Bring your handwork projects and stitch with your BARN friends.
This ongoing gathering - not a class - is all about hand needlework and embroidery. It is a time to get together and stitch, and get a little advice and help with your project.
Come if you're interested in embroidery, visible mending, needlepoint or hand sewing. It's always interesting and fun to see what others are doing, and to share your work!
Free to members, guests pay a $10 drop-in fee.
Registration is not required, and drop-ins are welcome, but please register to receive reminder notices.
Ages 14 and up are welcome.
View BARN’s current COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition assistance is available. Fill out the application before registering.
For those who might need physical assistance, learn more about our Companion Program.
Dale Walker hosts these Better Together sessions. She is the Fiber Arts Needle Arts Coordinator, and enjoys weaving, knitting, embroidery, sewing, dyeing, and surface design.
Spend your Monday afternoons immersed in fiber and friendship!
This "class" is not about instruction, but it is about grabbing your knitting and heading to BARN. Share your projects and plan your next one. Explore new ideas, finish projects and see what fellow knitters are making.
Betsy Hagestedt had been working with fiber since she was in elementary school, having learned to sew and knit from her mom. As an anthropologist, she uses her fiber practice as a means of connecting with people from other cultures, embracing the universal nature of the fiber arts. Knitting gradually became her specialization due its portability as she began to travel around the world. You can see some of her fiber experiments on her Instagram feed at behestknits.
Spend the afternoon weaving at BARN.
Do you like to weave on a rigid heddle loom?
Crazy about frame loom weaving?
In love with weaving on floor looms?
Does weaving tapestry pieces make your heart flutter?
If your answer to one or more of these questions is yes, then drop on by and come hang out with your fellow weavers every Wednesday from 1:00 to 4:00 PM. This is also a time we schedule labs or study groups.
If you would like a reminder before each session, you can register. Drop-ins are welcome.
Free to members, guests $10.00 drop in fee.
Registration is not required.
Please click here for BARN's current COVID-19 health & safety protocols.
Join us for a monthly spinning session.
Everyone - from first-timers to experts are welcome! Spin on one of BARN's spinning wheels or bring your own. Dive into BARN's stash of fleece or bring your own.
Whether you've been spinning for years or you are just curious, drop by and check out BARN's spinning community. We're excited about getting you started in spinning, so come on in!
Free to members, $10 drop-in fee for guests.
To receive reminder emails about this event, please register. Drop-ins are welcome.
Come meet fellow cosplay and costuming enthusiasts and learn new skills!
About this Class: This is an interest group open to everyone who wants to share skills and learn more about cosplay and costuming. Do you want to learn how boning works? Want to understand EVA foam? Interested in leather working but don’t know where to start? Each month we will tackle a new theme lead by someone with experience in our chosen area to discuss the material or method. Have an idea for a topic or theme? Send an email to the organizer at behestdesigns@gmail.com.
Upcoming Topics:
Skill Level: All levels welcome
Join fellow weavers one day a month for a year-long study group to view Jane Stafford’s Online Weaving Guild episodes on our big screen TV in BARN's small classroom. Learn new weaving techniques while we share our successes as weavers. We will be starting with Season 1, back to the basics!
Participants need to enroll in the JST Online Guild. The online guild requires a fee to join, which is not covered by BARN. Once you join, you also will have access to all past episodes and helpful information posted on the JST Weaving School website. Please register so you can get reminders for the upcoming watch parties.
Details:
Instructor:
Facilitated by Weaving Studio volunteers
Drop in to knit some socks with a supportive and social group!
This time around our Knit-Along is all about portability as we go out into the world for our summer fun! Join us whenever you can, and knit one or more pairs of socks over the summer. If you’ve never knit socks before join us to talk about all your different options, including knitting one sock at a time vs. two, starting at the toe vs. the cuff, and which heel style each of us prefer. Want to try knitting socks for the first time? Stay after our KAL for the evening knitting circle to keep working on your projects!
