Classes I teach

Following this post is a list of the classes I teach. I am told my teaching fee is reasonable.

 

Transfer Printing and Stitching

Beginner to advanced-1 or 2 day workshop.

Transfer Printing is a method of getting permanent colour onto synthetic materials such as lutradur (a polyester non-woven fibre), polyester and polyester organza. The process allows you to get three prints so that a series can be created. We also explore methods of melting back and free machine stitching to embellish your printed fabric. Using Polyester fabrics such as organza allows you to build layers and play with transparency and overlays and still create your own distinctive fabrics and pieces.

You will need your machine with darning foot.

There will be a cost of 10 Euros per participant for the cost of the transfer dyes used.

Playing with Tifaifai (Hawaiian) Tradition.

Intermediate- advanced- 2 day workshop. Some sewing machine skills necessary

This is the subject of my book Tifaifai Renaissance, published by Pride Publishing

The workshop is two days using the technique of the wonderful Polynesian appliquéd quilts, but using modern inspirations. You can use my designs, or you can create your own designs and I will show people how easy it is to create your own design. We will also use a simple colour palette of two contrast colours, and if necessary a third highlight contrast. The aim is to create an exciting quilt top.

The designs can be simple and small and made into blocks or larger and more intricate so that they can be made into a quilt top of about 40 inches (100 cms) square. The design will then be cut out and free machine appliquéd to background cloth. A darning foot is essential. The second day will be spent discussing and designing borders to complement the quilt top. This is an important aspect of any quilt.

I can provide patterns for participants to use, or can assist students in creating their own Tifaifai designs.

Inspiration in fabrication

Beginner-Advanced, 2 day workshop

This is a two day workshop designed to make an expressive original quilt top. It is a process class not a technique class although techniques will come into the discussion. Participants will be asked to choose an environment they enjoy, e.g. the sea or landscape, or a photographs/inspiration pictures they may have of flowers, windows, doors- anything at all, or abstract designs. It is a free form class in which I facilitate – which means everyone will be making their own individual piece, and I will offer suggestions, ideas or techniques which may help the development of the quilt. The participants will bring fabric to the workshop that reflects the environment (it is difficult to specify exactly as each participant will be doing something different- but a few larger pieces- up to 1 metre would be helpful to use as backgrounds)

The idea is to translate your chosen theme/picture/inspiration into fabric using any number of techniques and effects. We will also engage in some printing in order to create unique fabric and I will bring some lino-cuts for participants to use should they wish. There will be a small charge for the printing ink if used.

I can assist participants to draw cartoons form which to work if they are not confident in drawing skills. We will explore the use of texture through free machine appliqué and couching, and anything we can think of.

Most of the processes will be done with a machine and a darning foot is essential.

At the end of the class students will have explored a favourite environment or element, and will have used it for colour clues, texture ideas and have extended themselves using different machine techniques.

Creating Journal Quilts

Beginner to Advanced, 1 day workshop, some machine skills required.

Creating journal quilts seems to have become a popular activity however they can be a very effective way to create your own glossary of techniques and imagery. They are useful in working out imagery you might want to work with without committing to a big piece or they can simply be a fun record of experiences and inspirations. This class is designed to get you started and to explore ideas, images and techniques.

Machine Quilting and free Machine Applique.

These two classes can be combined to make one class

Machine Quilting

Beginner-intermediate, 1 day workshop

This is a one day workshop for those participants who want to be more adventurous with their machine quilting. We look at machine quilting as a decorative enhancement for your quilt. The methods explored are particularly effective for quilts employing areas of solid colour, landscape quilts and innovative quilts/wall hangings. You can bring quilts that need quilting for ideas on how to approach the quilting.

The aim is to create texture and to some extent embroidered effects.

A darning foot is essential for this workshop as well as the instruction booklet that comes with your machine.

Free machine Appliqué and Embroidery

Beginner to intermediate, 1 day workshop

This is a one day workshop exploring free machine appliqué (raw edge) and other free machine techniques to create texture and interest in your quilt. Participants will create several small appliquéd pieces which will incorporate machine appliqué.

