40.- Black India ink
- White/PVA glue
- Candle, incense and matches
- Masking tape
- Nails
- Soy wax
- Wood scraps for making printing blocks
- Charcoal fixative
- Black printing ink
- Wood to hammer on (to protect tables)
- Dischargeable black cotton (we will organize Cotton Silesia, which discharges to fawn/white with chlorine bleach)
- Cotton organdie
- 1m lengths of dowel
- Rubber bands
- Chlorine Bleach
- Soy wax
- Large format paper
- Rives lightweight cream paper or similar (19” x 26”)
- Fabriano Cards
- Lycra graphite crayons
- Sakura Pigma Micron Pen
- Sakura Pigma Brush
- Tjantings and wax tools
- Waxed thread for bookbinding
- Felt printing pads
Housekeeping
Please arrive between 9 to 9.30am on the first day. Tuition will run from 9.30am to 5.30pm, although you can work until 6.30pm from Monday to Thursday. On Friday, the workshop will close at 5.30pm. Lunch will be provided and tea, coffee, water and biscuits will be on-tap throughout the day. Please advise Claire of any dietary restrictions.About Dorothy
Dorothy Caldwell is a Canadian textile artist working in Hastings, Ontario. Her work incorporates quilting and stitching traditions with resist and discharged dyeing techniques. Her travel and research in India, Japan, and Australia has influenced her work both as sources of dyeing and stitching practices and as places where textile artists share her beliefs in the integration of historical work in contemporary contexts.Dorothy represented Canada at the World’s Fair in Osaka in 1991 and returned to Japan in 1993 to participate in the International Shibori exhibition and conference. In 1997 she received a research grant for travel in India to study women’s co-ops and the revival of Kantha stitching. This research lead to workshops on “the stitch” and curating an exhibition entitled “Stitching Women’s lives: Sujuni and Khatwa from Bihar, India”.
In 1998 she had a studio residency in Newfoundland which resulted in “Ground Cover” a solo exhibition which traveled in Canada and the United States. For the past several years, she has been teaching workshops in Australia, as part of the Fiber Forum Symposiums. A research grant enabled her to travel and research Aboriginal map imagery in painting and textile.
Dorothy has been recognized by the Bronfman Award, given to one Canadian artist each year. In 2003 she was nominated for the Governor Generals Award. She has executed major architectural commissions, and her work is in many permanent collections including the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, The Museum of Civilization in Ottawa, and the Canadian consulate in Bangkok Thailand.
Requirements
WHAT TO BRING
Please bring the following items with you.- A sponge.
- A hammer.
- Sewing kit with 6 sewing needles with eyes large enough to accommodate embroidery thread (Chenille needles work well).
- One skein of black and 1 skein of white or off-white stranded embroidery thread and some in colours of your choice.
- Rubber gloves.
- Three pieces of black cotton 4 ½” x 13 ½” (doesn’t need to be dischargeable).
- One piece of solid and brightly coloured cotton 4 ½” x 13 1/2”.
- One piece of scrap cotton (any colour) approx. 4 “ x 36”
- One small roll of hardware store string – not too thin as this will be glued to wood to make a printing block.
- A few examples of your work (digital images, slides or printed photographs).
- Please bring a personal collection of materials that might be used in the making of your book. These may include paper, drawings, fabrics you have stitched or dyed, dyes, markers, transparent fabrics, buttons or other objects, photos or photo images on fabric, bring a decent selection of stuff to have around even if you don’t end up using it.
- Optional: bone folder for bookmaking, apron, tapestry needle with a blunt tip for book binding.
If you have any queries or questions about supplies, please email Claire Benn; cb@committed to cloth.com
Nachfragen bitte an Claire. Für Deutschsprachige wenden Sie sich bitte an Claudia: Claudia@helmer.de
Sorry, but this workshop is already fully booked!
But don't panic, you can join the waiting list. We'll also offer you first refusal on our next Human Marks workshop.
