Key Info

Tutors: Claire Benn & Leslie Morgan
Dates: Monday 19th to Friday 23rd April 2010
Experience level: suitable for all levels.
Venue: The Crow Timber Frame Barn, Baltimore, Ohio, U.S.A.
Fees: $700, plus $70 supplies.
Registration: please register at www.nancycrow.com

Note Claire and Leslie will be teaching a second class at the Barn the following week: ‘Beyond Background; Creating Compositional Cloth’, April 26th to 30th 2010. This class provides an opportunity to take laminated pieces further and/or explore the laminated stencils made during this first class in more depth.

Description

This workshop enables students to explore the integration of paper and cloth and offers the opportunity to combine graphics, photographic images, newsprint and specialist papers with fabric to create very individual personal cloth. The key aims are to enable students to:

Create new cloth: laminated cloth can be made and further developed for use as whole cloth, for cutting up and restructuring, for appliqué or layered on to backing fabrics. Stitch can also be an excellent way of further developing the finished cloth, and examples will be provided.

Create super-size stencils: laminated cloth can be made to almost any size for deliberate use as a stencil with thickened dye, discharge paste or fabric paint. Such stencils are washable, re-usable and long-lasting.

The workshop will be structured around the book ‘Paper & Metal Leaf Lamination’, co-authored by Claire Benn, Jane Dunnewold and Leslie Morgan. Teaching hours will run from 8.30am to 5.30pm with breaks. Morning sessions will provide examples and demonstrations, leaving the afternoons and evenings free for students to work on individual pieces. Key processes will include:

The key lamination methods: the approaches used with different types of paper, fabric and media. A variety of surface design techniques will be covered, including screen printing, painting and scraping.

Developing the laminated cloth: adding further layers of process to increase depth and build composition. Leslie and Claire will also discuss different ways of using, finishing and presenting the results

Making & using super-size stencils: planning designs, making the stencils and using them with thickened dye, discharge paste or fabric paints

As the class is co-tutored there will be opportunity for one-to-one time to discuss ideas, concepts, designs and work-in-progress. To ensure the best and most appropriate media, materials and tools are available, a supplies fee of $50 will cover the use of;

Media: Matte and Gloss acrylic mediums, fabric paints (including metallics), glues & fusible web, Aluminium and Copper metal leaf, Procion Mx dyes (as thickened paints), Discharge Paste.

Materials: art papers, tissue paper, masking tape, cover film, freezer paper, photocopy paper, newsprint, sheet plastic.

Tools: scrapers, monoprinting plates, foam and bristle brushes, needle-nose bottles, soldering iron/hot knife.

Requirements

Whilst the supplies fee will cover many of the items, you’ll still need to bring…

PAPER:

Newspaper cuttings: start looking at the newspaper with a different eye from now on; cut out photographs that appeal in terms of content, colour or texture. Clip articles that interest you and so forth – start a file right now and just stuff clippings in to it – cut/tear fairly neatly as you’ll essentially be collaging from your stash. To pre-prepare, tear or cut off any white edges. One important point to consider is that of copyright. You can choose to end up with fragments of the original source material but you also have the option to integrate whole pictures/images. If this is the case, plan to use your own photographs and imagery, rather than use/copy a picture that someone else has taken.

Printed Paper: this can be newspaper, photocopies or laser prints in either black and white or colour. The key requirement is POOR paper stock; no coated paper such as magazine or photographic-quality paper. Consider copying or printing:

• Your own photographs: using your own photographic images in conjunction with cloth is hugely rewarding. If you’re computer-savvy, consider fooling around with some first on Adobe Photoshop or similar.

• Personal design work such as mono-prints, pages of marks etc.
  images of your own textile work: it can be fun to create new work that has images of past work embedded in it.

• Personal documentation; your own journals, poetry, birth certificates, school reports etc.

Print everything on 80gsm photocopy or laser paper to any size and bring the equivalent of up to 50 pages of A4 (USA Letter) printed matter. Once printed, tear or cut off any white edges before you come to the class.

IMPORTANT NOTE: we avoid using home-generated inkjet prints as some inkjet printers bleed with the lamination process – but it’s impossible to establish this in advance. So, in order to avoid poor results, take your images on a CD or portable hard drive to the copy shop (e.g. Kinkos) and get them colour copied/printed. Equally, you can choose to bring a CD or portable hard drive with you and organise your printing at a local copy shop. Either way, we suggest you bring imagers in electronic format as this will allow you to get additional prints as the class progresses. Once you understand the process, you can test ink-jet prints at home.

FABRIC:

• 8 yards of polyester organza/sheer in white or cream. Note: we can arrange to supply a super-sheer polyester at approximately $7 a metre (the price will ultimately be determined by the UK/US exchange rate!). If you would like us to supply your polyester, please let us know 4 weeks before the class so we know what quantity to ship in advance.
• 2 yards of a good quality, natural fabric (cotton, silk, linen, rayon, hemp or mixes thereof). Please pre-scour this fabric as you will be using it with laminated stencils and Mx dyes.
• I yard of black discharge fabric cotton for use with Formosol discharge paste (this is optional).
• 2 yards of medium-weight muslin for use with fabric paints (no need to pre-scour).

OTHER STUFF:

• Silkscreens: please bring 3. A variety of sizes is useful, e.g. 8” x 10” (small), 12” x 18” (medium) and 18” x 24” or 24” x 24” (large). Screens can be purchased from Dharma Trading (www.dharmatrading.com) or Dick Blick (www.dickblick.com).
• Favourite thermofax screens if you have them. We hope to have access to a thermofax machine for the class and will advise as soon as this is confirmed.
• 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.
• One 4-yard length of cotton drill or something sturdy to use as a drop cloth on the worktable
• Apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes)!
• Comfortable, rubber soled shoes (you’ll spend a fair amount of time on your feet)
• 1 pair of rubber gloves
• Disposable gloves (if you don’t like getting fabric paint or acrylic binder on your hands)
• Notebook and/or sketch book.
• Scissors (suitable for paper and cloth).
• A hairdryer (in case of poor weather).

Please email Claire if you have any queries or questions!

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 Paper Lamination & Beyond workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

Tutors: Leslie Morgan & Claire Benn
Dates: Monday 26th to Friday 30th April 2010
Experience level: suitable for all levels.
Venue: The Crow Timber Frame Barn, Baltimore, Ohio, U.S.A.
Fees: $700, plus $70 supplies.
Registration: please register at www.nancycrow.com

Description

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 devices

Teaching 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 and thermofax: new approaches with 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 values: building from light to dark
• Layering colours: working to achieve specific colour schemes
• Layering imagery (texture, line and shape)
• 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.

On Friday, Leslie and Claire will also discuss different ways of using, finishing and presenting compositional cloth.

Requirements

Supplies & Supplies Fee
Feedback from previous classes has indicated that many students would prefer to ship or transport less equipment. As such, in addition to supplying the media, we’ve planned to provide access to other items such as tools. The supplies fee of $75 will include use of the following media and materials:

• Mx Dyes: Magenta, Scarlet, Acid Lemon, Golden Yellow, Turquoise, Royal/Mixing Blue, Black and Dark Brown. If you wish to use specific colours outside of this range, please bring them with you, although we will provide help and guidance on colour mixing from the ‘Power Eight’ selection.
• Discharge Paste: made with Formosol and Print Paste.
  Fabric Paints: Magenta, Scarlet, Acid Lemon, Golden Yellow, Turquoise, Royal/Mixing Blue, Black, White, Transparent Extender Base, metallic Gold, Silver and Copper.
• Chemicals: Urea, Resist Salt L/Ludigol, Sodium Alginate (for making Chemical Water and Print Paste), Soda Ash, Salt and Formosol.
  Materials for resists, temporary designs and stencils: lightweight interfacing, freezer paper, cover film, emulsion paint, masking tape, Tyvek, thread, drawing fluid, washable glue, soy wax, basting spray, sheet plastic.
• 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, mixing pots and wax-pot tools.

Workshop Photo References
Here’s some information about the photographs shown under this workshop to give you a feel for the different approaches that can be taken.

• Work in progress by Leslie Morgan. So far, Leslie has scraped, screen printed and printed with a thermofax to create this background (using thickened dye paints).
• A detail of work by Claudia Helmer showing a great range of imagery in a variety of colours, values and sizes.
• Leslie started the background to this piece of cloth by tray dyeing. She then progressed it by screen printing thorn imager in thickened dyes and screen inks.
• Another work in progress by Leslie. For more information about the processes used in this piece, look for the ‘May Mourning’ conversation under the ‘Consider This’ tab.
• A complementary colour scheme by Turid Tonnesson. The initial marks were created through large-scale monoprinting. The piece was then torn up and each portion was over-dyed in a complementary colour scheme. The pieces were then stitched back together to create a new background.

STUDENT REQUIREMENTS LIST

Cloth
Bring 10 yards of natural fibre cloth (cotton, linen, silk, rayon) and please scour it. 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.

We will be working to 3 different formats, although the exact size will be determined by the width of the cloth, for example:

• Square; 38” square
• Rectangle: 38” x 70”
• Long & thin: 24 × 60”

You may wish to consider pre-dyeing a couple of yards in pale-to-medium values of your colour choice, although high-water immersion dyeing will be available at any time. 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 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:

• Silkscreens: please bring 3. A variety of sizes is useful, e.g. 8” x 10” (small), 12” x 18” (medium) and 18” x 24” or 24” x 24” (large). Screens can be purchased from Dharma Trading (www.dharmatrading.com) or Dick Blick (www.dickblick.com).
• 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. We hope to have access to a thermofax machine for the class and will advise as soon as this is confirmed.
• A 4’x10’ drop cloth of cotton drill, or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash it.
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
• A good-quality mask. This is important if you wish to undertake discharge work. A normal decorators mask will not be sufficient for this purpose. Discharge work will take place outside.
• 1 x box of ball-headed or T pins.
• A small cutting mat.
• Craft knife (preferably with a nice, pointy, sharp blade – such as an Exacto knife).
• 1 x small cat or kitten litter tray.
• 1 x black Sharpie or waterproof pen.
• 1 pair of scissors, suitable for paper and fabric.
• 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 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.

Additional Media
If you wish to use media outside of that specified in the class description, please bring it with you.

