Bundles of Love

I learned about a really inspiring project today. It's called Bundles of Love. If you have a stash of fabric, beads, thread, etc., this website will show you how to package it all up to send to Iraq where women will use it to make clothes for their kids and items to sell to make a living. You can get a flat rate box at the post office. This link takes you directly to the "how to pack a bundle" page. I think it sounds pretty cool, and I think that I can pack up at least one or two boxes before the deadline (September 7th, before the end of Ramadan). It's a great excuse to clean out the studio before the fall and to imagine someone who has almost nothing getting a box full of a lot of fun somethings. Are you in?

American Craft Expo

Rebecca Ringquist, who teaches embroidery and print for fabric in our department, will be lecturing at the American Craft Expo in Evanston this Saturday. The panel, titled "Talking Textiles" also includes Chicago artists Christy Matson and Carol Jackson. For details, please visit the event's website.

Member Sale This Weekend

The member sale is this weekend- details above. Hope to see you there- where there will be artwork from members in all departments for sale. I'll be the one looking at the nuno felted scarves made by Frances Krueger Jackson.....

High Flying Flags!

At long last, the flags that Lindsay Obermeyer designed went up on the roof of Lillstreet last week. Viewable from the street, the el tracks, and the metra, they looked awfully beautiful this afternoon when I photographed them from the rooftop deck.




I hope you'll stop by (or ride by) and check them out. You can see pictures of the flags in progress and learn about Lindsay's interest in cell structures and polka dots on Lindsay's own blog.

Create your own patterns!!

There's nothing I enjoy more than making patterns for curtains, scarves, dish towels, whatever! This fall I'm teaching an 8 week course that will teach students how to turn their favorite images, colors, inspiration, etc... into patterns for the home. Below are some samples of inspiration, sketches and a final pattern (all topics that we will cover and explore in class):

Inspiration! Original sketches

Final Pattern.

Shameless Self Promotion: etsy edition

Hello! Rachel here. This week I launched my new etsy shop! www.tekstila.etsy.com.

Please check it out. Most of my items were created in the Lillstreet Textile studio, including curtains, pillows, purses, scarves and more... It was only a year ago I took Rebecca's amazing and fun Printing with Thickened Dyes class. She taught us so many wonderful techniques and cool tricks, I haven't stopped printing since. I was also aided and abetted by Allison Rose who has inspired and helped me immensely.

Dish Towels!

Scarves!

Pillows!

Zipper Tutorial

I am pleased to present the first of a series of video tutorials!
This first video show how to install a zipper. It was filmed in Andrea Loest's Garment Construction class. For more information about zippers, seams, buttons, and pockets, I invite you to take a fall sewing class. Registration is open now and there are some great coupons if you register early. Visit Lillstreet's website to find out all about it.
Hope you like it!

In the world of yarn and needles...

Hello my fellow artist and crafters! A few days ago Rebecca asked me what I was working on and if i would want to post some pictures of current projects. I was excited to do todays post!

If you guys are anything like me you always have over 10 projects going on at the same time. I have so many that I have set up a schedule for myself to get organized so that I can work on all my crafting and art work in a week. It wasn't easy but have managed to carve out time for everything.

Today is knitting day. I hold my office at a local coffee shop in my neighborhood. This is nessicary to aviod distraction at home. I am currently working on a piece that will be published in the winter issue of Vogue Knitting! I can't show pictures because I have to wait for it to come out in the magazine first. Sorry kids, no sneek peeks. I am also working on a bag I designed for Cascade Yarn Co.

I have a sock I have to finnish for a friend. She has one, I just need to finnish the second and send it to her. SOCKS ARE SO FUN TO KNIT!! I love the feel of a hand knit sock in the winter! Speaking of which,

I have a socks class coming up! You all should sign up for it!

Yesterday was my "Make stuff for Esty" day. I have been having fun making neckalces and rings that look like branches or birds nests. Check them out.

Tomorrow I am planning on going to the yarn shop to get some yarn for my "Glittens" class that I am planning. That one isn't coming up untill the winter session but here is a teaser! They are so helpful in the winter, you can do stuff but still stay warm! I am going to be writing an addition to the pattern that includes a pocket for your CTA card!

Well I should get back to my projects. I still have a list a mile long!

Happy Crafting,

Lisa Whiting

Knitting Teacher at Lill Street Art Center.

Monday (Tuesday!) Artist Studio Sneak Peeks ***Allison Rose***

Today we're visiting the studio of Allison Rose, who teaches print classes at Lillstreet in the textile department. Her studio is located at the Greenleaf Arts Center in Roger's Park. What an inspiring space!