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Nov182013
Exploring Drawing with Monoprint & StitchID #13
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - £450 + £20 supplies
Pauline Burbidge - 0 spaces remaining
Key Info
Dates; Monday 18 to Friday 22 November 2013
Experience level; suitable for any level.
Class size; limited to 9.
Venue; Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF.
Fees: £450 plus estimated supplies fee of £20
Registration: through the website or email Claire at cb@committedtocloth.comDescription
Students will be encouraged to develop their own themes, and asked to bring images that relate to the techniques we’ll be using (e.g. monoprint and stitch – more detail about this to come).
During the week we’ll explore:
- drawing (using approaches that can relate to fabric and stitch)
- monoprinting
- stitch and fabric samples
- planning
- starting a larger work from outcomes
Requirements
More to come
Gallery
Sorry, but this workshop is already fully booked!
But don't panic, you can join the waiting list. We'll also offer you first refusal on our next Exploring Drawing with Monoprint & Stitch workshop.
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Nov102013
Beyond BackgroundID #14
Masseria della Zingara, Italy -
Leslie Morgan - 10 spaces remaining
Key Info
Tutors: Leslie Morgan
Dates; Sunday 10th to Friday 15thNovember 2013
Experience level; suitable for all levels.
Venue: Masseria della Zingara, Puglia, Italy
Booking: please book direct with Jan King: jan@masseriadellazingara.comDescription
The aim of this workshop is to enable students to develop specific pieces of cloth by layering multiple wet processes. The focus will be on achieving great background, and then going beyond it to achieve pieces of ‘compositional cloth’. Such pieces can be:
• used as a basis for a whole cloth quilts or stitched textiles
• cut up and restructured as feature fabrics in quilts
• backed and free-hung
• mounted on to stretched canvas
• combined with sheers or other layering devicesTeaching hours will run from 8.30am to 5.30pm with breaks. Morning sessions will provide examples and demonstrations of specific effects and processes, leaving the afternoons and evenings free for students to work on individual pieces. Key processes will include:
- Silkscreen: interfacing stencils and other methods of generating temporary designs on-screen
- Breakdown printing; using thickened dyes on screen
- Monoprinting: 3 approaches to monoprinting.
- Brushwork: dry brushing for subtle stripes or plaids, bolder brushwork for energy
- Needle-nose bottles; writing, doodling and sketching
- Found objects: the use of non-traditional tools
- Resists: the use of direct resists, including soy wax
Students will work to layer processes and build depth by layering across several key elements:
- value: building from light to dark
- colour: working to achieve specific colour schemes
- imagery: texture, line and shape
- scale: manipulating small, medium and large imagery
- saturation; over-dyeing and working from the back
Once background has been achieved, students will build compositional elements by manipulating key design principles such as contrast, relationship and balance and where desired, the use of focal points, pathways and horizon lines. A dedicated session on composition will be provided, with examples of completed cloth. This will be supported by a slide presentation and samples.
Requirements
The supplies fee of £35 will include use of the following media and materials:
Mx Dyes; in a variety of colours
Discharge Paste; in liquid and paste form
Fabric Paints; in various colours, including metallics
Various Chemicals; for making chemical water and print paste, and salt and soda ash
Materials for resists, temporary designs and stencils: freezer paper, book-cover film, flour, paint, masking tape, soy wax, interfacing and sheet plastic.
Tools: a selection of tools will be supplied for general class use including; silk screens, foam and bristle brushes, scrapers, rollers (textured & plain), monoprinting plates, sponges, needle-nosed bottles, mixing pots and wax-pot tools.WHAT TO BRING
Cloth
You will need between 6 to 10 metres of natural fibre cloth (cotton, linen, silk, rayon) and please scour it if it’s not PFD. (Please no Calico!) It may not all be used – this is dependent on individual working styles and remember, you’ll be re-working the same piece of cloth several times.For dye paints, I prefer to work on soda-soaked cloth rather than putting soda ash into the dyes (the benefits of this approach will be explained). As such, please ensure you have one length of scoured, soda-soaked and dried cloth ready for use on the first day: don’t iron it or fold it once soda-soaked – just stuff it into a bag once dry. A soda vat will be available for on-going soda soaking throughout the workshop. To soda soak scoured cloth:
- Pre-scour it, then dry it or spin-dry it.