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 Beyond Background workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

Tutors: Leslie Morgan & Claire Benn
Dates: May 12th to 17th, 2010
Experience level: This workshop is for anyone interested in building a palette of cloth that is destined to be cut up and re-structured. As such, it’s perfect for anyone engaged with quilt-making, stitched textiles and/or collage.
Venue: Masseria della Zingara, Puglia, Italy.
Fees: £650 – Accommodation is included in the price.
Registration: please book at www.twistedthread.com

Description

The key aim of this retreat is to enable students to develop understanding of dyes and achieve gorgeous colour harmonies. Students can choose to develop a palette of cloth (suitable for cutting up and re-structuring into a quilt or stitched textile), or they can focus on compositional whole cloth. The workshop will focus on:

• colour mixing
• colour relationships
• brilliant colours and accompanying neutrals
• warm and cool contrasts
• light to dark gradations of value/tone
• creating texture and organic patterning through the dye-bath
• printing and mark-making

In addition to creating textured and solid colours, students will spend time working with liquid dye paints, thickened dye paints and discharge paste. Through screen-printing and mark-making we’ll generate a selection of cloth that is layered with imagery; be that graphic, structural, organic or simply decorative.

Two tutors enables plenty of one-to-one attention and Claire & Leslie will provide critique, advice and guidance on progressing individual works.

Requirements

You will need to bring with you…

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, linen or hemp. Anticipate using between 8 to 10 metres in half metre sizes – although those wishing to focus on compositional whole cloth will work on larger pieces. Don’t cut things up in advance, just bring enough and cut it to size once you’re here and more able to make informed decisions!

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 8 and 10 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 Art van Go or Fibrecrafts.
• Run the machine at 60ºC.
• Line or tumble dry.

Other Supplies
Apart from cloth, the other important items are thoughts as to your colour palette, personal imagery and marks – a couple of items of source material might be useful to bring (e.g photographs). And please bring the following:

• 8 to 10 metres of pre-washed/scoured un-dyed natural cloth of your own (cotton, linen, silk, viscose or mixes thereof). Please make sure one length is soda-soaked and dried.
• 2.5 metres of loom state cotton or something similarly sturdy to use as a drop cloth.
• Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs in case you hole one/a pair).
• If you already own thermofaxes, bring up to 5.
• 2 x silk screens: screens can be ordered from various suppliers (look on our website) and need to be made from 43T mesh. Almost any size will do, but we’d recommend bringing one measuring approximately 34×42cm inner mesh diameter and one measuring somewhere between 25×25cm inner diameter. If you have time, please put your name of the screen frame and then paint the wooden elements of the screen frame with 2 to 3 layers of ordinary water-based varnish (satin, matte or gloss finish). Don’t drip varnish on to the mesh!
• 1 × 9” Speedball squeegee (again, look on the website).
• 1 × 10-15cm squeegee such as a grouting tool with a rubber blade.
• 1 x old credit card or similar
• Notebook/sketchbook (for those who like to take notes)
• Pen and pencil
• 1 small box of ball-headed 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!

To keep the ‘to bring’ list to a minimum, a lab fee of £35 will be charged to cover the cost of:

• Procion Mx dyes
• Salt & Soda Ash
• Chemical Water & Print Paste
• Formosol Discharge Paste
• Fabric Paints
• Use of various tools

If you have any queries about the class or what to bring, then please email us direct!

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 Building a Palette of Cloth workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

Tutors: Leslie Morgan & Claire Benn
Dates: Monday August 2nd to Friday August 6th 2010
Experience level: suitable for any level, including beginners.
Venue: Bovey Cottage, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF. A map is available on the web site.
Class size: limited to 7 students.
Fees: £325, plus £35 supplies. Lunch is provided as part of the class fee.
Availability: 7 places
Registration: email us!

Description

This class will enable students to create and use a variety of temporary silkscreen designs. A key benefit of using temporary designs is that one silkscreen has unlimited ‘mileage’ in terms of imagery. Approaches will include:

• Cutting designs from book cover plastic and freezer paper.
• Creating designs using torn and cut masking tape.
• Making removable and re-useable stencils from sew-in interfacing (four approaches will be covered) and Tyvek.
• Use of flour paste and soy wax on-screen.
• Breakdown printing.

Students will be encouraged to explore the concept of layering imagery, colour and value on to individual pieces of cloth, and create samples of each approach used. We’ll provide tuition and guidance on good screen-printing technique and teach how to adapt the dye and fabric paints to change their value, or create a personal colour palette.

The supplies fee will cover use of the media, although exactly what any student will use will be driven by individual pieces of cloth. The following supplies of wet media will always be available:

• Thickened Procion Mx dyes as dye paints.
• Fabric paints (including metallics).
• Discharge paste for colour removal.
• Soy wax & flour paste.
• Tyvek, freezer paper and book-cover plastic
• Soda vat for re-soaking cloth.

Housekeeping
Please arrive between 9 to 9.30am on the first day. The class will begin no later than 10am. Whilst formal tuition/guidance will run between 9.30am to 5.30pm, the studio will be open from 8.30am until 8.30pm to enable students to continue working independently. On Friday, the class will close at 5.30pm.

We will provide lunch and on-going tea/coffee/water and biscuits, cake and fruit to keep energy levels up. Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements or particular dislikes as we don’t want you going hungry!

Requirements

What you will need to bring with you…

The Cloth
We keep good stocks of natural fibre cloth at the studio, which will be possible to purchase at any time. Whilst most of what we stock is PFD (Prepared for Dyeing), certain types of fabric (such as linen and silk noile) must be scoured before use. We can send our cloth list out to you in advance and help you plan accordingly.

If you’re bringing your own cloth, make sure it’s natural fibre (cotton, linen, silk, viscose/rayon or mixes thereof) and prepare it accordingly. Scouring – even with cloth that is sold as PFD – is recommended. You will be encouraged to work pieces of approximately 1 to 1.5 metres in length and we estimate you’ll need about 6m of cloth in total (how much you use will depend on individual working styles).

For dye paints, we prefer to work on cloth that’s been pre-soaked in a soda solution, spun and dried. This means that the soda is not needed in the dye paint itself (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:

• Dry it or spin-dry it very well.
• Create a soda vat; 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.
• 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.

General Supplies

• A 1.5 × 3m drop cloth of heavy loom state cotton, or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash it (you can pre-order loomstate cotton from C2C if you wish at £3.25pm).
• 1m of light-weight sew-in interfacing (although we keep stocks here if you wish to buy on the day).
• Sturdy plastic sheeting; 3 × 2 metre lengths (please do not bring flimsy plastic as found in the dry cleaners). We have sturdy plastic in stock if you wish to purchase from us.
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
• A black ‘Sharpie’ or laundry pen for marking your cloth.
• Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).
• Comfortable, rubber-soled shoes (you’ll be standing a great deal).
• Notebook/sketchbook; we will be using the content of our book – ‘Screen Printing; layering textiles with colour, texture and imagery’ – as the key reference, but many students like to take notes of their own.
• Pens and pencils, ruler, eraser, compass etc. – anything you may need for on-going design work or for making the designs.

Please contact us if you have any queries.

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 Screen Printing workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

Tutor: Jane Dunnewold
Dates: Tuesday 24 to Thurday 26 August 2010
Experience level: intermediate to advanced level students only
Venue: Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth RH3 7DF
Class size: limited to 6 participants
Fees: £220 including supplies

Description

Join Jane for a three day retreat, designed to refine mid-level technical skills and support intentional thinking within the context of an individual’s work. Participants will correspond with Jane via email prior to the workshop dates, in order to personalize their course of study. Since each artist will pursue a unique track, supplies will be determined individually during the email consultation.

Requirements

Jane will contact each student by email to discus their plans for the retreat. The fee includes wet media and use of tools at the studio. Jane will email a specific requirements list, but in the meantime, be sure to bring:

• the cloth you want to work on! We suggest a piece is soda-soaked in advance.
• a dropcloth
• rubber gloves
• apron (or wear old clothes)
• comfy shoes
• personal tools (e.g. thermofaxes, stamps)
• any reference or source materials

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 Guided Independent Study workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

Tutors: Leslie Morgan & Claire Benn
Dates: Monday 6th to Friday 10th December 2010
Experience level: suitable for all levels.
Venue: either the current C2C studios at Bovey Cottage, Station Road, Betchworth, or the new Barn Studio at Station Road, Betchworth
Class size: 6 to 11, depending on whether the new studio is ready!
Fees: £325, plus £35 lab fee. Lunch is included in the tuition fee.

Description

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 devices

Teaching 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 and thermofax: 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.

On Friday, Leslie and Claire will also discuss different ways of using, finishing and presenting compositional cloth.

Requirements

Supplies & Supplies Fee
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, emulsion paint, masking tape, Tyvek, soy wax, basting spray, 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
We have an excellent selection of PFD (prepare for dyeing) cloth available to buy during the class, but please feel free to bring your own. You’ll need between 6 to 8 metres of natural fibre cloth (cotton, linen, silk, rayon) and please scour it if it’s not PFD. 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.

We will be working to 3 different formats, although the exact size will be determined by the width of the cloth, for example:

• Square; 1m square
• Rectangle: e.g. 1 × 1.5 metres
• Long & thin: 50cm x 175-200cm

You may wish to consider pre-dyeing a couple of metres in pale-to-medium values of your colour choice, although high-water immersion dyeing will be available at any time.

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 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:

• Dry it or spin-dry it very well.
• Create a soda vat; 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.
• 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.

General Supplies

• A 1.5 × 3m drop cloth of heavy loom state cotton, or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash it (you can pre-order loomstate cotton from C2C if you wish at £3.25pm).
• 1m of light-weight sew-in interfacing (although we keep stocks here if you wish to buy on the day).
• Sturdy plastic sheeting; 3 × 2 metre lengths (please do not bring flimsy plastic as found in the dry cleaners). We have sturdy plastic in stock if you wish to purchase from us.
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
• A black ‘Sharpie’ or laundry pen for marking your cloth.
• Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).
  Comfortable, rubber-soled shoes (you’ll be standing a great deal).
• Notebook/sketchbook; we will be using the content of our book – ‘Screen Printing; layering textiles with colour, texture and imagery’ – as the key reference, but many students like to take notes of their own.
• Pens and pencils, ruler, eraser, compass etc. – anything you may need for on-going design work or for making the designs.

Additional Media
If you wish to use media outside of that specified in the class description, please bring it with you.

Food
Lunch, teas, coffee, water, and biscuits/cake will be provided as part of the class fee. Please advise us if you have any specific dietary requirements as we don’t wish you to go hungry! As a general note, non-wheat bread will always be available (home-made Spelt or Rye) and we keep goat’s milk and Oat, Rice and Soya milk in stock.

Please contact one or both of us if you have any queries!

