I recently received a grant from the Surface Design Association which will cover the tools and materials for a two-day natural dye workshop for low income individuals.  I am volunteering my time so that means I am able to offer it for free to scholarship students!  Others are invited to participate for only $75.  Are you in?  Scroll down for time and location details.

Please send this newsletter to any organization or individual you think might want to participate, too.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP//

NATURAL DYEING & SURFACE DESIGN WORKSHOP
Two Tuesdays, September 22nd & 29th 4:30-7:30 
@ Grace Church Van Vorst Jersey City @ Grove St PATH.  
Students must commit to coming to both Tuesdays.

You will go home with multiple silk scarves as well as stretched silk on canvas designed by you using natural dyeing, botanical printing and shibori techniques taught by Janna.

By way of funding from the Surface Design Association and sponsorship from Grace Church Van Vorst there are a number of scholarship positions for people in financial need.  Additional spots are available for only $75 including materials. Scholarship spots are available on a first come first serve basis HERE where you will register for the 'SDA scholarship' option and use the notes section to state why you require financial support.  The following is a (non-exclusive) list of ways that you may qualify for a scholarship. You will receive confirmation of enrolment within two days of applying.

You are:
-a student
-a pensioner
-a Medicaid recipient
- a SNAP recipient or recipient of Public Benefits
-a resident of low-income housing
-an elder in government housing/care
-a single parent
-homeless/living in a shelter
-recently released from prison

ABOUT THE ACCESS ART PROJECT//
This workshop is a part of the Access Art Project which makes art education available to low income individuals in the form of free workshops by way of financial support from granting bodies and sponsors.  After designing and organizing a comprehensive workshop based on skills that I can personally volunteer my time for I seek out financial support so that people who would otherwise be unable to afford extracurricular art classes may take them at no cost.

Feel free to email me with any questions and below are two posters in PDF form if you know of good place to post it - and thanks!

my email: janna (at) everleatextiles (dot) com

For more information on these workshop opportunities visit the Vancouver Yarn online shop and sign up for the newsletter.  I'll be sending out an update when I have group workshop dates lined up soon.

Also follow me on Twitter or Facebook for updates on free-skill shares that I'll be holding around BC this summer, too.  For fun pics there's always Instagram.

Janna

Join Unwind's Friday night knitting group in knitting the Unwind Lace Shawlette.  If you're new to lace knitting this is the perfect place to start.  I wrote the pattern for beginner lace knitters and will be there to give free instruction from 6pm-7pm on both days. Also the pattern is free AND Kim at Unwind is offering discounts on yarn purchased for the KAL, as well as draws and special gifts!

In this workshop students will, 1) make natural dye extracts 2) prepare fabric for taking natural dyes 3) make natural imprints on silk scarves using plant matter 4) use simple shibori resist techniques to create texture and pattern on silk scarves 5) shift colours using post mordants and dyes. 6) make and leave with a collection of samples of naturally dyed yarns.

Students take home five silk scarves and yarn for sample books.  There will be an opportunity to buy additional silk scarves at the workshop for $5-$10 each.  

In this workshop students will, 1) make natural dye extracts 2) prepare fabric for taking natural extracts 3) thicken extracts for printing 4) Make and use water-based resists 5)Print with thickened extracts on silk scarves using found or hand-made print blocks and stencils. 

Students take home five silk scarves.  There will be an opportunity to buy additional silk scarves for $5-10 each.

For five days in mid-July jennadawn and I participated as artists in Peristyle Nomade's la boite à médiation variable.  We participated as members of our artist collective, SCRATCH, but sadly our third member, Lauren Osmond, couldn't join us this time 'round.  In the past the three of us had planted a natural dye garden in Articule's garden and later gave a natural dyeing workshop there.  

For this event we proposed that people see our act of sharing knowledge (plant dyeing knowledge) as a performative art installation.  We spent five days in Parc Mederic Martin in Montreal, mostly staying close to our little dye hut (as seen above).  It was three days preparing natural dyes and fabric to be dyed and the last two dyeing cotton, linens and silks with marigold, onion skins, brazilwood, logwood, lavendar, pomegranate, tumeric and more.  Of course I had to have an indigo vat as well, especially since it was my only chance to have one this summer.  On day two we also held a fun natural dyeing and printing workshop.   As part of our mandate to share we offered a pamphlet with natural dyeing directions to anyone passing through and of course to anyone who inquired about the purpose of our being at the park.

