Bleach-O-Rama!

The Printing With Thickened Dyes class has been working backwards these days, printing with bleach to remove color from both hand printed cloth and commercially dyed fabric.  Last night the whole class was in on the game, printing back into a pile of donated black and navy linens.......

Renegade Craft Fair

Hi everyone,

I'm going to be in the Renegade Craft Fair in Austin, May 15th and 16th, so if you happen to be in the Austin area, come see me. I sell crafts under the name of Blue Thimble. www.bluethimble.com, and I sell my handmade wares at www.bluethimble.etsy.com

The Renegade Craft Fair is the best Indie Crafts fair you can attend. There will be one in September again this year in Chicago, so if you are in the Chicago area, you should go!

Craft Fair

Just wanted to let you know about the craft fair I will be in. Chicago Waldorf School will be hosting its annual May Fair Festival Saturday, May 15 in Rogers Park from 10 am – 4 pm. This newly expanded community festival will feature plenty of family fun including games, crafts and activities for all ages, food, a used book, CD and clothing sale, traditional May Pole dancing and live entertainment throughout the day. There is no admission to the event and all are welcomed. Based on response to last years festival, they are expecting around 3000 attendees. This is an outdoor event and my table will be outside the school on Loyola Ave., between Glenwood and Lakewood. In the event of rain the vendors will be moved to the gym on the 3rd floor. Don't know if they are still accepting more vendors but you can call Karen Brennan at 773-465-1183 or email her at zulucraft@sbcglobal.net. Chicago Waldorf School is located at 1300 W. Loyola Ave., 60626

Trying to perfect my skirt designs. Just 3 mens shirts will make 2 short wrap-around skirts for summer. Very economical.
I seem to be taking a last minute trip to London to visit friends, see art, get some textile inspiration, see Kew Gardens and more. More about that in my next post!

Cheer-i-o.

Two Calls for Entry!

I found two interesting calls for entry online today that I thought would be of interest to the Lillstreet Textile crowd.  One is local (just up the street at Gethsemane Garden Center) and one is in New York, NY.  Check them out........Both seem like great opportunities for printers, embroiderers, etc.

First Time Sewing

Has your brand new sewing machine been collection dust in a corner ever since you bought it? Wanna learn how to make fun stuff you can brag about? The first time sewing class is great for learning the basics. We start with the machine, getting familiar with it, learning how to use it. Then we learn various seams and how to manipulate fabric in the machine. and by the end of the class you are making amazing projects like this adorable purse. Classes start this week.

Sew 1: The Pattern!

Commercial sewing patterns can be daunting to the first time sewer. Opening up the envelope and pulling out instructions that look about as intimidating as model airplane diagrams can kill the excitement of a project- fast. In Sew 1, Beginning Garments, we tackled the pattern. Patterns aren't so hard once they are explained step by step, and understanding the actual principals behind how a garment is constructed each and every time gives the sewer an understanding and skill set that can be applied to any project. By explaining all of the different charts, diagrams, and sizing instructions, the students now are effectively interpreting their projects, and creating garments that actually fit the way they should fit!

Bleaching and Dyeing- a match made in heaven

The Printing with Thickened Dyes class has been printing with bleach over the last couple of weeks----here is one of the results.   The beauty to me of printing with dye is the way you can work back and forth between addition and subtraction- going back and forth with color and pattern.  Here, a two layer print gets the teapot bleach treatment with a paintbrush.  Perhaps another layer will get added back over the top.  Stay tuned for the big reveal!

More On What I Have Been Up To

What have I been working on lately?

Why scarves of course. To be exact, nuno-felt scarves and shibori dyed scarves to be sold at a small shop I display at.

I have also been working on that felted wall-hanging I wrote about a while ago. This is a picture of when I was done felting it (you might remember it).

I have since started doing stitch work on it. The embroidery will be primarily sashiko (a Japanese style in which running stitch is used to create simple or intricate line designs. It is also used in Japanese quilting) and a few other types of embroidery stitches (that are still being debated upon). Here is a picture of the beginning of my stitching (I have a very long way to go to get to the finish).

I am also sampling several weights of silk chiffon for a future nuno-felting project that I will write about once it becomes a little more concrete in my mind. Once again thank you for reading. If you like what you see on this blog, come and take a class here at LillStreet. The next five week session starts next week.

Portfolio Photos

This past month, I had my portfolio professionally shot. If you've never done this before, I highly recommend it. We have a great portfolio photographer at Lillstreet. His name is Guy Nicol, and his website is www.guynicol.com. 

After you've had your portfolio professionally shot, you feel like you can enter anything. So, anyhow, check out the amazing photos he took!

Wanted- Spring Cleaning Cast-Offs

On the off chance that some of you readers are in the throes of spring cleaning, I thought I'd post this list of Lillstreet Textile's most wanted items.   The following is a list of things we are always in need of, including a few wish list items.  If you're cleaning out and taking your spring piles to the thrift- consider bringing these things by the department if you have them.  If you're in a hurry, you can always drop stuff off at the front desk.

1.Whisks
2. Rubber Spatulas
3. Old Terry Cloth Towels
4. Old Sheets
5. A Stand Mixer (for mixing dyes, etc.)
6. Large pieces of Fabric (we can not accept small scraps)
7. Sewing supplies and notions (thread, needles, trims, zippers, etc.)
8. Newspapers
9. Measuring cups and spoons
10. Irons
11. Hair Dryers
12. Scissors
13. Pens and Pencils

If you've got a question about a possible donation, please contact rebeccaringquist (at) gmail

Thank You!