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 Beyond Background workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

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 devices

Description

Key processes will include:

• Silkscreen and thermofax: new approaches with 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
• Resists: the use of direct resists, including soy wax

Students will work to layer processes and build depth by:

• Layering values: building from light to dark
• Layering colours: working to achieve specific colour schemes
• Layering imagery (texture, line and shape)
• 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.

On Friday, Leslie and Claire will also discuss different ways of using, finishing and presenting compositional cloth.

Teaching hours will run from 8.30am to 5.30pm with breaks, although Leslie and Claire will be available from 7.30am to 9.30pm. 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.

Supplies Fee
Feedback from previous classes has indicated that many students would prefer to ship or transport less equipment. As such, in addition to supplying the media, we’ve planned to provide access to other items such as tools. The supplies fee of $60 will include use of the following media and materials:

• Procion Mx dyes; Strongest Red, Mixing Red, Sun Yellow, Golden Yellow, Turquoise, Mixing Blue, Deep Black and Chocolate. Claire & Leslie will provide help and guidance on colour mixing. Participants are welcome to bring other colours for personal use.
• Discharge; Formosol 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, Transparent Extender Base, metallic Gold, Silver and Chocolate.
• Resists; Soy Wax, Elmers’ Glue, flour paste, cover film, freezer paper, masking tape (for resist work on cloth or on-screen).
• Chemicals; Urea, Ludigol, Calgon, Sodium Alginate/ProThick SH (for making Chemical Water and Print Paste), Soda Ash, Salt and Formosol.
• Stencil production; matte medium & newsprint (paper lamination stencils), feather-weight sew-in interfacing, household paint & fusible web (painted interfacing stencils), Tyvek (burned-out stencils)
• Tools: a selection of key tools will be provided, including:

⇨ distressed bristle decorators’ brushes
⇨ foam brushes
⇨ a selection of bristle & synthetic artists’ brushes
⇨ monoprinting plates (large & small)
⇨ tjantings & other soy wax tools
⇨ credit cards and scrapers
⇨ rollers
⇨ needle-nose bottles

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 3 to 4 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, soy wax, matte medium etc. will be available for use at any time.

Requirements

Cloth
Bring 10 yards of natural fibre cloth (cotton, linen, silk, rayon) and please label it in a corner and scour it. 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.

You may wish to consider pre-dyeing a couple of yards in pale-to-medium values of your colour choice, although high-water immersion dyeing will be available at any time.

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 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:

• Silkscreens: please bring 3. A variety of sizes is useful for example 8” x 10” (small), 12” x 18” (medium) and 18” x 24” or 24” x 24” (large). Screens can be purchased from Dharma Trading (www.dharmatrading.com) or Dick Blick (www.dickblick.com). Please do not buy screens that use cord to hold in the mesh as they aren’t as good as glued screens. Please label your screens and waterproof the wood by applying 3 layers of water-based wood varnish. Once dry, pre-scour the mesh by scrubbing it with hot water and a cream cleanser – this is important as otherwise, some stencils may not stick to the mesh.
• Squeegees; one Speedball 9” squeegee with a cream or maroon plastic handle and a rubber blade. One grouting tool/spreader (look in hardware stores and kitchen shops) or a credit card squeegee to use with thermofax screens.
• 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.
• Thermofax screens (if you have them). Note; we hope that someone will be able to bring a thermofax machine to the retreat. If this is the case, C2C will organise mesh and frames and provide at cost. Please advise us if you can provide a thermofax. Please note that if a thermofax service is available, you will need your imagery to be in laser print or photocopy format (not inkjet). India ink will also generate a thermofax, as will some pencils. You can photocopy in Pickerington or Lancaster.
• Two drop cloths of cotton drill, denim or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash/shrink it and allow for a finished size of 4’x10’. Old bed sheets aren’t suitable as they’re too thin and avoid heavy muslin or canvas as it holds wrinkles.
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
• A good-quality mask. This is important if you wish to undertake discharge work. A normal decorators mask will not be sufficient for this purpose. Discharge work will take place outside.
• 1 x box of ball-headed or T pins.
• A small cutting mat.
• Craft knife (preferably with a nice, pointy, sharp blade – such as an Exacto knife).
• 1 x small cat or kitten litter tray.
• 1 x black Sharpie or waterproof pen.
• 1 pair of scissors, suitable for paper and fabric.
• 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 of your own process.
• Sketch book/white paper for on going design work, pen and pencil.

Additional Media
If you wish to use media outside of that specified in the class description, please bring it with you.

NOTE: we would prefer a participant to supply the soy wax pot rather than tote our own over the Atlantic. Please advise us if this is something you can do.

Please contact one or both of us if you have any queries:

Claire Benn: cb@committedtocloth.com
Leslie Morgan: lm@committedtocloth.com

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

Key Info

Tutor: Sarah Welsby
Dates: Tuesday 17th to Friday 20th May 2011
Experience level: suitable for all levels. For the stitch element, you’ll need to be familiar and comfortable in the use of your sewing machine, as the class will not teach free style machine stitching.
Venue: Potter’s Farm Studios, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey RH3 7DF
Class size: limited to 9 students
Fees: £280, plus £10 supplies fee.

Description

We’re delighted to welcome Sarah Welsby to C2C as a tutor.

Sarah’s paper lamination quilts were selected for Quilt 2007 and European Art Quilt 2008 & 2010. Her work was also shown within the ‘parallels’ exhibition at the Festival of Quilts in 2009. Sarah has taken this technique and made it her own, and this workshop will cover the key approach as detailed in the C2C book; ‘Paper & Metal Leaf Lamination on Cloth’. More of Sarah’s work can be seen on the website she shares with Christina Ellcock; www.parallelstextiles.com

Sarah will introduce you to the key elements of the process, which involves working with paper and sheer cloth to create a new piece of ‘integrated’ fabric. This laminated fabric can then be developed with additional wet processes and stitch. Explorations will include:

• Working with various papers, polyester sheers and clear polymer medium to laminate paper and cloth together – creating a new ‘integrated’ piece of cloth.
• Developing the integrated paper and cloth, including:

⇨ working with fabric paints (from the back and/or the front);
⇨ transfer printing
⇨ layering with backing fabrics and/or wadding;
⇨ machine and hand stitching;
⇨ burning with a soldering iron.

Most of the wet work will be completed in the first 2 days, with layering and stitch being the focus of the third and fourth day. Sarah will cover the process through a combination of explanation, samples and demonstrations. There will be plenty of time for you to explore the process and Sarah will always be available to guide and help as you progress. One-to-one support will also be given to enable you to develop your understanding of how to take your specific pieces forward.

The media and wet process equipment required will be available at the studio. This ensures that 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 £10 per student to cover:

• matte medium, gloss medium, fabric paints, transfer paints and Procion Mx dyes.
• the use of a variety of tools (such as silk screens, thermofax screens, squeegees, brushes, buckets, drop cloths, scrapers, monoprinting plates, cutters and cutting mats, soldering iron, sheet plastic etc.).

Whilst you can bring your own fabrics (see the What to Bring section), the studio always stocks the following:

• Ultra-sheer polyester voile in white or ivory
• Ivory Silk organza
• Misty Fuse (fusible web)
• Acrylic felt in white, black, grey or oatmeal

Housekeeping
Please arrive between 9 to 9.30am on the first day. The class will begin no later than 10am and finish between 5.30 to 6pm. You can either bring a packed lunch every day, or Sarah will take orders and organise a run to the local deli for delicious sandwiches. Tea, coffee, water, home-made lemonade cordial and biscuits will be on-tap throughout the day.

Requirements

WHAT TO BRING

Paper: this could be newsprint, or other forms of printed papers (e.g. photocopies or laser prints in colour or black & white), for example:

• Newspaper: collect articles and pictures that appeal to you; maintain variety, and don’t ignore the advertisement section.
• Don’t rely solely on publications. Consider using your own materials (e.g. photographic images, family letters and documents, childrens’ drawings, invitations). Remember you will need to bring copies of these to the class; you will not want to use the originals!
• Photocopies, laser and inkjet prints should ideally be printed off at least one week before the course to allow the chemicals to settle. Please note that inkjet prints have a tendency to bleed and are best avoided – the best results are achieved with newspaper, colour photocopies or colour laser prints. When printing or copying, please make sure you print on ordinary photocopy paper, NOT photographic or coated paper.
• Avoid glossy magazines, brochures, coated papers and photographic quality paper; the coating on these pages prevents them from bonding with the fabric.

Fabrics

• White or off-white sheers in either polyester or silk, or both; about 3 metres. If you have a stash of coloured sheers, bring about 1 metre if you wish to experiment with it. The studio has suitable off-white and ivory ultra-sheer polyester and silk organza available for sale.
• Coloured fabrics for layering up with the paper laminations (these can be small pieces and can be cotton, synthetics, hand dyed, or commercial).
• Larger pieces (minimum of fat quarter) for backing stitched samples.
• Wadding and/or acrylic felt for stitched samples.
• Sewing machine and accessories, including quilting foot and walking foot.
• Range of coloured sewing threads for the machine.
• Selection of hand sewing threads for embellishment.
• Fusible web such as Misty Fuse or Fuse FX. This is a non-woven fusible web, similar to bondaweb, but finer: the studio always keeps a stock in white and black.
• Normal sewing supplies.
• Scissors – one pair for paper and one for fabric.
• Apron (or clothing that you’re prepared to get dirty).
• Comfortable footwear (think hard floors).
• Ball-headed pins.
• Disposable / rubber gloves (if you don’t like getting acrylic binder on your hands).
• Notebook (for design work and notes, although a detailed handout on the process will be provided).

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

Key Info

This retreat has been scheduled in response to those who are seeking:

• a large workbench of their own
• a smaller group size
• 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.

Description

The retreat 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.

Leslie and 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:

• Sunday 1pm arrival; starting at 1pm on the Sunday will enable a fast start on Monday morning – effectively, an extra half-day. As such, participants should arrive at 1pm on the Sunday (having eaten lunch). Un-loading, set-up and studio familiarisation will take place from 1 to 3pm (please do not arrive before 1pm). Cars need to be moved up adjacent to the Yellow Barn once un-loaded.
• Sunday 3pm to 6pm; to help Leslie and Claire understand individual goals, the group will meet between 3pm and 6pm. Each participant will be asked to talk for 10 minutes to outline their intention for the week. This talk can be supported with digital or printed images, personal imagery, colour or value references or personal tools that might be planned for use.
• Sunday 6pm; dinner.
• Monday to Thursday; the Barn will be open from 7am to 10pm. Whilst formal ‘class time’ will be from 8.30am to 5.30pm, Claire & Leslie will be available to the group from 7.30am to 9.30pm 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 Barn opens at 7am and class closes at 5pm. Clear-up between 2-3pm, closure session 3-5pm.