Skill Level: Know how to knit
Students will come away from this class with (at least!) one pair of socks
Time to grab your knitting and head to BARN!
Join knitting enthusiast Betsy Hagestedt, share your projects, and plan your next one. Explore new ideas, finish projects, and see what fellow knitters are making. This is a great time to immerse yourself in fiber and friendship!
Please register so you can get reminders of the next Knitting Circle.
Skill level: All levels
Betsy Hagestedt hosts these Knitting Circles. She Betsy has been working with fiber since she was in elementary school, having learned to sew and knit from her mom. As an anthropologist, she uses her fiber practice as a means of connecting with people from other cultures, embracing the universal nature of fiber arts. Knitting gradually became her specialization due to its portability as she began to travel around the world. You can see some of her fiber experiments on her Instagram feed at behestknits.
Calling All Open Weavers:
Basket makers of all levels and backgrounds are welcome! Bring your current projects, completed works, or just your curiosity. Weavers share techniques, design ideas, materials information; ask and answer questions, and problem solve.
To receive email reminders of this event, please register. Drop in are welcome.
We meet the third Tuesday of each month, from 10 am to 2 pm in the Fiber Arts Studio. Email Cyndy Holtz with questions: cyndy.holtz@gmail.com.
Free for BARN Members and a suggested $10 donation for non-members.
If you have questions, please contact Fiber Studio lead at fiber.lead@bainbridgebarn.org
Be introduced to three shibori techniques, using indigo and natural dyes, guided by a world-renowned artist and teacher.
BARN is thrilled to welcome Ana Lisa Hedstrom for this three-day journey through the basics of three kinds of shibori: Arashi shibori pole wrapping, Itajime shibori folding and clamping, and "sewing-machine resist." An exciting component is the use of all-natural dyes throughout the class. There will be an indigo vat, natural dyes on pre-mordanted fabric, and a one-bath natural dye for protein fabrics.
Ana Lisa will bring indigo-dyed samples from Japan and examples of her own work, as well as a collection of books and catalogs for inspiration and education.
Bring a sack lunch. BARN has a refrigerator and microwave on the lower level.
We will work with a variety of natural fabrics, including cotton, linen, silk, and wool, to make samples and scarves. Designing with shibori fabrics will be an integral part of classroom discussion.
For the segment on machine-stitched shibori, local students are welcome to bring their own sewing machines. Others will be able to share a BARN sewing machine after an orientation. More details will be discussed on the first day of class.
Ana Lisa will share her life’s journey producing shibori dyed textiles from one of a kind Art Wear to installations on paper and industrial felt.
We are so happy to welcome renowned artist Ana Lisa Hedstrom to BARN. Join us for an evening presentation in the Great Room followed by a chance for discussion with this wonderful fiber artist as she brings us her unique perspective on shibori! If you have ever wondered what shibori is all about, this is a chance to find out from a master teacher and innovator.
A small fee is charged to support our BARN programs.
Weaving beginners and experts alike create a scarf to take home on these portable, easy, and versatile looms.
Weaving on a rigid heddle loom is fun and easy. The looms are small and portable and your weaving can be as simple or as complex as you like. This class is for those new to weaving or established weavers looking for a way to make quick projects.
You will learn how to direct warp the loom, how to do simple balanced weaving, how to identify and fix simple mistakes, and how to remove the finished project from the loom.
Rigid heddle looms are perfect for weaving with hand-knitting yarns. You will choose from a variety of yarns provided by BARN to make a scarf you'll finish by the end of class and take home.
Skill Level: Beginners to advanced weavers
A $25 materials fee, included in the cost of the class, covers all materials needed.
Bring a bag lunch. BARN has a refrigerator and microwave on the lower level.
A scarf to take home.
This class is led by a rotating team of Fiber Studio weavers and fiber artists, including Terry Winer, Dale Walker, and Sybil Carrere.
Welcome back to the Fiber Studio!