There are some some pictures via the Peristyle Nomade facebook page.  Today we hosted dinner.  In the first picture below you can see me making crepes like a mad-woman :)

Below are more photos by LePetitRusse

I've been teaching an after-school program to grade 3's and 4's since last October and it has been so much fun.  We see each other every Thursday and they have only one hour to to learn a technique and make a project.  The things they make in that time are really impressive.  I'll be sad to be saying good-bye to these girls when I go on maternity leave soon.

These photos are from the embroidery class and the felting classes.  Some other techniques we've covered are natural dyeing, shibori, eco-printing, finger knitting, weaving, basketry and block printing.

Last month my friends, jenna and Lauren, and I put on a natural-printing workshop at the artist-run center, Articule.  All the participants unwrapped their bundles at home, so we don't have the finished silk scarf photos, but I have these ones.  I love how every stage of this technique is beautiful.

Yes there are more workshops to be had!  This time they are in Vancouver at The Window Community Art Shop.  First let me tell you a bit about The Window; it's a pretty special place.  The Window is a non-profit social enterprise which showcases local art and crafts.  Part of what they do is offer people with barriers to the workplace an opportunity to learn art-making techniques which they might use to create products to sell in the shop.  They also support local artists and are always looking for local work to sell so check it out if you have your own product line.  It just might be the place for you.  

Something else that is really special about this place is that it offers its space to sewers and ceramic artists.  So, after offering sewing and ceramic workshops their space is available to use to experiment with your new found techniques.  They have wheels, kilns, sewing machines and sergers right in the space!  So convenient and accessible!  Love it.

I'll be offering at this wonderful space: 1) Beginner Knitting ~on August 8th, 15th and 22nd~ and 2) Natural Dyeing ~on August 9th, 16th and 23rd~.  Both occur between 1pm-3pm on those dates.  

Beginning Knitting at The Window is for those of you who have never picked up knitting needles and are dying to learn.  Participants willleave the three-session workshop feeling comfortable with casting on, knitting, purling and binding off - You'll learn that that's all you'll ever need too.  Half way though the sessions students will have the opportunity to start a quick and easy project like this cowl (yes, by then fall will be just around the corner).  Other projects can be discussed based on the wants and needs of the students.

The Window has a community garden near by so I'm hoping to spend the bulk of the Natural Dye workshop there (weather permitting).  Students will learn how to make dye stock solutions using both found plants and store bought natural dyes for immersion dyeing and eco printing, and we'll use shibori resist methods to create pattern and design.  We will be experimenting with mostly silk but I'll have wool and other fibre there to sample with too.

Here are some photo's from the lace knitting workshop at Unwind.  Student shawls are still in progress and it's been fun to see how different yarns are knitting up with the same pattern.  On the first day we began by knitting mini samples of the shawlette so the students were able to sample all the different techniques right off the bat, including seeing how the shawlette pattern progresses and takes shape.  Above is Kim's sample in mohair.  Isn't it cute?

Indigo Dyeing
Participants will leave the workshop with the knowledge AND materials/supplies to begin their own in-home indigo vat.  We will also be exploring the fascinating Japanese art of shibori which will achieve beautiful texture and design on your indigo-dyed cloth.  

Three silk scarves are provided, but students can bring their own silk, cotton or wool fabric/clothing to the workshop to be dyed.*

It's a one day workshop on Saturday August 18th 

$75 plus $40 for the supplies which includes products for your own at-home indigo vat and 3 silk scarves. 

Additional silk scarves will be available to purchase at the workshop for $7 each.

Call Unwind to sign up

604 886 1418

*we will try, but It is not guaranteed that we will have enough time or dye to dye all the extra fibre you bring.  Please wash your fabric/clothing before the workshop to prep it for dyeing.

