Textile Artist Books: Surface Design and Construction (Online)

Combine your textile design and book-making skills to make a book in this live-streamed workshop.

About this Class

Print, stitch, and construct books out of fabric. Learn how to color fabrics with ink, and create your own imagery on fabric using stencils and embroidery.

Mending stitches, which add fabulous texture and interest to textile pages, is taught. If time allows, transfer techniques are demonstrated and may be deconstructed and reconstructed to create layering and visual interest.

You learn three different structures that work well for textile books - accordion, Japanese side sewn binding, and pamphlet stitch. Each class includes digital slide shows with images for inspiration.

The use of recycled and reused fabrics is very much encouraged in this workshop. No sewing experience is necessary. This workshop will focus on hand stitching but you may include machine sewing in your piece if you wish

Details

• This workshop is streamed via Zoom. You will be sent a link the day before class.
  
• This class will be recorded and available to participants for 2 weeks after the class. 
• Class time is Pacific Time
  
• Skill Level: All levels.

Project

A book with a rich personal narrative reflecting its maker.

Materials

• A variety of fabrics - can be old clothing, table cloths, sheets, other household linens, or new fabric. Make sure there are some light-colored solids for coloring and printing. The equivalent of a square yard of fabric should be plenty to make a book.
• A variety of thread you might want to use - embroidery, machine thread, pearl cotton, sashiko, etc.
• Stencil material - file folders or stencil film
• Ink pad or acrylic paint for stencil printing - Yellow Owl Workshop or Ranger Archival Inks ink pads are recommended. Any acrylic paint also works.
• Ink for coloring fabric (optional) - any kind of bottled ink will work. This is optional.
• Tools you'll need are:
  

Prerequisites

None

Class Policies

• 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.

Instructor

Jody Alexander is a mixed media artist who lives and works in Santa Cruz and Penn Valley, Calif. She combines textiles, paper, found items, and imagery to create books, objects, wall pieces, garments, and installations. Her current work is inspired by the art of repair, reuse, and imagery and stories encountered in her travels and everyday. Be inspired by her website:  http://jodyalexander.com/