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; Strongest Red, Mixing Red, Sun Yellow, Golden Yellow, Turquoise, Mixing Blue, Deep Black and Chocolate. Claire & Leslie will provide help and guidance on colour mixing. Participants are welcome to bring other colours for personal use.
• Discharge; Formosol 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, Transparent Extender Base, metallic Gold, Silver and Chocolate.
• Resists; Soy Wax, Elmers’ Glue, flour paste, cover film, freezer paper, masking tape (for resist work on cloth or on-screen).
• Chemicals; Urea, Ludigol, Calgon, Sodium Alginate/ProThick SH (for making Chemical Water and Print Paste), Soda Ash, Salt and Formosol.
• Stencil production; matte medium & newsprint (paper lamination stencils), feather-weight sew-in interfacing, household paint & fusible web (painted interfacing stencils), Tyvek (burned-out stencils)
• Tools: a selection of key tools will be provided, including:

1. distressed bristle decorators’ brushes and foam brushes in various widths
2. a selection of bristle & synthetic artists’ brushes
3. monoprinting plates (large & small)
4. tjantings & other soy wax tools
5. credit cards and scrapers
6. rollers
7. needle-nose bottles

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 3 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.

Requirements

The Intention
Perhaps the most important element to bring with you. We are 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, we 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: *__give thought to preparing or assembling specific 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 yards 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 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).

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)
It is hard to be specific as to what tools and supplies to bring, as each individual’s needs and preferences will vary. However, for direct surface work we recommend:

• Silk screens; up to 3 in number, your choice of size (think small, medium & large). Please put your name on the frame and waterproof the wood by applying 3 layers of water-based wood varnish. When the final layer is dry, please pre-scour the mesh by scrubbing it with a cream cleanser and hot water.
• Thermofax screens (if you have them). Note; we hope that someone will be able to bring a thermofax machine to the retreat. If this is the case, C2C will organise mesh and frames and provide at cost. Please advise us if this is something you can provide. Please note that if a thermofax service is available, you will need your imagery to be in laser print or photocopy format (not inkjet). India ink will also generate a thermofax, as will some pencils. You can photocopy in Pickerington or Lancaster.
• 1 x squeegee (we recommend the 9” Speedball squeegee – beige or maroon handle with brown rubber blade).
• An old credit card or spreader to use as a squeegee with thermofaxes. Spreaders can be found in hardware stores or kitchen shops.
• Mark-making tools of individual choice; a good selection of tools will be provided but if you have favourites, bring them.

*NOTE: *we would prefer a participant to supply the soy wax pot rather than tote our own over the Atlantic. Please advise us if this is something you can do.

General Supplies

• 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. Please pre-wash and shrink your dropcloths to size; the largest benches measure 9’ x 4’ so if you allow for this size, you’ll be fine.
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
• A good-quality mask. This is important if you wish to undertake discharge work. A normal decorators mask will not be sufficient for this purpose. Discharge work will take place outside.
• 1 x box of ball-headed or T pins.
• A small cutting mat.
• 1 x small cat or kitten litter tray.
• Craft knife (preferably with a nice, pointy, sharp blade – such as an Exacto knife).
• 1 x black Sharpie.
• 1 pair of scissors, suitable for paper and fabric.
• 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).

Please contact us if you have any queries. In the meantime, we look forward to a week of focused work.

Claire Benn: cb@committedtocloth.com
Leslie Morgan: lm@committedtocloth.com

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 Working with Intent workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

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 industrial felt or stretched canvas
• Combined with sheers or other layering devices

Description

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 industrial felt or stretched canvas
• Combined with sheers or other layering devices

The studio will be open from 9am until 6.30pm. Teaching hours will run from 9.30am 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 and thermofax
• 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
• 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.

On Friday, Claire will also discuss different ways of using, finishing and presenting compositional cloth.

Supplies Fee
The supplies fee of £25 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, emulsion paint, masking tape, Tyvek, soy wax, basting spray, 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.

Food
Lunch, teas, coffee, water, and biscuits/cake will be provided as part of the class fee. Please advise us if you have any specific dietary requirements as we don’t wish you to go hungry! As a general note, non-wheat bread will always be available (home-made Spelt or Rye) and we keep Soya milk in stock.

Requirements

Cloth
We have an excellent selection of PFD (prepare for dyeing) cloth available to buy during the class, but please feel free to bring your own. You’ll need between 6 to 8 metres of natural fibre cloth (cotton, linen, silk, rayon) and please scour it if it’s not PFD. 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.

You may wish to consider pre-dyeing a couple of metres in pale-to-medium values of your colour choice, although high-water immersion dyeing will be available at any time.

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 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; wash at 60C, with 3 tbsp of soda ash and a tsp of rinsing agent (e.g. Synthrpol/Metapex), 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, although thermofax screens can be made during class.
• A 1.5 × 3m drop cloth of cotton drill, or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash it. We have dropcloth fabric available here at £3.25 a metre.
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
• 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 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.
• An ipod 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.

Please contact Claire if you have any queries: cb@committedtocloth.com

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

Key Info

Tutor: Denise Lach
Dates: Tuesday 26th July to Friday 29th July
Experience level: suitable for any level, including beginners
Venue: Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey, RH3 7DF
Class size: limited to 11 participants
Fees:£300, including lunch
Deposit: £100, with the balance of the workshop fee payable 2 months before the class.

Description

We’re delighted to be able to bring you the genius that is Denise Lach. Her book, ‘Calligraphy, a Book of Contemporary Inspiration’ is just that, an inspiration. Denise will be teaching this workshop twice as demand is high (the second workshop runs the following week: Monday 1st to Thursday 4th August 2011)!

The workshop will be process-oriented and will enable participants to develop new and personal “form-language” based on their own handwriting. Participants will extend and stretch the sense of form and design options, leading to a richer personal expression. Initially, you will be introduced to the concepts, based on:

• Handwriting
• Rhythm
• Spacing
• Density
• Contrast, etc.

Moving on, you’ll then experiment with different tools – some of which you’ll be making yourselves. And from then on, the focus will be on implementation and composition.

To begin with, you’ll work on different kinds of paper but as Denise is also a screen printer, you’ll also have the opportunity to explore your favourite approaches on cloth – including transferring some of your results into thermofax and other silkscreen approaches.

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

Denise has asked us to stress that there’s no need to buy expensive calligraphic tools! C2C will organise the supply of some of the larger, more specialist papers and materials, which will be available at cost during the class, including:

• A4 white non-absorbent paper, 160gr minimum weight.
• Large format paper (A2 and/or A0)
• Drafting & tracing paper
• India ink

So, please bring:

• Various papers, e.g. sketch paper, photocopy paper, notebook, brown parcel paper etc. Don’t go crazy, just poke around and bring what you fancy.
• A selection of water colours or crayons or gouache
• Pencils; both hard and soft
• Cutting mat & rotary cutter
• Fine liner pens; in black and in 3 different thicknesses
• Ruler & set square (triangle ruler)
• Any tools you feel you can use to write with, e.g.drawing pens, feathers, pencil, brushes, seedheads, grasses etc.
• A selection of other favourite mark-making tools
• Chopsticks
• One empty cola or beer can – give it a rinse!
• Kitchen/paper scissors
• A small hand towel or tea towel
• 3m of cloth suitable for taking Mx dyes or if you prefer, you can work in screen inks on any kind of cloth. (The studio stocks a good selection, so you can decide what you want once here).
• A dropcloth
• A large piece of plastic for curing cloth in and/or transporting it home! (Again, we sell durable plastic on the roll at the studio)
• Rubber gloves
• An apron (or wear old clothes)
• Comfy shoes
• A digital camera for personal records (optional)
• An ipod & headphones if you like to work to music

Housekeeping
Please arrive between 9 to 9.30am on the first day. The class will begin no later than 10am. Whilst formal tuition/guidance will run between 9.30am to 5pm, the studio will be open from 9am until 6.30pm to enable students to continue working independently.

We will provide lunch and on-going tea/coffee/water and biscuits, cake and fruit to keep energy levels up. Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements or particular dislikes as we don’t want you going hungry!

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 Mark-Making & Letterforms workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

Tutor: Denise Lach
Dates: Monday 1st August to Thursday 4th August 2011
Experience level: suitable for any level, including beginners
Venue: Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, Surrey, RH3 7DF
Class size: limited to 11 participants
Fees:£300, including lunch
Deposit: £100, with the balance of the workshop fee payable 2 months before the class.

Description

We’re delighted to be able to bring you the genius that is Denise Lach. Her book, ‘Calligraphy, a Book of Contemporary Inspiration’ is just that, an inspiration. Denise will be teaching this workshop twice as demand is high (the second workshop runs the following week: Monday 1st to Thursday 4th August 2011)!

The workshop will be process-oriented and will enable participants to develop new and personal “form-language” based on their own handwriting. Participants will extend and stretch the sense of form and design options, leading to a richer personal expression. Initially, you will be introduced to the concepts, based on:

• Handwriting
• Rhythm
• Spacing
• Density
• Contrast, etc.

Moving on, you’ll then experiment with different tools – some of which you’ll be making yourselves. And from then on, the focus will be on implementation and composition.

To begin with, you’ll work on different kinds of paper but as Denise is also a screen printer, you’ll also have the opportunity to explore your favourite approaches on cloth – including transferring some of your results into thermofax and other silkscreen approaches.

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

Denise has asked us to stress that there’s no need to buy expensive calligraphic tools! C2C will organise the supply of some of the larger, more specialist papers and materials, which will be available at cost during the class, including:

• A4 white non-absorbent paper, 160gr minimum weight.
• Large format paper (A2 and/or A0)
• Drafting & tracing paper
• India ink

So, please bring:

• Various papers, e.g. sketch paper, photocopy paper, notebook, brown parcel paper etc. Don’t go crazy, just poke around and bring what you fancy.
• A selection of water colours or crayons or gouache
• Pencils; both hard and soft
• Cutting mat & rotary cutter
• Fine liner pens; in black and in 3 different thicknesses
• Ruler & set square (triangle ruler)
• Any tools you feel you can use to write with, e.g.drawing pens, feathers, pencil, brushes, seedheads, grasses etc.
• A selection of other favourite mark-making tools
• Chopsticks
• One empty cola or beer can – give it a rinse!
• Kitchen/paper scissors
• A small hand towel or tea towel
• 3m of cloth suitable for taking Mx dyes or if you prefer, you can work in screen inks on any kind of cloth. (The studio stocks a good selection, so you can decide what you want once here).
• A dropcloth
• A large piece of plastic for curing cloth in and/or transporting it home! (Again, we sell durable plastic on the roll at the studio)
• Rubber gloves
• An apron (or wear old clothes)
• Comfy shoes
• A digital camera for personal records (optional)
• An ipod & headphones if you like to work to music

Please arrive between 9 to 9.30am on the first day. The class will begin no later than 10am. Whilst formal tuition/guidance will run between 9.30am to 5pm, the studio will be open from 9am until 6.30pm to enable students to continue working independently.