Now that we have all finished our summer adventures, join us in the studio to get back together and share what we have been doing. We will drink some tea and coffee, and each person can share the project they are most proud of having finished over the summer. This is also the official end to the summer finishing challenge, so hopefully you have been sending in photos of all your finished projects - each finished object receives an entry in a prize drawing for a surprise that will be announced at the event (you don't have to attend to win, but we would love to see you there)!
Image credit: Ekaterina Belinskaya
Let's help one another get a better fit with sewn garments!
Fitting garments for yourself is tough. It’s hard to make adjustments while you’re wearing the garment, and once you manage to figure out the adjustments you need to make, how do you translate that to your pattern? And by the way, what does “good fit” even look like?
While BARN looks for a fitting teacher, let's try helping each other. This group is guided by the folks who come. Bring patterns, garments, and projects-in-process that have you wondering about fit, and we’ll pool our collective knowledge to answer our questions to find the right fit.
Please sign up each month so we know you’re coming!
Learn the basics of designing and block printing your own repeat pattern designs on textiles.
Explore the endlessly creative potential of surface design on textiles in this class for anyone who would love to learn the art of block printing and creating repeat patterns on textiles. It is the slowest process of printing and, once mastered, quite rewarding, showing the artisan’s touch. These techniques date back to ancient civilizations but still stand the test of time in their popularity.
We'll begin the process by designing a simple motif within the confines of a small square, which will then be carved. We'll discuss mixing pigments and the various ways of designing, registering, and repeating motifs when printing on fabric. Then the fun part: testing and printing your design to create various repeat patterns. Demonstrations will help guide you through the entire process all the way through heat-setting.
Students will take home their own hand-printed bandana with their unique design as well as the skills to continue exploring the process on their own.
Christa Schoenbrodt is a life-long Middle Tennessean and has lived a life of creativity. Paper was often her preferred surface as a printmaker and graphic design studio owner (Studio Haus). Then she learned the artistry of block-printing repeat patterns and textile design, which merged perfectly with her design sensibilities. The slower, more experimental pace of hand-printing repeat patterns presented great surprises and opportunities to accept the “imperfections” inherent in the process. She works with textiles using not only block-printing processes but also digital design, silkscreen, Cyanotype and, more recently, sewing.
Explore stitches and needlework with other embroiderers!
In this study group we will explore different set of stitches or needlework techniques each month.
We will get together, show what we are working on or would like to work on, share books, resources and help each other learn new techniques.
Fiber Studio volunteers will facilitate this group.
Learn how to add pockets to any sweater pattern!
If you believe that every garment needs at least one pocket to really be functional, then this is the class for you. We will discuss ways to add pockets to just about any knit project, including patch pockets, set-in/bagged pockets, and seamed pockets.
We will look at some issues with knit pockets - such as saggy material, and how they can be combated. Some patterns are more challenging than others to modify for pockets, and we will also discuss if there are instances where pockets are not a good idea. If possible, students should bring patterns the they would like to add pockets to in order to provide specific examples that are helpful to their knitting goals
Skill Level: Confident Beginner, should have knit a sweater.
Students will come away from this class able to add pockets to any sweater knitting pattern
Students should be comfortable knitting sweaters, preferably having completed at least one sweater knitting project.
Class Policies
Nervous about knitting your first sweater? Get support in a class that walks you through each step of the process!
Want to knit a sweater, but too nervous to try? Join this class to work through the project with a supportive group of people.
For this class we will use the Wool and Honey Sweater pattern by Andrea Mowry: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wool--honey. This is a sweater that packs a big visual punch with very achievable constructions methods. We will start the first session by talking about critical issues like fit and gauge before casting on our sweaters In subsequent sessions we will work through many issues, including the short row section, the elongated stitch pattern, transitioning at the sleeves, magic loop for small circumference knitting, and using appropriate cast offs.
Students will make a Wool and Honey Sweater in their own size. Among other skills students will learn about short rows, gauge and fitting, sweater shaping, magic loop method, and finishing
Students will make a Wool and Honey Sweater in their own size. Among other skills students will learn about short rows, gauge and fitting, sweater shaping, magic loop method, and finishing.