Allison describes her work here "I am an artist and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1996. My major was illustration. I then proceeded with a career as a Graphic Designer. In Chicago, I first worked at a small toy manufacturing company, then a high-end stationery company, and then as an Art Director in stationery at a book publishing company. Now, I create hand silk-screened fabrics, pillows, and tote bags. Silk-screening textiles is my true passion. I am insanely obsessed. My fabrics are a labor of love because usually some of my designs are created with over 50 prints. Each print is a special dye monoprint technique- meaning you can only get one print at a time, so each print is unique. I also teach Beginning Silkscreen in the textiles department at Lillstreet.I admire well-thought out design and try to emulate that. I particularly enjoy mid-century modern design and reflect that in my work. I love color. In fact, I could not choose which color is my favorite- that would be discriminating to me. I also enjoy transforming the ugly and unwanted into something unexpectedly beautiful or interesting. My art is down to earth and no-nonsense which defines me. Through experience, I have learned that life is too much of a struggle to not find a little relief in art."







In keeping with the vintage decor of her studio, Allison has a penchant for old embroidery tranfers, and this weekend, Allison is teaching an embroidered dishtowel workshop. There's still space available if you're interested.

Ain't no party like a Rongalit Party

This past Saturday was the Rongalit Party (okay, it was a workshop) taught by Ursula McCarty. Where applied, Rongalit expels dye from fabric and also changes the structure of the material so that it accepts dye differently---creating stunning effects! It was so much fun to experiment with this exciting process, if only this workshop was offered more than once a year.

Workshop participants Ruby Barnes and Allison Rose apply Rongalit to their textiles.

(clockwise top left to right:) Ursula prepares to remove fabric

from steamer; removing fabric; "look how pretty!"; final bath.

Rongalit samples by Ursula and Rebecca

Rongalit samples by Ruby (left) and Allison (right)

Rongalit samples by Rachel

Hankie Dispenser

We interrupt our usual Monday programming (Allison's Sneak Peek will be up tomorrow I promise) to bring you a fun afternoon project.

Perhaps you've noticed that we're now selling ready to print/dye/applique/embroider hankies. They're all cotton and really pretty soft and great. They make a great gift for someone who's nose you care about. Maybe you've printed about twenty like I have and now you need somewhere to put them. You might iron them and stack them neatly in a drawer, but if you're like me and ironing when it's ninety degrees out makes you roll your eyes, then you might be interested in this little project.

I (Rebecca Ringquist) used some fabric that I printed with thickened dyes, rongalit, and finally a two color print with textile ink. It had been kicking around my studio for a while and I finally decided to cut into it. The front has a small opening that you can pull the hankies out of, and the back snaps all the way open and shut down the middle so that you can stuff them all in after they've hung on the clothesline drying. I made two- one for hand printed, and one for vintage. It works best at my house to keep them separate.


Lest you think I came up with this idea myself, I ought to tell you straight away that I was inpsired by a similar (ok, almost the same) project that I found on another blog, Soulemama
Thanks, Amanda!

Camille's New Shop

Well, NPR told me for the fifth day in a row this morning that the economy is picking up. So,I thought I'd make a shopping suggestion for your weekend. First, let me suggest that you take a gander at our sales locker the next time your in the studios. The hankies and dishtowels (among other things) have been a huge hit, and lots of folks are making cool stuff to dry their hands (and noses) on these days. We'll have to have a special post just about cool fabric household goods.

But I digress....what I really wanted to tell you about is Camille's new Etsy shop. Check it out- lots of great prints and stitched works that you might have seen her designing around the studios.

Have a great weekend- tune in next week for pictures of the Rongalit workshop, a hankerchief dispenser, and another Sneak Peek studio tour.

Repeats!

Lots of folks around the studios are getting into printing repeats. Inspired by Rachel Walker, who is (by the way) teaching a class on the subject this fall, there's a lot of cool printing going on, including this acorn print (we might have seen it coming given all her squirrel prints) by Allison Rose.

Rongalit Party!

Last year, when we offered the Rongalit workshop, it was so much fun that the participants came up with a song about it. Rongalit Party!!!!!!



Come this year and we'll teach it to you.

Monday Artist Studio Sneak Peeks ***Rebecca Ringquist***

Today's artist studio sneak peek takes us to the delightfully cluttered studio of Rebecca Ringquist. That's me, your trusty blog keeper! I purposely left the studio a little messy for these photographs, because to be honest, the only time it's ship shape is when I'm not working hard enough. I've been in the studio a lot this summer, so it's quite the whirlwind these days.

I make gouache drawings on paper and machine stitched/ hand embroidered drawings on cloth. These days I'm also getting ready to start working with a long arm sewing machine to make some larger scale machine stitched drawings. If you'd like to see more pictures of my work or my studio, please visit my website. Enjoy!