Be ready to feel like you are 5 years old again! SAORI is a weaving style with no rules and restrictions. There are no samples to follow and there are no mistakes. Just weave what you want to with complete freedom and creativity. Every cloth woven by people with different personalities is lovely in a unique way. The irregular edges and accidental skips of thread add un-programmed beauty to each weaving. In SAORI, we do not weave only a cloth. We weave our true selves. The warp is already set up for you to start weaving right away! Your finished product will make a lively wall hanging, throw, or pillow cover.
 
Location: Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Instructor: Chiaki O'Brien
Cost: $140
Sponsor: Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Website, email, (608) 987-3292

Bengala dyes are made from soil and are "environmentally safe" and fun to use. You will love the subtle nature of the colors. Everyone will learn about the history and cultural significance of this unique dye form. We begin with a process of pre-fixing a yard square cloth. Then we fold the material in certain ways. Design with it however you like by knotting, twisting, clamping ... and dye with as many mud dye colors as you like. There will be 14 colors to choose from. You will have a big circle design just like a kaleidoscope! Sorry, this is not a good class for people who have a latex allergy as dyes contain latex rubber.
 
Location: Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Instructor: Chiaki O'Brien
Cost: $80
Sponsor: Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Website, email, (608) 987-3292

Want to make a cuddly memory quilt for yourself or someone special? This is the class to learn the technique. Take old clothes, T-shirts, and the like to make a quilt that reveals and records that person's life. It's a bit of a walk down memory lane, and it gives the fabrics a second life. You can expect to fully finish your quilt during this three-day session. Materials fee covers the batting we will use to complete the quilt. No sewing experience needed.
 
Location: Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Instructor: Dierdra Stary
Cost: $230
Sponsor: Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Website, email, (608) 987-3292

Develop experimental approaches to the layering of visual color and texture on cloth. This retreat is suitable for advanced-beginner to advanced level fiber artists. Enjoy the beauty of Lake Superior, healthy, locally-sourced meals and retreat amenities, all in peaceful surroundings in the woods and on the water. Lodging packages available.
 
Location: Bayfield, Wisconsin
Instructor: Carol Soderlund
Cost: $650
Sponsor: Wild Rice Retreat
Website, email, 715-779-0178

During this retreat, you'll learn how to extract pigment from indigo leaves and transfer its rich color onto cloth, from the palest blue to deep indigo. This retreat is recommended for those of all experience levels. The dye process will be explored from start to finish in a way that is exciting for novices and offers insight to even the most experienced dyers. Enjoy the beauty of Lake Superior, healthy, locally-sourced meals and retreat amenities, all in peaceful surroundings in the woods and on the water. Lodging packages available.
 
Location: Bayfield, Wisconsin
Instructor: Graham Keegan
Cost: $650
Sponsor: Wild Rice Retreat
Website, email, 715-779-0178

Creativity is a constant cycle. You'll experiment with ways to build up layers of fabric using quilting, stitching, applique, rearranging, deconstructing, and collage. We'll start each day by making 12" square flat panels of thick quilting. These panels are the structures that are like your prepared canvases. They'll be used for our experiments. We'll cut parts out, reconfigure them, and start to add three-dimensional elements. Directed exercises will constantly transform the artwork & challenge you! You will discover unexpected combinations, learn new techniques, and begin something magnificent. Please note: You will be learning the techniques necessary for building a three-dimensional vessel, but you will not be building one in this class.
 
Location: Denver, Colorado
Instructor: Kay Khan
Cost: $525 - $690
Sponsor: Art Makers Denver
Website, email, 303-263-6963

Have you been thinking about printing your artwork on fabric? It seems complicated, but Helen will guide you through the process of using Spoonflower, a custom printer that gives artists the ability to design their own fabrics. She'll show you how to do a simple replication of images for projects on cloth, how to put your image in repeat (called tiling and endless other project possibilities like making large-scale wall works, patterns for dolls or stuffed toys, and placement of images for apparel design. This isn't just a lecture; you will actually be doing the work with your own images during class and leave ready to place your Spoonflower order!
 