Class Canceled by studio-CR
Learn simple dyeing and warping techniques to achieve different color-based looks in your woven fabrics.
Different color-based looks in woven fabrics can range from quasi-ikat color shifts to colorful blocks of your favorite colors. Or you can dye both skeins together and use the second for your weft.
Dyed skeins of yarn for rigid heddle warps.
Be able to warp a rigid heddle loom.
Terry Winer is a long-time knitter, spinner, dyer, and sewist who enjoys creating a community of fiber artists who get together work on their fiber projects.
Need a quilt? Need a pillow? Make a Quillow!
Perfect as a quilt, throw, extra pillow and handy to have along on car trips!
Make a twin-sized (72” x 90”) quilt that folds up into a pillow pocket for easy storage or display.Using pre-cut materials, 10” squares of fabric known to quilters as “Layer Cakes,”, you will sew a twin-sized quilt top from start to finish.
The pattern will be based on Half-Square Triangles (HSTs), and hand-quilted using the “tying” method with pearl cotton. From extra squares left after creating the quilt top, a pillow pocket will be sewn and added to the back of the quilt top. The finished quilt is easy to store, display on a couch or bed, or kept in the car for travel or emergency use. Several final quilt top layout designs will be shown and discussed.
In this class you will learn to:
A $40 materials fee includes:
1 layer cake (precut 10” squares, 42/package) main color/patterns
thread if color other than white is desired
If you choose to use BARN sewing machines, you must have taken the introduction to the Babylock Presto 2 orientation.
Join Koyukon Athabascan tribal member Audrey Armstrong to prepare, sew, mold, and adorn a fish skin basket.
Learn to construct a fish skin bowl from an artist whose works are known throughout the United States.
You will be provided with fish skins, which you will prepare on the first day. Then you will sew the pieces together around a bowl mold, and adorn your bowl with beads or other decorations you may bring from home.
Your bowl/basket will measure approximately 6” in diameter and 3-1/2” high.
The skins of two fish will be used per project.
You will clean the skin and preserve the skin overnight in an alcohol solution.
On the second day, you'll sew the pieces together around a bowl mold.
On the third day, you'll complete the rim and begin to adorn the bowl with beads or other decorations you may bring from home.
On the final day, you'll finish decorating and make the final touches.
Skill level: Beginner
Audrey Armstrong is a Koyukon Athabascan tribal member originally from Galena, Alaska, who now lives in Anchorage. She is known for her mastery of the art of the fish skin basket, which was self-taught. Audrey’s dedication to the art of fish skin basket making has led her to travel throughout the country and abroad. She has taught more than 35 classes around the USA, including for the Smithsonian. Her works are included in collections and displays around the USA. When she is not making and teaching fish skin baskets, she can be found outdoors pursuing her passion for fly fishing. You can learn more about Audrey and her passion for fish skin basket making at:https://salmonlife.org/archived/stories/salmon-sewing/
Spend a week unraveling the joy of the four-harness floor loom.
Weaving combines color, fiber, and patterns in endless unique options to create cloth.
This five-session class is hands-on using floor looms and other equipment. The class will emphasize learning how to weave, how to set up a floor loom, how to plan projects, and how to read a weaving draft. We will also talk about weave structure and patterns. During the class you will weave samples with the focus on learning how to weave and plan.
Students will use BARN floor looms and equipment.
There is a $30 materials fee included in the class price.
Although the official class ends at 2, students are welcome to keep weaving throughout the afternoon (and evening if you are really motivated!).
Alex Mckeon brings creativity and enthusiasm to the fiber studio. Whether at the loom or creating her new fashion, Alex inspires all who work with her.
Learn the best ways to start and end a knitting project, depending on its purpose.
There are so many different ways to begin and end a knitted piece, but which method is right for which project? You will learn about different methods of casting on and casting off, and which is best in which circumstance based on the type of project that you are making and for the yarn you are using. We will also talk about finishing knitted pieces, including weaving in ends and blocking.