- Create a soda vat large enough for your needs; the basic recipe is 3 tablespoons of soda ash to 1 litre of water. Dissolve sufficient soda ash for your needs in warm (not cold or hot) water and top up with the appropriate amount of cold water.
- Place the scoured, dry (or spun-dried) cloth in to the soda vat and leave for between 10 to 20 minutes (heavier weight cloth will need longer).
- Dry by drip-drying or spin the soda-soaked cloth before line drying (if you have a spin dryer, recycle the run off back into the soda vat). DO NOT TUMBLE DRY.
- Once dry, stuff it into a bag (don’t fold or iron).
General Supplies & Tools
Whilst the supplies fee will include the use of media and various tools, you’ll still need to bring some stuff of your own:- Tools; you’ll see that a good supply of tools will be provided but if you have specific tools you wish to use, then bring them.
- Favourite thermofax screens if you have them (up to 5 as a maximum).
- One small-to-medium sized silkscreen and squeegee (please contact me if you have and questions about this)
- Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
- 2.5 metres of loom state cotton or something similarly sturdy to use as a drop cloth.
- One box of ball-headed or T pins.
- Cloth apron
- Comfortable, rubber-soled shoes (you’ll be standing on stone floors a great deal).
- Notebook; handouts on recipes and some process will be provided, but be ready to take notes on the order of process and media used for each piece of cloth.
- Sketch book or white paper for on going design work.
- Pen and pencil.
- Camera (great photographic opportunities abound at the Masseria)
- An ipod and headphones if you like to work to music.
Additional Media
If you wish to use media outside of that specified in the class description, please bring it with you.GENERAL ADVICE
I recommend you use your hand luggage (maximum 10kg if travelling with Ryanair) for your clothes – it’s not a fashion-conscious week, so concentrate on bringing studio clothes! You’re welcome to use the washing machine in the studio wet room and you’ll find the drying lines through the arch in the courtyard at the back of the Masseria. We can also use the tumble dryer if we need to.Use your checked luggage for your class materials (15kg if travelling Ryanair, although you can pay in advance for extra weight).
Bath, hand towels and face flannels are supplied. Livia and Giusseppe will come in at the mid-point of your stay to clean the bathrooms and change the towels. A hairdryer is provided in each room but I recommend you bring:
- toiletries (soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, lotions & potions)
- mosquito repellent
- a plug adaptor to charge phones etc.
There is wi-fi at the Masseria, and a house Mac laptop for general use by guests. But, as this is a retreat, I’d encourage you to try and ignore emails and such-like! Equally, we prefer it if mobile phones are not in the studio, but if you feel you have to bring your mobile phone into the studio, please ensure it’s on silent.
CONTACT INFORMATION & REGISTRATION **Please contact Leslie direct if you have any queries about the class or the supplies: lm@committedtocloth.com or 07720 287860
Please contact Jan King to register for this class, and if you have queries about travel, your accommodation, food or the general facilities at the Masseria: jan@masseriadellazingara.com
Gallery
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View Details
Feb042013
ID #15
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Key Info
Description
Requirements
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Previous Workshops
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May2013
Colour Studies for Surface Design
The Crow Timber Frame Barn, Ohio, USA - Leslie Morgan
-
Mar2013
Colour Studies for Surface Design
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - Leslie Morgan
-
Feb2013
Cloth, Paper, Pigment
Potter's Farm Studio, Betchworth, UK - Christine Chester
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Oct2012
Human Marks
Potter's Farm Studio - Dorothy Caldwell
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Sep2012
Making your Mark
Masseria della Zingara, Puglia, Italy - Claire Benn

























