Location: Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Instructor: Helen Klebesadel
Cost: $70
Sponsor: Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Website, email, (608) 987-3292

I want to challenge you to see fabric and soft sculpture in a new way, to step outside our preconceived ideas of what is textile art. Using hand stitching and alternative techniques, we will be creating organic shapes inspired by creative exercises and our natural environment. We will explore combining found objects with fiber to create unique textures and embellishments. After we have generated lots of shapes and components to choose from we will approach the process like an assemblage, combining the individual pieces to create a larger abstract sculpture on top of a rigid armature. Intuition and spontaneity will be our companions. This class is completely accessible to the beginner and yet can also challenge the more advanced student.
 
Location: Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Instructor: Clarissa Callesen
Cost: $420
Sponsor: Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Website, email, (608) 987-3292

Create a simple landscape using recycled fabrics sourced from designers' showrooms. We will be helping the environment by keeping great fabrics out of our landfills while creating unique decor and gifts. Hand stitching grasses, trees, and flowers will personalize our creations. Materials fee includes threads, heavy fusible, edge sealant, and fabulous fabrics.
 
Location: Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Instructor: Suzi Dillinger
Cost: $130
Sponsor: Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Website, email, (608) 987-3292

Design and create the perfect fabric for your quilt project, home decor, or clothing. We will use several products to create marks that will resist dyes or paints. Techniques will include stencils, stamps, and free-hand drawing or brushing. No fabric-dyeing experience is required. Materials fee includes 2 yards fabric, all dyes, paints, and chemicals, use of instructor's stencils and stamps.
 
Location: Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Instructor: Suzi Dillinger
Cost: $1255
Sponsor: Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Website, email, (608) 987-3292

Akasha is the Sanskrit word for spirit, but more directly, it means the basis and essence of all things in the material world. Spirit dolls are art objects that are easy to create from recycled materials. These spirit dolls were initially created as a way to work through grief and trauma. The ritualized deconstruction of the garments and repetitive wrapping works as both art technique and meditative process. The finished dolls become the embodiment of the spirit of memory and can be used as a vehicle to transfigure sadness. These dolls are easy to create with simple household materials. Some physical dexterity is needed for hand sewing and stitching.
 
Location: Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Instructor: Lorraine Reynolds
Cost: $150
Sponsor: Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Website, email, (608) 987-3292

Come join us for three days of hooking fun with your friends. This class will enlighten your color-planning skills through assistance on the project of your choice and several mini lessons throughout the weekend. Learn more about color and value using the gray scale, hooking with swatches, feathering technique from 3-8 cut, choosing the wool for your project, and wool dyeing information. Also available will be a large selection of wool, hand-dyed wool, 6-8 value dyed swatches and rug hooking supplies. On Sunday morning, we will have a rug throw-down to view all the workshop rug results and take a class picture. Teresa will also have an optional evening presentation on the Guatemalan Rug Hooking Trip/Experience.
 
Location: Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Instructor: Teresa Steele
Cost: $260
Sponsor: Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Website, email, (608) 987-3292

Weave floral images in Boundweave, using beautiful colored wool on a cotton warp. Learn about the history of this fascinating weft-faced weave, how the structure of the warp is organized to allow the creation of pattern, and how to draw your own designs. Boundweave motifs are traditionally used to make striking wall hangings and rugs. Since the looms will be already warped, you'll be ready to weave right away when you arrive. In the two-day workshop you will complete a small project that includes several woven flowers! This workshop is perfect for beginners and still exciting for more advanced weavers wanting to learn a new technique.
 
Location: Mineral Point, Wisconsin
Instructor: Jennie Hawkey
Cost: $220
Sponsor: Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts
Website, email, (608) 987-3292