Students will come away from this class with a sample of different cast ons and cast offs, and an understanding of when each is appropriate.
Join fellow weavers and weave a pair of warp-faced placements on your rigid heddle loom.
In this weave-along for rigid heddle loom weavers, you will learn how to make placemats using thin, cotton yarn held double for the warp and bulky cotton yarn for the weft. You can also make substitutes for the bulky weft yarn by using clothes-line rope or cut-up T-shirts. The end result is a mostly warp-faced, thick, machine washable placement.
During this session participants will warp their looms and begin weaving. Depending on how long you stay, you will then finish at least one placement and then can complete the set on your own.
Introduction to Rigid Heddle Loom Weaving or equivalent. Participants should be able to warp their looms with minimal assistance.
Terry Winer is a long-time knitter, spinner, dyer, and sewist who enjoys creating a community of fiber artists who get together work on their fiber projects. Terry teaches many of the "Introduction to Rigid Heddle" classes at BARN.
Get support in planning the fiber and weave pattern of your next project
Are you ready for a new weaving project but not quite sure where to start? Bring your ideas and BARN weavers will be available to talk you through your next step. We can talk you through pattern selection, fiber choice and warping steps.
The Fiber Studio’s Weaving Labs are facilitated short workshops (1- 1.5 hours) on a topic, technique, or idea for weavers of all types of looms.
These workshops are during Weaving Wednesdays, so you are welcome to bring a weaving project to work on too.
Host: Weavers of the Fiber Studio
Explore seasoned barks from growing, to harvest, to weaving, to finish.
.Learn to prepare Judy’s seasoned barks for a plaited platter with shallow or deep sides. Meditative rows of twining define the sides and swirls of your basket. There is an innovative chase weave Judy developed while designing this basket. The edge treatment, bordered with roots or barks, will be thoughtfully chosen for each piece. These remarkable containers are woven to become both a serving piece on the table, but also to serve artfully on the wall. The basket incorporates a variety of willow barks, and roots and threads for the border.
Skill Level: This is an intermediate workshop—some experience with basketmaking is recommended.
There is a $135 materials fee for this class. You will be using barks, roots and thread hand-selected by Judy for this class.
Love to weave, but hesitant to "sley" the dragon? This one-day workshop coaches you through the warping steps of a floor loom.
Fiber studio volunteers will coach you through using the warping boards, then transferring your warp to the loom and winding on. From there you can thread your heddles, reed and weave away!
Bring enough warp fiber for your project. We can coach you through winding your warp, setting up your loom, and putting your warp on the loom. This workshop focuses on back-to-front warping.
BARN is committed to accessibility. Tuition Assistance is available - click here to fill out the simple application before registering for a class. For those who might need physical assistance, please learn about BARN's Companion Program here.
BARN weaver volunteers
Fall weaving weekend is for you, by you, and all about weaving!
Treat yourself to a weekend of weaving! Join your fellow weavers for a three-day retreat where we blast through a project from start to finish. Enjoy sharing your project with your fellow weavers and marvel at the variety of projects warped and ready to weave.
This is how it works: you reserve a loom (or bring your own), bring your own project to work on, and weave ... all types of weaving are welcome.
View BARN's current COVID-19 health & safety protocols.
Weave a set of mug rugs for holiday gifts!
Learn to weave some pretty small rugs, for your mugs! These are quick and easy to weave and make great last-minute gifts. In this weave-along we will learn how to adjust the warp to enable weft-faced weaving which results in nice, dense fabrics. We will explore some simple tapestry designs to add interest and play with colors, and we will learn how to make multiple rugs from one warp.
Weave-along: As a weave-along, this is an opportunity for weavers to explore a technique and share their results.
This is not a formal class, rather a demonstration of a techniques and an opportunity to try it out.
Skill Level: Advanced Beginners (must be able to warp their loom and make simple weave fabric)
Learn how to transform birch bark into functional art in the form of a box.