This is going to be a really fun workshop.  Students will learn how to make dye stock solutions for immersion dyeing, using shibori resist methods to create pattern and design.  We will also learn how to print on fabric using found natural materials.  Multiple mordanting techniques will be covered, as well as discharging and rusting techniques to achieve a plethora of results! 

FUN FUN FUN

Three Tuesday evenings from 5:30 pm-8:30 pm
August 7th, 14th & 21st
$99 (not including $58 materials fee)

materials fee includes 5 silk scarves and a selection of natural dyes and mordants to take home. There will be an opportunity to buy additional silk scarves at the workshop for $7 each. 
Unwind Knit & Fibre Lounge
1161 Sunshine Coast Hwy.
Gibsons, BC
604 886 1418

To register phone the store to reserve your space!  And if you're from out of town Kim at Unwind will pick you up and drop you off at the Langdale ferry terminal.  We've already got some out-of-towners signed up!

I'm teaching a beginner paper weaving class at Au Papier Japonais on February 2nd.  Today I wove some samples using the shop's wonderful hand-made washi (japanese paper).  Sadly the fine quality of the above brown kozo isn't captured in these photos - it looks more like paper bag :( when it's actually a special washi made with the inner bark of mulberry. 

On my last evening in Ulukhaktok Suzie and Julia took me to the old town where they all used to live before the community needed more space.  Every once and a while I'd turn my back to the wind to keep my face from freezing off.  But I stuck to the plan, braved the cold and we had a tea party in a blizzard.  The next morning they told me that they thought that maybe I was turning around in longing for my warm home. hehe.

This is us (less Cora and Diane) right before I left for my flight on the last day.  I'm wearing my atikaluk (a-tee-ka-look), a gift Mary made me, and the quiviuk hat the ladies made me on the knitting machine.  Some of the ladies in the picture are wearing the hats I made them for the awards ceremony we had had the day before.  Ada (far left) was the program coordinator.  She often picked me up in the mornings and took me to work on her snow mobile.  Even though it was only two blocks away,  I was very thankful, especially on cold windy mornings.  Sometimes it was as cold as -45 with the wind chill, and you could find people crawling through the blizzard to get to their homes.

This picture is of me wearing a polar bear head purse in an Inuvik art store, it has the actual bear nose partially still intact.  Can you believe it?  This is a rare find even in the Arctic.  Although I didn't see any polar bears while I was there, a grolar bear (polar grizzly hybrid) was killed the week before I arrived in Ulukhaktok.  It had been going through abandoned houses and was destroying things, so it was definitely a threat to the community.  Read about it here and here.  Below is a pic of that very grolar bear (taxidermed), in the Ulukhaktok Community Center.

I keep on meaning to do a post about this upcoming adventure of mine, but it is such a big deal and I've had so little time lately to, well do anything but school work and prepare for this adventure, that I've known that I cannot capture it all in one post.  So I'll do it in installments. 

The gist is I'm going to the Northwest Territories to teach textiles for six weeks!

I'm so excited that it almost got me off track with school while I was doing all the ordering for it.  Yes, there were a lot of orders to be made.  Since there are no yarn shops up there to save me from forgetting something I had to think of everything I'd need for a two week knitting workshop, a one week knitting machine workshop and a one week weaving workshop (eek!).  It was a dream planning all the lesson plans and figuring out what yarns I'd need.  Cara at Birkeland Bros was a huge help in helping me decide on replacement yarns for ones she didn't carry.  I ordered everything from her (except the knitting machines); yarn, looms, hand-knitting implements and accessories as well as sliver and spinning wheels for a spinning workshop that will occur before I arrive.  I'm really excited about the Sweetgeorgia sock yarn that I ordered.  I also got some roving from her for the spinning.  Wheeee!  On top of all of this wonderfulness I was told that a large donation of Qiviut was made to my portion of the program (I'll further explain the entire 15 week program in the near future).  It is a mix of 2 ply and 3 ply yarns that have been mixed with silk for strength.  So special.

Are you ready for the kicker?  I get to teach elderly women - what knowledge they will have. I even received an email with a picture of them which was beyond beautiful.  I know that this is going to be a special experience.

I leave April 8th.