Taught by:

Offered:

Sunday, September 12

Monday, September 13
FULL/CLOSED

Experience level: ALL levels welcome

Wildly irrepressible Meg McElwee has created an offering for you that takes the sweet and ordinary and elevates it to the fresh, original—and dare we say, mystical realms.

Maybe some of you have already dipped into the blue magic that is cyanotype, but whether it is familiar or a brand-new approach to making textiles, the cyanotype is only one part of what we will be doing.

Imagine you and nature as co-creators, dancing with the impish sunlight as it works its magic upon cloth. Together, you gather fragments of the world around you: delicate leaves, tiny flowers, curious textures, and meaningful objects, and invite them to leave their impressions behind.

Then, with your own colorful whimsy, you add your voice through thoughts and thread, stitching a little bit of yourself into the fiber. The result is a piece of fabric that holds a conversation between you and the natural world.

Meg will guide you through the magical photographic process of cyanotype printing. Before you arrive, you will send her a personal photograph, which she will transform into a cyanotype-printed fabric canvas. This piece will become the starting point for playful, intuitive embroidery with the help of Meg’s gentle guidance.

Next, as you spend time together lakeside, you will create an additional cyanotype piece from scratch. Together, you will paint cyanotype chemicals onto fabric, allow the fabric to dry, gather natural materials from the surrounding landscape, and experiment with photo negatives, found objects, and botanical elements. Using the power of the sun, you’ll expose and develop your fabric print, then rinse and dry the finished piece to reveal the beautiful blue-and-white imagery.

By the end of the workshop, each participant will leave with two unique cyanotype fabric canvases: one featuring their personal photograph and one created through their own sun-printing experiments. These pieces will be ready for further stitching, embellishment, or simply a quiet moment of creative reflection during your remaining time at the lake.

Kit fee: $25 USD

Materials:
Everything you need for the cyanotype portion of the workshop will be supplied in your kit and will include:

• Personal photograph printed as a cyanotype image on fabric (prepared by Meg prior to the workshop)
• Personal photo negative printed onto transparent film for use during the workshop
• Fabric for additional cyanotype experiments
• Cyanotype chemicals
• Additional photo negatives and image-making materials provided by Meg
• Assorted objects and materials for creating cyanotype prints

Kit fee: 25

Materials:

Everything you need for the cyanotype portion of the workshop will be supplied in your kit and will include:

• Personal photograph printed as a cyanotype image on fabric (prepared by Meg prior to the workshop)
• Personal photo negative printed onto transparent film for use during the workshop
• Fabric for additional cyanotype experiments
• Cyanotype chemicals
• Additional photo negatives and image-making materials provided by Meg
• Assorted objects and materials for creating cyanotype prints

Students need to provide:

• Embroidery hoop (your preferred size)
• Embroidery thread/floss in colors of your choosing
• Preferred embroidery needle
• Personal stitching kit (thread snips, scissors, thimble, marking tools, etc.)
• Optional: additional natural objects, lace, or meaningful small items you would like to experiment with in your cyanotype prints