Fall 2012

Wednesday 12 September - Sunday 16 September

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Story Scarves

Taught by: Maya Donenfeld

Thursday Sep 13 - all day
Friday Sep 14 - all day

Experience Level: All Levels
Kit Fee: $6

Story scarves are personal and wearable collages which incorporate textiles that are meaningful to the maker. Each one will be as unique as its storyteller and we will combine resourcefulness with imagination. Using deconstructed clothing from our closets and thrift stores, we will create a foundation scarf that will be used for layering on important pieces of fabric from our life. Familiar clothing, handkerchiefs, or bits of lace often reminds us of the people that wore them or the events that they were a part of. Incorporating these evocative scraps of fabric into your scarf honors the spirit in the cloth. This is sacred sewing.

The class will begin with sewing basics and an introduction to several classic fabric manipulations. You’ll learn how incorporate gathers, ruffles, and pleats in an innovative approach to adding texture and dimension to your fabric. We will be practicing improvisational sewing, which invites you to listen to materials, while following your intuition. Former participants in my sewing classes have remarked on how freeing and accessible this approach to stitching is.

Upon completing the sewing of your scarf, we’ll focus on creating a single image that represents its story. That drawing will be transferred to a soft block for carving your own personal stamp. This is a meditative and rewarding process on its own, but the act of printing your own design on to fabric and beyond is absolutely thrilling!

Some familiarity with a sewing machine is necessary, but only beginning skills are needed.

Materials List:

Sewing essentials: needles, pins, assorted thread, fabric scissors, seam ripper, etc.
Cast off garments made of linen and woven cotton
Meaningful fabric scraps
Buttons and notions
Rotary cutter, ruler and cutting mat are recommended, but mine will be available for everyone
Speedball linoleum cutters
Lots of extras will be provided by Maya.

Optional: your favorite sewing machine. No worries if you are flying in: there will be one waiting for you.

The kit fee includes the soft carving material and usage of my textile paints and ink pads