Birch is a remarkable tree found in the boreal regions around the world. The bark has long been utilized by indigenous peoples from Scandinavia through Russia, Alaska, Canada, and New England. Join us to learn about this amazing and versatile bark and continue its long history of tradition. Karen will share her knowledge of gathering birch while speaking to the seasonality and sustainability of this wonderful material.
In this class you will follow traditions creating a lined and lidded birch box while learning a variety of stitches to beautifully finish and strengthen the rims. The top can then be embellished with contrasting bark that may be stamped with leather tools to add a unique and personal touch. The importance of stitch placement and good pattern layout while reading the natural character of the bark will be emphasized. Finished container measures about 5x5x4 inches.
Skill Level: Beginning
Bring sack lunch. BARN has a refrigerator and microwave on the lower level
Karen Sherwood began her basket weaving journey creating purposeful containers useful for wilderness survival. Over the last 35 years Karen’s understanding of natural materials along with her refinement of weaving techniques has allowed a greater understanding of the enormous skill possessed by early basket makers. She carries a passion for exploring historic basketry techniques and styles and brings this to her work, in part, by harvesting and preparing her own materials.
Come design and knit custom stockings just for your family!
Working from a standard pattern, this class will help you design stockings tailored to your personal holiday decor and the personality of each of your family members. You will be able to add names, seasonal elements, and even motifs that demonstrate the interests of each individual. The first class focuses on designing your stocking and choosing colors, while the second and third classes will focus on the actual knitting
Skill Level: Intermediate, confident beginners should contact instructor
Student should have some experience knitting colorwork
Each student will come out with a custom stocking, and the skills to plan additional projects.
Learn how to fix knitting mistakes – everyone makes them – from the simple to the complex.
The good news is that nearly all knitting mistakes can be fixed fairly easily.
We talk about mistakes ranging from the simple (like how to pick up a dropped stitch without undoing those 12 rows you knitted after it was lost), to the more complex (like fixing cabling that crosses in the wrong direction or dealing with a twisted cast on in the round).
If you have specific questions, you can email them before class to make sure they're addressed (sometimes we need to prepare a visual to make things clear). You get a handout detailing the fixes.
Your own knitting projects, which will go from "oops" to "ahhh."
None are required.
None
Weave a fun scarf and learn a cool rigid heddle skill.
In this Fiber Studio weaving class, you will learn the magic of making a cross-weave cowl scarf. The two ends of the scarf are woven together to make a full cowl. In the first session, we will learn the warping secret. During the next session, you will weave your length and the magic of weaving the ends together will be revealed! The link to the pattern below shows many examples of the hero cowl.
Here are the materials you will need to complete your cowl:
Catherine Camp has dreamed of becoming a weaver since college days fifty years later BARN made that dream come true. She hope other dreams of weaving find their way to BARN.
Want to give knitting a try, but have no idea where to start? This is the class for you!
About this Class
Beginning at the basics, this class will teach you how to cast on, knit, purl, and cast off at the end - everything you need to complete a scarf. During class you will make a gauge swatch to learn the stitches in a small format before casting on a scarf that you can work on for the remainder of class, ending with a knit sample of some of the ways to use the simple knit/purl combo!
We will also talk about planning projects, including choosing needle size and yarn, as well as care for knitted items.
BARN Policies:
Instructor
Betsy Hagestedt had been working with fiber since she was in elementary school, having learned to sew and knit from her mom. As an anthropologist, she uses her fiber practice as a means of connecting with people from other cultures, embracing the universal nature of the fiber arts. Knitting gradually became her specialization due its portability as she began to travel around the world. She has lived in the UK and Canada, visited parts of Asia and Europe, and travelled extensively in South America. Now she designs knitwear patterns and loves to learn new techniques to expand her skills even further. When she is not knitting she can be found reading, practicing archery, or working with animals, and is always looking for new hobbies. You can see some of her fiber experiments on her Instagram feed at behestknits.
