Natural Dye Silk Screening Workshop

Lillstreet has just added a new summer natural dye screen printing workshop.

Cochineal and madder printed on indigo background.

Come join us for an adventurous three days of natural dyeing and printing. Students will learn how to mordant cotton fabric, base dye and mix dyes to print. We will then work in collaboration to create samples of our printed experiments. Lillstreet will provide all the dyes, fabric and screens. August 23, 24, and 25 from 9 to 4pm. Register early to reserve your spot! http://www.lillstreet.com/class-detail/3653

Pamela Feldman

Intro to Papermaking!

The inaugural Papermaking class at Lillstreet is underway, and we're having FUN!

Multi-colored sheets with tea inclusions

"Couching" a sheet

So far we have been working with cotton rag, denim (yep... old jeans make fantastic paper), recycled paper, and abaca (a variety of banana plant), producing a variety of textures and fun colors.   We've also been learning about how different fibers work for different types of paper and for different uses.

Student samples of paper using cotton & denim fibers

In this brief 4-week introductory class the students are learning both pulling and pouring methods of making a sheet.  We are able to make paper with inclusions (like flowers, tea, lace, string, etc... you name it!) for fantastically unique and artistic sheets or paper, as well as sheets for printing & writing on, making cards, bookmaking, etc.  The possibilities are endless.  One student has already written a letter to a friend on one of her handmade sheets!

"Hogging" the vat and pulling sheets

By the end of this short class, you will feel the "Zen" of papermaking and be able to take home a stack of gorgeous handmade sheets of paper.  Bring them back to the textiles department to do some screenprinting on or try some embroidery on some of your tougher, thicker sheets.   You will learn how to set up your basic "kitchen-style" of papermaking, as well as get a taste for the bigger and better methods of papermaking.   It's addictive!  You'll definitely want to take this class again and again! 

Sign up for the next 4-week session that starts on August 10th.  Tuesday nights from 6:30-9:30pm. 
Can't wait to see you there!

Member Show and Sale Deadline this Friday!

The deadline to apply for the member sale is this Friday, July 30th!  All you t-shirt printers, scarf makers, embroiderers ought to apply!  You have to be a member to be in the sale, but it's certainly not too late to sign up for membership. The sale will take place Saturday 10/9 & Sunday 10/10. If they want to become members, they can sign up downstairs or online. The member show form is downstairs at the front desk. There are also forms by the member board, which is by the water fountain on the 1st floor. Students can submit applications to the front desk. The form is also available online at lillstreet.com, under membership. It can be submitted to membershow@lillstreet.com. Any questions? You can write to abi@lillstreet.com or kris@lillstreet.com

Let's get some textile in the gallery!  Sell your work!

Natural Dye Workshop

It's day 2 of the natural dye workshop. On the first day, students learned how to mordant cellulose (plant) fiber to obtain saturated colors. Today we focused on single color dyeing, discussing what dyes are light- and wash-fast on cotton. Tomorrow, we will experiment with color mixing. Check out the pictures below to see what dyes we are using.


Lydia is dyeing with myrobalan, a dye that is commonly used in India to produce a warm yellow.
Elizabeth is dyeing with weld, a bright cool yellow. Weld grows well in the Chicago area.
Hannah used Logwood Grey, a mixture of logwood purple and iron to produce this warm purple.
Cheryl bright red orange cloth was dyed with madder root, a plant that you can also add to your local garden.
Frances warm red brown is dyed with the heartwood from the cutch tree.

Off and running! i mean, printing!

It's week 2 of Pattern Design and the students are well on their way to mastering registration techniques. Next up, more complex layering. Check out their work:

Indigo dye pot

Indigo & Katazome class just started. We made a indigo vat. Cooked rice paste, and cut a special stencil paper. Pasted rice paste through the stencil paper on fabric, then put it into indigo dye vat after dry the fabric. When you dip the fabric for 20 second and take it out. The color is NOT indigo blue; it is greenish umber color. Then it exposed in the air, it changes umber to blue, then to navy. It feels quite magical! The images are the first try. I am thrilled how the students' work go. Can't wait to see.

Flags for July

Look for new flags on Lill Streets rooftop this month. These flags are themed on the medicinal plants native to the great lakes region and used by early original peoples. In most instances the plant usage was passed down to white settlers.

Much liberty was taken with color but forms of leaves and flowers were my inspiration. Wild onion (allium) was said to be a native american word in which Chicago's name was derived. Facts and myths abound about early medicinals and their properties. I find this subject endlessly fascinating and plant forms are always for me a great starting point for inspiration.

The flags feature 2 plant forms each (it was hard to choose, there are so many) and I chose them for their interesting shapes. The 4 flags are:

Allium, Prairie Smoke

Red trillium, Blue Cohosh

White Pine, Smooth Sumac

Blood Root, Arbor Vitae

Watch Lillstreet on WGN!

Hi all,

As promised, I am giving you guys the link to watch our very own Lillstreet Art Center on today's WGN Midday News segment. Enjoy!

I just shared a video with you from http://www.wgntv.com


Here is the Link: http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/79aba7dd-3bdf-48f3-a74d-27cf2706931a/News/Style-Files-Sample-Summer-Class-Offerings-from-Lillstreet

NATURAL DYE WORKSHOP

Coming Soon!!

Fabric Natural Dye Workshop - July 26th to 30th

In this five-day workshop, students will work in a collaborative process to create a range of natural colors using cotton fabric. Each student will create their own color swatch book of dye samples. Below are some examples of dye books students have creative in the past. The last day of the class will be open indigo dyeing day, where students can bring in small amounts of cotton, linen, bamboo, or rayon fabric to dye with indigo.

To register go to: http://www.lillstreet.com/class-detail/2996

Lillstreet Textiles featured on WGN Midday News 11:20amish tomorrow!!!

If anyone is sitting in front of the tube tomorrow around 11 AM, look out for Lillstreet Art Center on the WGN Midday News.  We will be highlighting fun things to do in the city this summer, and our Textile Department studios are the place to be.  I will be dyeing screen-printed fabric, as well as displaying embroidery samplers and my 2008 Resident Artist flags.  Classes start this week!

All the best,

Camille

T-shirt Workshop and Embroidery Classes starting soon!

Next week my T-shirt Workshop, Screen-printing on Fabric, and Embroidery classes start at Lillstreet Art Center.  The weather has been so nice... I am excited at the thought of rooftop Embroidery classes this summer!  Check out pictures from my former classes below.  Click here to register for classes. 

Best!

Camille Canales

1st Time Screenprinting on Fabric

Round 2: Here's some more work from the 1st Time Screenprinting on Fabric Class. The class created beautiful stencils and as a result yielded equally beautiful printing results. This class is coming along nicely and will soon be moving on to more advanced techniques. If you take a 1st Time Screeprinting Class this is what you will be doing for the first class. 

 

Classes Start Monday Ya'll!

Hope to see you next week for the beginning of the official summer session!  There is still space in lots of classes, including knitting, sewing, and screenprinting!!!!