Thursday night's 1st Time Screen-print on Fabric

Hello everybody,

It's hard to believe that this first 5 week session is almost over!!!  My Thursday night students have been working diligently during class, either creating projects for their loved ones or gearing up for the upcoming craft season.  Check out these images from last night.  

The 5-week First Time Screen-Print on Fabric class is designed as a "crash course" for students who have never worked with the medium before.  Students dip their feet into the endless pool of possibilities in textile surface design.  

Feeling like you might want to dive in?  This class restarts April 29th on Thursdays from 630-930.  Reoccurring students are welcome to join in again to practice and refine skills!!!  

Hope to see everyone around Lillstreet,

Camille Canales

Spanish To Go

-She was following her bosses’ instructions: Pick up the Spanish teacher, take her to a school and pick up the same teacher that afternoon. In this story the driver is a Spanish teacher as well. A Spanish teacher dropping off and picking up a Spanish teacher. She felt as is she was delivering the Spanish language. Spanish to Go.

This story is imprinted in my mind. When I think about this incident a question enters my mind: How can you deliver something intangible? How can you make the intangible tangible? In other words, why are we trying to convert something that we cannot touch into something that we can. It seems as if this process makes the trading of these material goodies easier. Everything should as material as the Campbell’s soup can. This reminds me of the artist Andy Warhol and as how massive, literal and direct his screen-prints are. Similarly, I want to experiment in a massive, literal and direct way. My rules are governed by symbols, each object has different meaning, and every mark of a lip movement is like a musical notation that represents a sound. In this case the sound is the pronunciation of a syllable in Spanish, it becomes a popular icon in the form of lips. These lips are then printed on handkerchiefs that are meant to be treated as a mass product to be distributed. This is my own interpretation of Spanish to go.

¿De dónde eres tu? / Where are you from?

¿De dónde eres tu? / Where are you from?

Hola / Hello

Hola / Hello

Do It Your Own Damn Self!

A different kind of craft sale is happening this weekend in Chicago- crafters unloading their stash for you to purchase!  Info below:

Do It Your Own Damn Self

Saturday April 17, 2010 from 12:00pm - 4:00pm

2132 N Milwaukee
Chicago, Illinois 60647 Get Directions

Chicago Craft Mafia’s Second Annual Craft Supply Sale: “Do It Your Own D*mn Self Show”
The Chicago Craft Mafia loves the DIY philosophy and now they’re making it even easier for crafters (newbies and seasoned) with their “Do It Your Own D*mn Self” show where local crafters will be selling their stash of leftover and unwanted craft supplies at affordable prices.
The Chicago Craft Mafia and about 20 other local crafters will be setting up their craft supplies at 2312 N. Milwaukee(at the intersection of Milwaukee & California, right next to the Foremost Liquors) on April 17th 12-4pm.

This Sessions Thickened Dye Class (Fabric Print II)

Hi,
I just thought I would show you guys some pictures of what was left hanging on the lines from Wednesday night's class when I came in to monitor on Thursday morning. The Thickened Dye Class was concentrating on a technique called canning where one fills a can that has had both ends cut out with thickened dye and slides that can around on fabric forming a line. There were some other prints made using other techniques but the majority are at least in part canning. So have a look see below.

Quilt Show this Weekend!

The annual Quilt show is coming to Chicago (well, Rosemont actually) this weekend. Tickets are only ten dollars (8 for students, though I'm not sure if they'll honor your Lillstreet enrollment...) to get in to the exhibition hall- where what seems like miles and miles of vendors with fabric, sewing machines, threads, glittery gooey trims and more are ready to sell you the newest prettiest things. I went a few years ago with my mother and fell in love with Valdani pearl cotton, among other things. It was worth the price of admission to learn that DMC could be outdone! The information can all be found here. I'm happy to say that the convention center is easily accessible by the Blue Line trains bound for O'Hare. Maybe I'll see you there!

K.Crane launches new Textile Blog

Former Lillstreet Textiles student and monitor and all around cool person K.Crane has launched her own textile blog.  In her first entry she writes about starting to use a greener dye-  I'm adding her blog to our favorites over on the right- but be the first to check it out by clicking here........

Felt Bead Workshop this Sunday!

It's that time again....time to roll out the wool and make felt beads!  If today's warm and humid weather is any indication- it will be the perfect setting for felting this weekend. 

There is still space available for this workshop.  Hope to see you then.

New Sewing Room Open Studio starts this week!

Introducing Amanda Franck!  Amanda will be hosting an open studio for anyone enrolled in sewing classes at Lillstreet starting this Wednesday from 6-10.  Please come and join her for basic help on your sewing projects.  Coming to open studio is a great way to make the most of your enrollment cost.  Sewers can come to any of our open studios, but this special Wednesday time slot is just for them.

Amanda graduated a few years ago from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she studied fashion.  Check out one of her fabulous designs above.

Natural Dye Class Wraps Up Today

Pamela Feldman's Natural Dye Workshop wraps up today.  The studio was a humid bustle of color and steam  when I stopped by yesterday to say hello.  Stay tuned for pictures of the beautiful yarns that the class created this week.  If you missed the workshop this time around, Pamela will be offering two more week long workshops this summer (June and July)  Stay tuned for the details.