We will provide lunch and on-going tea/coffee/water and biscuits, cake and fruit to keep energy levels up. Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements or particular dislikes as we don’t want you going hungry!

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 Mark-Making & Letterforms workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

Tutor: Bob Adams
Dates: Monday 19 to Friday 23 September 2011
Experience level: suitable for all levels, including beginners.
Venue: Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth RH3 7DF
Class size: 11
Fees: £395. Tuition £375 + £20 supplies fee. Lunch is included.
Deposit: £100, with the balance of the workshop fee payable 2 months before the class.

Description

Discharge is the process of removing colour from cloth and this class will enable students to fully explore all avenues, including:

• The use of bleach, Thiox and Formosol
• The colour variations, lines, textures and shapes that can be achieved as a result of different surface applications including shibori, spraying, stamping, printing, painting, monoprinting, scraping and resists.

Students will constantly be monitoring and reviwimg their results and be encouraged to explore the layering of different discharge chemicals and application methods. Time will also be devoted to putting colour back in using liquid fabric paints.

About Bob Adams
After a career as an art teacher, Bob now finds nothing more satisfying (or scary) than expressing himself on canvas or cloth… or teaching discharge, dye and stitch processes. His work has been selected for many juried and invitational exhibitions – including four Quilt National shows. Bob teaches internationally and is a regular tutor at the Quilt Surface Design Symposium.

Bob likes to teach in a way that brings out the individual in each student. He doesn’t want to end up in a class of clones, but believes that every student has their own unique way of working and a personal feel for what they’re seeking to achieve. Bob is able to draw students out of their comfort zones and inspire them to take what they have to offer in their own direction. He fosters problem solving as inevitably, everyone faces problems at some (if not many) stages of process and Bob wants people to be able to work things through and come up with solutions. He feels most people don’t give themselves enough credit and wants them to develop their potential on a very personal level – rather hen spoon-feeding them. Group and individual critiques are always a feature of Bob’s classes, encouraging students to look, reflect and extract the learning they’ve had, and how to take it forward.

The following extract from ‘The Art of Quilting’ featured on PBS sums up how Bob feels about making art and making quilts…

“The minute I started painting with dye I was pretty much off to the races. That was all I needed. When I first started, stitching was a way to attach pieces. Now the thread is a really integral part of my work. It makes a statement and it’s a serious part. I can’t do without it now whereas at first I tried to hide it because my sewing was so terrible. Now it’s what makes my work important. As you work on a piece it changes—starts out really soft without the stitching and by the time I’m done, it’s taken on a whole different tactile and visual quality that I can’t get with a brush and paint”.

Requirements

Black cloth
The C2C studio stocks a great range of commercial black fabric, including a black cotton that discharges to (almost) white with bleach. Other black cottons include cotton sateen and velveteen. Silk can also be discharged and we stock black organza, noile and habotai. All of these black fabrics have been tested for discharge, but do feel free to bring your own. Expect to use between 6 to 10 metres although as every individual works to a different pace, consumption will vary!

Hand-dyed cloth
Bring a selection of your own hand-dyed or surface designed cloth to explore. Again, how much you bring is up to you, but we’d suggest somewhere between 3 and 6 metres.

General supplies

• A good respirator mask; your mask must be capable of filtering organic vapours/acid gases, and fine particles. Art van Go stock a good one with replacement filters.
• A drop cloth measuring 2m x 1.25m. Please use something sturdy such as loomstate or drill cotton. Do not use an old bedsheet as it’s too thin and do not use calico as it holds creases. C2C stocks dropcloth material at £3.25 a metre – please pre-order.
• A sheet of sturdy (not flimsy) plastic measuring 2m x 1.25m. Again, C2C stocks plastic on the roll at £2 per piece.
• Apron
• Rubber gloves
• Personal thermofax screens (traditional silkscreens are available for student use at the studio, along with a great selection of other tools).
• Personal tools; although the studio has a great selection of tools (including items suitable for Shibori), if you have any personal tools you wish to explore, then bring them (and label them!)
• 10 large zip-lock bags
• Notebook/sketchbook and pencil/pen
• Camera for recording results
• Ipod or similar and headphones if you like to work to music.

Please contact us if you have any queries.

Please arrive between 9 to 9.30am on the first day. The class will begin no later than 10am. Whilst formal tuition/guidance will run between 9.30am to 5pm, the studio will be open from 9am until 6.30pm to enable students to continue working independently. The class will finish at 4.30pm on the last day.

We will provide lunch and on-going tea/coffee/water and biscuits, cake and fruit to keep energy levels up. Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements or particular dislikes as we don’t want you going hungry!

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 Honourable Discharge workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

This period at the Masseria will provide you with time out in paradise to do exactly what you want with dye paints, discharge paste and fabric paints. Rather than experience a structured class, each participant will come with a (rough!) plan of what they would like to achieve on their cloth. Claire will demonstrate one or two different techniques/processes each day and thereafter, will guide, support and cajole you towards wherever you want to go.

Description

As indicated, expect this retreat to be a period of experimentation, exploration and play. You can choose to:

• work on compositional wholecloth
• build a palette of cloth for piecing or collage
• simply explore different processees and see where they take you
• develop your technique on certain processes
• explore how to manipulate dyes and paints to achieve certain colours or values
• take cloth through many layers to develop depth and visual interest

The list is potentially endless and the choice is yours.

Whilst Claire will demonstrate some key processes throughout the class, there’s no obligation to do them yourself if they don’t fit in with what you’re trying to achieve. Claire’s main emphasis will be to guide and mentor, and push you to take risks in a safe environment.

The Masseria is also an inspirational place to spend time developing personal imagery. There’s much to look at in terms of line, texture and shape: the swallows drinking from the pool, the stone Truli houses, olive and almond groves, the warm stone of the buildings. So, if you choose to spend an afternoon or two with a sketchbook or camera, you’ll be taking back imagery that could find its way into your work in the future.

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.

Teaching will start at 9am and continue until 6pm, 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 any time they wish to.

Requirements

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 direct to Claire – please bring cash for this. 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
• Stencil making; interfacing & paint, freezer paper, masking tape and book-cover plastic
• Tools; one silkscreen each, bristle and foam brushes, needle-nose bottles, rollers, scrapers, a selection of textural thermoaxes, monoprinting plates, breakdown printing bits & pieces and other miscellaneous items.

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 Art van Go or Fibrecrafts.
• Run the machine at 60ºC.
• Line or tumble dry.

Other Supplies

• 8 to 10 metres of pre-washed/scoured un-dyed natural cloth of your own (see previous notes).
• 2.5 metres of cotton drill or something similarly sturdy to use as a drop cloth (not calico, it stays too creased).
• Cloth apron (or wear the equivalent of gardening/decorating clothes).
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs in case you hole one/a pair).
• If you already own thermofaxes, bring up to 5.
• 1 x silk screen: screens can be ordered from various suppliers (look on our website) and need to be made from 43T mesh. Almost any size will do, but we’d recommend bringing one measuring approximately 25×25cm inner diameter (a bit bigger or smaller is fine). If you have time, please put your name on the screen frame and then paint the wooden elements of the screen frame with 2 to 3 layers of ordinary water-based varnish (satin, matte or gloss finish). Don’t drip varnish on to the mesh!
• 1 × 9” Speedball squeegee (again, look on the C2C website for suppliers).
• 1 × 10-15cm squeegee such as a grouting tool with a rubber blade.
• 1 x old credit card or similar
• Notebook/sketchbook (for those who like to take notes)
• Pen and pencil
• 1 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 either cb@committedtocloth.com

Remember, to register, please email Jan King at jan@twistedthread.com

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

Key Info

Tutor: Bob Adams
Dates: Monday 26 to Friday 30 September 2011
Experience level: suitable for all levels, including beginners.
Venue: Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth RH3 7DF
Class size: 11
Fees: £395. Tuition £375 + £20 supplies fee. Lunch is included.
Deposit: £100, with the balance of the workshop fee payable 2 months before the class.

Description

Anyone who’s got to the stage of contemplating what kind of stitch will move a piece forward will be rewarded by this class. Students will explore colour, texture, shape and line using thread and the sewing machine as a drawing tool. You will be encouraged to step out of your comfort zone in the following ways:

• Loosening up your approach to stitching.
• Exploring the importance of thread.
• Colour selection; the discovery that unexpected or ‘weird’ colour combinations can surprise and delight you.
• Exploring how colour is affected by its environment and can be used to emphasize or neutralize shape.
• ‘Sketching’ with the needle (still life studies).
• Exploring different backing materials such as wadding/batting, acrylic felt and Lutrador.

About Bob Adams
After a career as an art teacher, Bob now finds nothing more satisfying (or scary) than expressing himself on canvas or cloth… or teaching discharge, dye and stitch processes. His work has been selected for many juried and invitational exhibitions – including four Quilt National shows. Bob teaches internationally and is a regular tutor at the Quilt Surface Design Symposium.

Bob likes to teach in a way that brings out the individual in each student. He doesn’t want to end up in a class of clones, but believes that every student has their own unique way of working and a personal feel for what they’re seeking to achieve. Bob is able to draw students out of their comfort zones and inspire them to take what they have to offer in their own direction. He fosters problem solving as inevitably, everyone faces problems at some (if not many) stages of process and Bob wants people to be able to work things through and come up with solutions. He feels most people don’t give themselves enough credit and wants them to develop their potential on a very personal level – rather hen spoon-feeding them. Group and individual critiques are always a feature of Bob’s classes, encouraging students to look, reflect and extract the learning they’ve had, and how to take it forward.

The following extract from ‘The Art of Quilting’ featured on PBS sums up how Bob feels about making art and making quilts…

“The minute I started painting with dye I was pretty much off to the races. That was all I needed. When I first started, stitching was a way to attach pieces. Now the thread is a really integral part of my work. It makes a statement and it’s a serious part. I can’t do without it now whereas at first I tried to hide it because my sewing was so terrible. Now it’s what makes my work important. As you work on a piece it changes—starts out really soft without the stitching and by the time I’m done, it’s taken on a whole different tactile and visual quality that I can’t get with a brush and paint”.