A sewing machine with a darning foot is essential. An embroidery hoop would also be useful.

I can provide a kit which will make a small wall hanging of a banksia (the background will be the size of a fat quarter), with contrasting colour, vliesofix and water soluble plastic at a cost of 15 euros per participant. However some other fabric will also need to be brought.

Print Your Own Fabric

Beginner to Advanced- 1 day workshop.

This workshop is designed to show participants simple techniques to create individual fabric which can be made at home without great expense.

This is a good workshop in conjunction with the dyeing workshop as hand dyed fabrics lend themselves to being printed- however commercial fabrics can also be printed.

Methods include printing with foliage/leaves/seed pods, found objects or anything with a relief surface, linocuts, stamps, bubble wrap, doilies and stencils. I will demonstrate how to make a simple a linocut, and a stencil with plastic contact paper.

I will provide a number of lino-cuts and stencils for participants to use in class.

There is a cost of 12 euros for printing inks per participant for the use of printing inks which will include at least one metallic printing ink and a pearlescent ink.

Breaking All the Rules

Beginner- Advanced, 2 day workshop

This is a two day workshop with the aim of completing a quilt top up to 140 cm square in dimension. (participants can work smaller if desired or make a rectangular top- it is flexible). We will use simply colour contrast- like light/dark, bright/dark, patterned/plain and perhaps use one or two highlight colours.

The idea is to make a top which suggests geometry but which is created by free machine appliqué or piecing in such a way that nothing meets, and yet it still looks geometric. The choice of method is up to the participant. The finished top has a definite ethnic “feel” or impression- for example adinkra cloth from Africa, or mud cloth form Mali.

The second day we will create borders that tell a story to go with the central panel- your favourite shapes or the interpretation of a child’s drawing, anything at all

The appliqué will be free machine appliqué, so a darning foot will be essential.

I can provide hand dyed cloth at a cost of 20 euros per metre.

Master Class

5 day class for intermediate to advanced textile practitioners

In the last 3years I have been studying for a Masters degree in Visual Arts, which has required me to explore a concept and bring it into a visual reality exploring various techniques with which to best explore the concept. In particular I have be looking at my cultural history ( as I am a Dutch Immigrant in Australia) and how I can use that history to create my art. I am particularly mindful that there have been stories in my family of French and Spanish ancestry and on a recent trip to the Netherlands found that there was more to this than simply stories. I studied old photographs of members of my family dressed in Costume from Zeeland in the Netherlands and found that there was such a richness of fibre and fabric and jewelry and story that I could use. Everyone has histories, myths and memories that they can use in their work to create a unique way of expressing themselves. This class is about exploring these histories and memories in order to create a new form of visual expression in fibre.

This workshop is designed to create an original quilt or fabric or fibre structure incorporating dyeing, printing, designing, planning and creating. Whilst some techniques will be used as in dyeing and printing and constructing- this is a process class. Hopefully given the time span participants will be close to finishing their piece/s, but some participants may wish to explore certain methodologies or designs or histories rather than completing a whole quilt.

It would be useful to study some Textile History books before hand and bring them to class if possible particularly if participants can identify certain regions their families may have come from or moved to or any other cultural matter or treasures that relate to the past of a particular family. I would also encourage students to contact me before the class so that I may provide some guidance in exploring the type of material/cultural artefacts/histories that could be explored.

There will be a cost of 10 -20 euros per class for the use of dyes and printing ink. The cost will depend on how much the participant uses.

Dye Your Own Quilt Fabric.

Beginner- advanced- 1 day

A one day workshop in which cotton fabric is hand dyed and over dyed to create maximum colour effects. We will also look at simple resist techniques to create interesting effects such as scrunching, tieing, and folding. We will discuss colour mixing, but there will not be any gradation dyeing.

Participants will go home with 5-6 metres of hand dyed fabric in lots of different colours.

The workshop can be adapted to dye specific colours for particular projects, e.g. sea colours, brights, and even lengths of cloth (though this may entail paying a little bit more for dye depending on the length of cloth). Participants can nominate specific colours they would like to dye.

There will be a cost of 10 euros per participant for dye and soda ash.