Requirements

General:

• Sewing machine with free-motion foot, oiled and in good working condition!
• Sketch pad, Pencil and Eraser
• Thick and thin permanent markers (e.g. Sharpies or laundry pens)
• Small colour wheel
• Cutting mat and rotary cutter
• Scissors
• Ball-headed straight pins
• Stitch riper
• 1 can of temporary spray adhesive such as 505 basting spray
• Any quilt tops or textile pieces that are ready for stitch but you’re struggling with.

Threads:
A good range of coloured machine threads, in cotton. Think:

• Light, medium and dark values
• Warm and cool colours
• Black, grey and white

Fabric and fabric preparation:

• Fat quarters: a selection of hand-dyed, dye-painted/surface designed and/or discharged cloth. Your own personal palette, but think warms and cools.
• Black, white and grey cotton; 1 metre of each
• Cotton batting/wadding; 1 metre

• Black & White cloth preparation; taking 2 metres of each into 8 fat quarters. Then, sandwich them together with cotton wadding/batting in between, with the white as one layer, and black as the other layer. You’ll be undertaking exercises with these pieces by adding strips and squares of colour.
• Prepare strips: prepare six to eight 1” strips in solid colours, and three to six 1” strips in large prints or from cloth with large markings. Choose colours you like to use in your work. Now take take 2 of the above fat quarters and prepare as follows:
• * On one sandwich add four, 3” strips of solid colour equidistant on either side, leaving black or white (depending on which side of the sandwich you’re working) in between the strips. You can sew, fuse or spray-baste the strips down.
• * On a second sandwich, sew, fuse or spray-baste four, 1” strips equidistant on either side, but use a combination of solids and prints. Again, choose to use the black side or the white side.

• Prepare squares: prepare twelve 3” squares in the following colour range: 4 warm, 4 cool and 4 neutral. You will be lining them up in 3 equidistant rows. Now take a third sandwich, choose whether to work on the white side or the black side and sew, fuse or spray-baste to achieve the following:

• Starting with your 4 squares of warm colours, lay them equidistant across the top and sew, fuse or spray-baste them down.
• Now take your 4 squares of cool colours and lay them down equidistant below the first row, with equidistant spacing.
• Finally, take your 4 neutral squares and lay them equidistant below the second row, with equidistant spacing.

You should end up with three equidistant rows, warm squares at the top, cool in the middle and neutral at the bottom. If confused, go to the following link and look at the pictures: http://artquiltsandmore.blogspot.com/

• Work in progress: bring a sandwiched/layerd quilt or stitched textile that you’d like to start stitching on, or are having trouble deciding where and how to start.

Please contact us if you have any queries.

Housekeeping
Please arrive between 9 to 9.30am on the first day. The class will begin no later than 10am. Whilst formal tuition/guidance will run between 9.30am to 5pm, the studio will be open from 9am until 6.30pm to enable students to continue working independently. On Friday, the class will close at 4.30pm.

We will provide lunch and on-going tea/coffee/water and biscuits, cake and fruit to keep energy levels up. Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements or particular dislikes as we don’t want you going hungry!

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 Thread: the Third Dimension workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

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 industrial felt or stretched canvas
• Combined with sheers or other layering devices

Food
Lunch, teas, coffee, water, and biscuits/cake will be provided as part of the class fee. Please advise us if you have any specific dietary requirements as we don’t wish you to go hungry! As a general note, non-wheat bread will always be available (home-made Spelt or Rye) and we keep Soya milk in stock.

Description

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 industrial felt or stretched canvas
• Combined with sheers or other layering devices

The studio will be open from 9am until 6.30pm. Teaching hours will run from 9.30am 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 and thermofax
• 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
• 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.

On Friday, Leslie will also discuss different ways of using, finishing and presenting compositional cloth.

Supplies Fee
The supplies fee of £25 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, emulsion paint, masking tape, Tyvek, soy wax, basting spray, 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.

Requirements

Cloth
We have an excellent selection of PFD (prepare for dyeing) cloth available to buy during the class, but please feel free to bring your own. You’ll need between 6 to 8 metres of natural fibre cloth (cotton, linen, silk, rayon) and please scour it if it’s not PFD. 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.

You may wish to consider pre-dyeing a couple of metres in pale-to-medium values of your colour choice, although high-water immersion dyeing will be available at any time.

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 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; wash at 60C, with 3 tbsp of soda ash and a tsp of rinsing agent (e.g. Synthrpol/Metapex), 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, although thermofax screens can be made during class.
• A 1.5 × 3m drop cloth of cotton drill, or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash it. We have dropcloth fabric available here at £3.25 a metre.
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
• 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 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.
• An ipod 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.

Please contact Leslie if you have any queries: lm@committedtocloth.com

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 Beyond Background workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

Co-tutored by Leslie and Claire, this 5-day workshop is a design focused event to enable students to access and develop personal imagery and develop a personal design approach. It will be structured around the contents of the book, ‘Finding Your Own Visual Language’.

Description

Back by popular demand, this retreat will be structured around the contents of the book, ‘Finding Your Own Visual Language’;

• Getting Started; you will be encouraged to undertake visual and written design exercises before the class starts, and during the class. These exercises will enable you to discover and develop ideas from within the personal imagination and from external triggers/sources, including ideas on imagery, texture, pattern, movement, colour palette and surface design.
• Moving Forward: translating design ideas into potential compositions, exploring and discussing composition and design principles, using the principles and tools as a checklist
• How’s it Going: taking time out to review work-in-progress, self-critique, give feedback and make decisions.
• Going Deeper: guidance on how to use written exercises to communicate visually on a deeper level.

The class will encourage students to cut, tear, draw, paint, stitch, sample, explore, think, research, evaluate and discuss ideas and concepts.

By the fourth day, students will have the opportunity to start exploring their ideas through wet processes and/or stitch. Plenty of time will be allowed for one-to-one and group reviews.

Housekeeping
Please arrive between 9 to 9.30am on the first day. The class will begin no later than 10am. Whilst formal tuition/guidance will run between 9.30am to 5.30pm, the studio will be open from 9am until 6.30pm to enable students to continue working independently. On Friday, the class will close at 5pm.

We will provide lunch and on-going tea/coffee/water and biscuits, cake and fruit to keep energy levels up. Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements or particular dislikes as we don’t want you going hungry! We always keep non-wheat bread (home-made Spelt & Rye) & crackers in stock, and Soya milk.

Requirements

Please bring;

For design work;

• Cutting mat if you have one (we have several for general use)
• Craft knife & paper scissors
• Ruler
• Black card (about 10 x A4 sheets, or larger)
• A selection of coloured papers; magazine cuttings etc. are great, as is wrapping paper (about 10 sheets)
• A selection of hand-painted papers for collage use. Approximately 10 x A3 sheets or 20 x A4.
• A sketch pad (A4, A3 or A2; whatever your preference)
• Tracing paper
• Tissue paper (white)
• Glue or glue stick
• Pens, pencils, crayons and any favourite mark-making tools (corks, feathers, scrapers, stamps etc.). Again, we’ll have a good selection for you to use.
• Design sources/inspiration; items from a personal stash of ‘found’ objects, postcards, tear-outs from magazines, favourite books, cloth (or bits of cloth), threads etc.
• A camera for referencing of design sources from the garden/surrounding fields etc.
• An ipod if you like to work to music

For dry (stitch & piecing) work
Stitch work is optional, but…

• If you think you may want to use your sewing machine consider bringing it, but we’ll have two here. Bring any fabric you may wish to use if this is the case.
• If you think you may want to hand-stitch, bring threads, needles and cloth.

For wet/bench work
Again, there’s no requirement to work wet – you can spend the entire time developing your imagery, but…

• bring no more than 3 metres of scoured, natural-fibre fabric (although there will be plenty available from C2C stocks)
• a pair of rubber gloves
• a 1.5×3m dropcloth
• a cloth apron (or pack ‘dirty’ clothing!)
• a 2m piece of roll of sturdy plastic

And finally, bring a piece of your own work that you love and a piece that’s in progress but as yet unresolved. Equally, bring samples, photographs, albums or paste-ups of your work.

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

Key Info

Description

Requirements

Gallery

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

Key Info

KEY INFORMATION

Tutor: Jo Lovelock
Dates; Thursday 22nd to Saturday 24th March 2012
Experience level; suitable for all levels.
Venue; Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, RH3 7DF
Class size; 10
Fees: £225 including supplies and lunch every day.
Registration: email Claire at cb@committedtocloth.com

Description

This 3-day workshop will explore simple and effective ways of achieving a palette of (almost) solid and textured fabrics – perfect for quilt-making or collage. Jo will provide examples, give demonstrations and explain recipes and process throughout the workshop and supporting handouts will be provided. The emphasis will be on practical, hands-on experience and students will engage with:

• ‘family’ immersion dyeing to create a range of related colours and values
• scrumpled and pleated resists in litter trays for textural effects
• fold-and-clamp resist techniques for graphics and patterns

Whilst some fabrics will be irresistible after one process, the workshop will encourage over-dyeing to achieve depth, richness and complexity of colour and value.

Towards the end of the workshop, students will have the opportunity to begin exploring compositional ways forward with their resulting cloth, and Jo will share examples of her own work.

About Jo
Jo has a background in graphic design but now works full-time with textiles. She has a degree in printed textile design and is currently working as an artist in residence at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham. This role includes giving one to one tutorials to the second and third year degree students, sharing ideas, inspiring, motivating and building confidence gain in their work.

Jo creates her own art pieces for exhibitions and site responsive work exploring the relationships between people and buildings and the landscapes they are found within. She is particularly inspired by the patinas that are created on the internal and external fabric of a building as a result of the passage of time. She also produces a commercial range of hand dyed cloth and threads.

Jo has always been fascinated with shibori and dyeing processes and uses a variety of resist techniques in her work including clamp, stitch and wax resist. She has an extensive knowledge of tray dyeing methods having been taught by the tray dyeing expert herself, Leslie Morgan.

Requirements

WHAT TO BRING

Dyeing Supplies

• Three kitten or cat litter trays (kitten litter trays are a little smaller then cat litter trays).
• Three 10 litre buckets.
• A dust mask for mixing dyes.
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs in case one gets holed).
• Ten medium zip-lock bags
• An indelible, black marker pen (such as a Sharpie or laundry pen) for marking your fabrics.
• Notebook and pen.
• Camera.
• Wear old clothes and comfortable shoes.

Cloth
You will need approximately 10 to 15 metres of PFD (Prepared for Dyeing) fabric and we recommend that you stick to one fibre type. as this will help you to understand how a particular cloth responds to the processes. What you choose will be dependent on personal preferences and how you utilize your fabrics. The C2C studio stocks a good selection of cloth and recommendations include:

• Cotton sateen
• Heavy Habotai silk
• Silkco (a silk-cotton mix)

If you’d like C2C to supply your cloth, please let Claire know one month before the class, at which time she will advise you on pricing and pre-order for you (email cb@committedtocloth.com).

If you have queries about the class content, please email Jo direct on jo_lovelock@yahoo.co.uk. To find out more about Jo’s work, visit her websites:

www.jolovelock.co.uk
handdyedfabrics.co.uk

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

Key Info

Key Information

Dates; Monday 23rd to Friday 27th April 2012
Experience level; suitable for all levels, no previous experience needed.
Class size; limited to 9 students.
Venue; Potters Farm Studios, Betchworth, Surrey.
Class fee: £375, includes supplies and lunch every day.

Description

CLASS DESCRIPTION
Make friends with colour! Study colour from personal sources or simply experiment spontaneously with colour. Find out what you like and what you could learn to like. Use your colour sources to prompt a colour scheme to achieve through immersion dyeing and dye paints. The key aims of this workshop are to enable students to:

• start a colour journal
• understand Procion Mx Dye and how to use them to generate colour schemes to use in future work
• develop a personal colour palette.

On Friday, Leslie will also discuss different ways of using your cloth to create harmonies and/or create contrasting elements within a colour scheme.

The studio will be open from 9am until 6.30pm. Teaching hours will run from 9.30am to 5.30pm with breaks.

*Food
 *
Lunch, teas, coffee, water, and biscuits/cake will be provided as part of the class fee. Please advise us if you have any specific dietary requirements, as we don’t wish you to go hungry!

Supplies will include use of the following media and materials:

• Mx Dyes; in a variety of colours
• Various Chemicals; for making chemical water and print paste, and salt and soda ash
• Tyvek, for labeling your samples
• 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.

Requirements

WHAT TO BRING

Cloth

We have an excellent selection of PFD (prepare for dyeing) cloth available to buy during the class, but please feel free to bring your own. In total, you’ll need between 11 to 15 metres of natural fibre cloth (cotton, silk, linen, hemp, visocose or mixtures thereof). If it’s not PFD (prepared for Dyeing), please scour it in the washing machine at 60°C, with 2 tablespoons of soda ash and some laundry detergent. You’ll need to do this in 2 to 3 loads. The cloth will be used as follows:

• immersion techniques: 8 to 10 metres.
• dye paints: 3 to 5 metres. 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 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.
• 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:

• Inspiration: choose a colour source with 4 or more major colours in it that excites you – monochromatic doesn’t work for this class. The source can be a photograph, postcard, a piece of fabric or object, items from a personal stash of ‘found’ objects, postcards, tear-outs from magazines, favourite books, cloth (or bits of cloth), threads etc.
• 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.
• A 1.5 × 3m drop cloth of cotton drill, or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash it. We have dropcloth fabric available here at £5 per metre.
• 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 on the order of process and media used for each piece of cloth.
• A3 or A4 Spiral Sketch book with heavy cartridge paper for your Dye Diary.
• A glue stick or double sided tape.
• Pen and pencil.
• An iPod if you like to work to music.
• Your camera.

If you have any questions about workshop content or the requirements list, please email Leslie direct: lm@committedtocloth.com

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

Key Info

KEY INFORMATION

Dates; 3pm Sunday 20th May to 5pm Friday 25th May 2012
Experience level; suitable for any level.
Venue; The Crow Timber Framed Barn, Baltimore, Ohio, USA
Fees & Registration:
Early payment (paid in full by December 1st 2011: Tuition ($580) & Meal Plan ($230): US$810
Regular payment (paid in full by February 1st 2012): Tuition $615 & Meal Plan ($230): US$845
Please go to www.nancycrow.com for full information on fees, meal plans and registration.

Description

CLASS DESCRIPTION
This period at the Crow Barn will provide you with time out in paradise to experiment with a variety of mark-making tools, focus on one of them and resolve some of the pieces you produce. The class will be structured as follows:

Experiment
On Monday, Claire and Leslie will start by demonstrating a wide range of tools, showing how each can be manipulated to achieve different effects. Approaches will include:

• scraping
• writing, doodling, scribbling & sketching
• mono printing
• painting & dry-brushing
• using found objects
• silk screen (key approaches only)
• brushes

Each student will then work on samples to experiment and explore all of the approaches, using dye paints or discharge paste.

Focus
On Tuesday morning, the results from the first day will be rinsed out, ironed and pinned up on the design wall. Each student will be asked to choose a single approach to focus on for the remainder of Tuesday, and through Wednesday. Focusing on one approach will enable each student to:

• explore the many different effects/marks a single tool can generate
• use repetition to develop mastery of the tool
• work up layers of single marks (in different values or colour combinations)

Resolve
On Thursday morning, Claire & Leslie will provide an inter-active lecture on how to review work-in-progress and give consideration as to how to resolve or move on individual pieces of cloth. Students will spend the rest of Thursday and Friday morning resolving up to three pieces.

Generally…
Leslie and Claire will circulate throughout the class to give guidance and advice, with emphasis on one-to-one discussions on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. Clear-up will take place between 2-3pm on Friday afternoon, and the class will close with a group review between 3-5pm.

How students use their resulting cloth is up to them, but options include:

• compositional whole cloth
• a palette for cutting up and restructuring/collage
• garment or interiors yardage

For more experienced students…
Those who have studied with Claire and Leslie will know they are relaxed if more experienced students choose to work independently from the class format. If this is something you’d like to do, then go for it – but please let Claire & Leslie know in advance so they can plan accordingly!!

CLASS HOURS
Teaching hours will run from 8.30am to 5.30pm with breaks, although Leslie and Claire will be available from 8.00am to 9.30pm.

SUPPLIES & SUPPLIES FEE
Feedback from previous classes has indicated that many students would prefer to ship or transport less equipment. As such, in addition to supplying the media, we provide access to a selection of tools. The supplies fee of $40 will include use of the following media and materials:

Procion Mx dyes;* Strongest Red, Mixing Red, Sun Yellow, Golden Yellow, Turquoise, Mixing Blue, Deep Black and Chocolate. Claire & Leslie will provide help and guidance on colour mixing. Participants are welcome to bring other colours for personal use.
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, Transparent Extender Base, metallic Gold, Silver and Chocolate.
Resists;* Soy Wax, flour paste, cover film, freezer paper, masking tape (for resist work on cloth or on-screen).
Chemicals;* Urea, Ludigol, Calgon, Sodium Alginate/ProThick SH (for making Chemical Water and Print Paste), Soda Ash, Salt and Formosol.
Tools:* a selection of key tools will be provided, including:

1. distressed bristle decorators’ brushes
2. foam brushes
3. a selection of bristle & synthetic artists’ brushes
4. monoprinting plates (large & small)
5. tjantings & other soy wax tools
6. credit cards and scrapers
7. rollers
8. needle-nose bottles

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 3 to 4 different people per day will be responsible for keeping stocks topped up. Recipes will be posted to ensure consistency throughout the week. Other media will be available for use at any time.

Requirements

WHAT TO BRING

General Advice on Cloth
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). 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).

Please label or make an identifying personal mark on all of your cloth.

‘Sampling’ Cloth
For the first day, each student will need 20 sample-size pieces to experiment with different approaches. Whilst the size of sample pieces is personal, we recommend you don’t go too large as this will restrict your options as each piece will take longer! As such, we recommend you sample on individual pieces no larger than the equivalent of 12” x 12” – although the format can be individual, e.g. 6” x 24” if a long, thin format is preferred.

‘Focusing’ Cloth
Bring an additional 6 to 8 yards of cloth to use from Tuesday to Friday. It may not all be used – this is dependent on individual working styles and remember, you’ll be re-working/layering some of your cloth several times.

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:

• Silkscreens: please bring 1 – even though the emphasis of the class isn’t on the use of silkscreens, you may need one to resolve your work-in-progress and move it forward. Screens can be purchased from Dharma Trading (www.dharmatrading.com) or Dick Blick (www.dickblick.com). Please do not buy screens that use cord to hold in the mesh as they aren’t as good as glued screens. Please label your screens and waterproof the wood by applying 3 layers of water-based wood varnish. Once dry, pre-scour the mesh by scrubbing it with hot water and a cream cleanser – this is important as otherwise, freezer paper stencils won’t stick to the mesh.
• Squeegees; one Speedball 9” squeegee with a cream or maroon plastic handle and a rubber blade. One grouting tool/spreader (look in hardware stores and kitchen shops) or a credit card squeegee to use with thermofax screens.
• 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.
• Thermofax screens: again, thermofax use will not be the focus of the class, but it can be worth bringing up to three of your favourite thermofaxes in case they are needed to resolve pieces on Thursday and Friday. Note; we hope that someone will be able to bring a thermofax machine to the class. If this is the case, C2C will organise mesh and frames and provide at cost. Please advise us if you can provide a thermofax. Please note that if a thermofax service is available, you will need your imagery to be in laser print or photocopy format (not inkjet). India ink will also generate a thermofax, as will some pencils. You can photocopy in Pickerington or Lancaster.
• Two drop cloths: made from cotton drill, denim or something similarly sturdy. Please pre-wash/shrink it and allow for a finished size of 4’x10’. Old bed sheets aren’t suitable as they’re too thin and avoid heavy muslin or canvas as it holds creases.
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
• A good-quality mask. This is important if you wish to undertake discharge work. A normal decorators mask will not be sufficient for this purpose. Discharge work will take place outside.
• One box of ball-headed or T pins.
• A small cutting mat.
• Craft knife (preferably with a nice, pointy, sharp blade – such as an Exacto knife).
• One small cat or kitten litter tray.
• One black Sharpie or waterproof pen.
• One pair of scissors, suitable for paper and fabric.
• 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 of your own process.
• Sketch book/white paper for on going design work, pen and pencil.
• ipod if you like to work to music.

NOTE: we would prefer a participant to supply the soy wax pot rather than tote our own over the Atlantic. Please advise us if this is something you can do.

Please contact both of us (in case one of us is away) if you have any queries:

Claire Benn: cb@committedtocloth.com
Leslie Morgan: lm@committedtocloth.com

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

Key Info

KEY INFORMATION

Dates; 2pm Sunday 27th May to 5pm Friday 1st June 2012
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 14 with one bench per participant guaranteed (as opposed to the normal workshop size of 20).
Venue; The Crow Timber Framed Barn, Baltimore, Ohio, USA
Fees & Registration:
Early payment (paid in full by December 1st 2011: Tuition ($580) & Meal Plan ($230): US$810
Regular payment (paid in full by February 1st 2012): Tuition $615 & Meal Plan ($230): US$845
Please go to www.nancycrow.com for full information on fees, meal plans and registration.

Description

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

After a successful independent study retreat in 2011, this retreat will be run in 2012 for those who’re seeking:

• a large workbench of their own
• a smaller group size
• 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.

Leslie and 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:

Sunday 2pm arrival;* starting at 2pm on the Sunday will enable a fast start on Monday morning – effectively, an extra half-day. As such, participants should arrive at 2pm on the Sunday (having eaten lunch). Un-loading, set-up and studio familiarisation will take place from 1 to 3pm (please do not arrive before 2pm). Cars need to be moved up adjacent to the Yellow Barn once un-loaded.
Sunday 3pm to 6pm;* to help Leslie and Claire understand individual goals, the group will meet between 3pm and 6pm. Each participant will be asked to talk for 10 minutes to outline their intention for the week. This talk can be supported with printed images, personal imagery, colour or value references or personal tools that might be planned for use.
Sunday 6pm;* dinner.
Monday to Thursday; * the Barn will be open from 7am to 10pm. Whilst formal ‘class time’ will be from 8.30am to 5.30pm, Claire & Leslie will be available to the group from 8am to 9.30pm 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 Barn opens at 7am and class closes at 5pm. Clear-up between 2-3pm, closure session 3-5pm.

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; * Strongest Red, Mixing Red, Sun Yellow, Golden Yellow, Turquoise, Mixing Blue, Deep Black and Chocolate. Claire & Leslie will provide help and guidance on colour mixing. Participants are welcome to bring other colours for personal use.
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, Transparent Extender Base, metallic Gold, Silver and Chocolate.
Resists;* Soy Wax, Elmers’ Glue, flour paste, cover film, freezer paper, masking tape (for resist work on cloth or on-screen).
Chemicals;* Urea, Ludigol, Calgon, Sodium Alginate/ProThick SH (for making Chemical Water and Print Paste), Soda Ash, Salt and Formosol.
Tools:* a selection of key tools will be provided, including:

1. distressed bristle decorators’ brushes and foam brushes in various widths
2. a selection of bristle & synthetic artists’ brushes
3. monoprinting plates (large & small)
4. tjantings & other soy wax tools
5. credit cards and scrapers
6. rollers
7. needle-nose bottles

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 3 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.

Requirements

WHAT TO BRING

The Intention
Perhaps the most important element to bring with you. We are 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, we 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: **give thought to preparing or assembling specific 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 yards 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 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).

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)
It is hard to be specific as to what tools and supplies to bring, as each individual’s needs and preferences will vary. However, for direct surface work we recommend:

• Silk screens; up to 3 in number, your choice of size (think small, medium & large). Please put your name on the frame and waterproof the wood by applying 3 layers of water-based wood varnish. When the final layer is dry, please pre-scour the mesh by scrubbing it with a cream cleanser and hot water.
• Thermofax screens (if you have them). Note; we hope that someone will be able to bring a thermofax machine to the retreat. If this is the case, C2C will organise mesh and frames and provide at cost. Please advise us if this is something you can provide. Please note that if a thermofax service is available, you will need your imagery to be in laser print or photocopy format (not inkjet). India ink will also generate a thermofax, as will some pencils. You can photocopy in Pickerington or Lancaster.
• ONE squeegee (we recommend the 9” Speedball squeegee – beige or maroon handle with brown rubber blade).
• An old credit card or spreader to use as a squeegee with thermofaxes. Spreaders can be found in hardware stores or kitchen shops.
• Mark-making tools of individual choice; a good selection of tools will be provided but if you have favourites, bring them.

NOTE: we would prefer a participant to supply the soy wax pot rather than tote our own over the Atlantic. Please advise us if this is something you can do.

General Supplies

• 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. Please pre-wash and shrink your dropcloths to size; the largest benches measure 9’ x 4’ so if you allow for this size, you’ll be fine.
• Rubber gloves (suggest 2 pairs).
• A good-quality mask. This is important if you wish to undertake discharge work. A normal decorators mask will not be sufficient for this purpose. Discharge work will take place outside.
  ONE box of ball-headed or T pins.
• A small cutting mat.
• ONE small cat or kitten litter tray.
• Craft knife (preferably with a nice, pointy, sharp blade – such as an Exacto knife).
• ONE black Sharpie.
• ONE pair of scissors, suitable for paper and fabric.
• 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.

Please contact us if you have any queries. In the meantime, we look forward to a week of focused work.

Claire Benn: cb@committedtocloth.com
Leslie Morgan: lm@committedtocloth.com

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

Key Info

KEY INFORMATION

Tutor: Jan Myers-Newbury
Dates; Monday 27th August to Friday 31st August 2012
Experience level; suitable for all levels.
Venue; Potter’s Farm Studio, Station Road, Betchworth, RH3 7DF
Class size; 11
Fees: £400, including supplies & lunch every day.
Registration: email Claire at cb@committedtocloth.com

Description

CLASS DESCRIPTION

Explore the incredible variety of marks and patterns on cloth that can be achieved with tied, clamped and stitched resist methods. The serendipity of the dye pot combines with knowledge to create fabulous results. The emphasis will be on producing richly patterned fabrics relatively quickly, multiple dyeings, and combining techniques. As the 5 days progress we will explore compositions with these fabrics – relationships that will guide further dyeing. You will leave the workshop with a wealth of samples, know-how, design ideas, and excitement.

Please note that we will be working with Procion Mx dyes on COTTON fabric – NO SILK fabrics. Supplies will include Procion Mx dyes, salt, soda ash and detergent.

About Jan Myers-Newbury
Jan Myers-Newbury is known for her geometric, pieced quilts using hand-dyed fabrics, and more recently for works using shibori fabrics of her creation. She has exhibited and taught nationally and internationally, been included in fourteen Quilt National exhibitions (more than any other exhibiting artist) and in 1993 won the Best of Show award. Her work is in the permanent collections of the Museum of the American Quilters Society, the American Craft Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, the Museum of the American Quilters Society, and the Minnesota Historical Society. 5 of her quilts are in the collection of the American Quilt Study Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. Nearly 200 of Jan’s quilts are included in corporate and private collections throughout the United States.

In 1999 she was an artist presenter at the Third International Shibori Symposium in Santiago, Chile. Also in 1999, her quilt “Depth of Field: A Plane View” (made in 1986) was selected as one of the 20th Century’s 100 Best Quilts.

Currently Jan is employed at home as a full-time mother and a not quite full-time artist. She is an active member of the Fiberarts Guild of Pittsburgh, sponsoring organisation of the biennial exhibition “Fiberart International”, and served on the board of directors of the Surface Design Association 1999 – 2005. At the present time her teaching is itinerant and confined to workshops in places where she really wants to teach!

Requirements

WHAT TO BRING

Dyeing Supplies

• If you already have dyeing supplies and are arriving by car, bring as many buckets as is convenient (up to 5).
• A dust mask for mixing dyes.
• Rubber gloves that come at least 10-12cm beyond your wrist (surgical-type short gloves are not good enough for this class).
• At least three lengths of plastic PVC (plumbing) pipe for arashi shibori (pole-wrapping). This can be any diameter up to 10cm diameter. DO NOT BRING LENGTHS LONGER THAN 60cm. DO NOT BRING DIAMETER GREATER THAN 75mm.
• Any clamping devices that you locate around the house, or that you wish to buy and bring (C-clamps, bulldog clips, large squeeze clamps…)
• An assortment of “hard” shapes for clamping: jar lids, small blocks of wood, washers, chop sticks, Lego pieces, poker chips… use your imagination.
• 1 metre of nylon braided or coiled rope of a substantial diameter (1cm or more).
• Needle and hand-quilting thread for hand-sewing and stitch resist; thimble if you use one.
• Small scissors and seam ripper.
• Rubber bands (assorted sizes); bring about 200.
• Cord and/or string; at least 250 meters. This could be crochet cotton, cotton weaving warp, string, various sizes are good – even preferred.
• An INDELIBLE black fine point marker (Sharpie) for marking your fabrics.
• One large Tyvek mailing envelope (can be a used one).
• Stapler + extra staples.
• 4 small yogurt or similar containers.
• 4 plastic dry cleaner bags or other clear thin plastic.
• Wear old clothes and comfortable shoes.

Cloth
Bring at least 20 meters of COTTON PFD (Prepared For Dyeing) fabric. I cannot stress enough that this MUST be PFD fabric. There are several possibilities: unbleached muslin (cheapest), bleached muslin, print cloth, Kona cotton, pima cotton. The C2C studio will have stock of the usual cotton sateen, and if you wish us to lay in 20 metres for you, please let us know 1 month ahead of the class.

It is essential that you pre-scour the fabric you’ll be dyeing, even though it is PFD as this generates even better results. Jan generally cuts 2-metre lengths of fabric and washes about 10 metres at a time in a large wash load. Use the hottest water possible, longest cycle, and Synthrapol or Metapex detergent + 2 tablespoons soda ash. If you do not have Synthrapol or Metapex, use a liquid detergent that does not contain any whiteners or fabric softeners or bleach). DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER IN THE WASH, OR IN THE DRYER. IT IS BEST IF YOU CAN HANG THE FABRIC TO DRY. DO NOT IRON IT.

For Composition

• If it is convenient for you to bring your sewing machine, do so. IT IS NOT NECESSARY. We WILL be doing cutting and composition. However, you can do composition on your design board and photograph the results if you do not wish to sew. Note: the studio has 3 sewing machines. If you wish to reserve one, please email cb@committedtocloth.com. Precedence will be given to those traveling by train or by air.
• Cutting board (can be modest size), straight edge and rotary cutter.

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

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

Gallery

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

What next?

Reserve yourself a place, click here

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.com

Description

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

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 Human Marks workshop.

Join the waiting list

Key Info

KEY INFORMATION

Due to demand, Dorothy has kindly agreed to run a second Human Marks class:

Tutor: Dorothy Caldwell
Dates: Monday 5th November to Friday 9th 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.com

Description

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

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 Human Marks workshop.

Join the waiting list