Suzanne Connors and Aya Fiber Studio has moved to a new space! The public is invited to the Grand Opening on Monday, January 10. Fiber-art workshops Now through April, 2022 are available for all levels of experience with regional, international and nationally known instructors who are experts in their fields. Studio time is also available for your own projects. Bring a group of friends and create together! Shop in the boutique for one-of-a-kind textiles, wearable art pieces, and functional artworks. The Rickie Report shares the details and sneak peeks of the workshops. Please note NEW ADDRESS!!!!
MONDAY, JANUARY 10, 2022
5 – 8 PM
AYA FIBER STUDIO
170 NE Dixie Highway Stuart, FL 34994
336.693.4606
The Aya Fiber Studio is pleased to invite regional, national and internationally acclaimed fiber-artists to the studio to give lectures, workshops and critiques for a wide range of fiber studio practices and techniques.
January 13; February 4; April 11
Intro to Shibori and Indigo | Suzanne Connors
Indigo is an ancient dye derived from the leaves of plants and surrounded by magic, mystery, and folklore. Discover how the leaves ‘make blue’ by learning about the character and chemistry of the natural indigo vat. The complex chemistry of the indigo vat is fascinating. The unique ‘attaching’ of indigo to fiber means it is particularly suited to resist methods of dying, such as shibori, where portions of cloth are closed off to the dye or where the flow of dye is restricted. Different shades of blue build on the fabric after several dips, exhibiting the beautiful graded hues which are so typical of indigo. A vat will be prepared in the morning and the basic chemistry explained. The natural indigo powder will be used, and the vat will be ‘reduced’. While the vat develops, students will be shown a folded and clamped method, a twisted and tied technique. Students can expect to make several pillow or napkin-sized samples
January 14 – 15 With Suzanne Connors
Shibori Stitching and Binding: Magi-Age and Ori-Nuri
Shibori is a Japanese word used to describe the ways to create patterns on cloth by manipulating it before dyeing. Shibori comes from the verb root shiboru, “to wring, squeeze, press.” Learn the basic type of stitching used to create patterns in the cloth to create unique patterns and to resist dye. Learn how to lay patterns out and how to execute them. You’ll come away with new friends , great memories and a collection of indigo dyed fabrics in various solid shades, and patterns!
January 17 – 20 In The Boro Spirit | Lisa Brinkley
Boro mending, kantha cloth, the Quilts of Gee’s Bend each evokes images of old, worn fabrics, simply but beautifully stitched for a new purpose out of need and salvaged cloth. Contemporary fiber artists can learn much from these traditions both technically and aesthetically. Explore the traditions that created these textiles and look to them for inspiration in creating new works of fiber art. Begin with pieces of old fabrics, especially those with personal meaning— vintage linens, pieces of worn jeans, even bits of blankets or tattered garments—we select, curate, layer, and hand-stitch them into new looks and new life. Techniques include non-traditional hand-piecing and applique, hand-quilting with various weights of threads, inclusion of repurposed embellishments such as shirt buttons and beads from old jewelry, as well as design considerations in creating our compositions. This four-day workshop is a meditative blend of history, hand work, upcycling, and art making. This class is suitable for all levels of fiber artists.
January 23 – 26
Botanical Books & Keepsakes|Merike Van Zantan
Learn how to use leaves and plants to print on paper, fabric and leather plus turn the results into keepsakes. On days 1 & 2, we’ll discuss types of fabric, paper and leather suitable for botanical printing, and types of mordants needed for the different materials, as well as possible modifiers. We’ll cover folding and securing methods for bundles. With comprehensive, and clear, detailed instructions in the handouts you’ll leave with the knowledge to continue this at home. You’ll be making lots of botanical prints on paper, fabric, and leather, at your own pace. On days 3 & 4 we’ll combine our printed materials to create different kinds of bindings for notebooks, journals and Midori travel journals that you can then produce in the workshop. We’ll print some wool to be sewn into bags to keep your book/journal in. Wallets and small pocketbooks are also possibilities. I’ll show you other things you can make at home, like shoes, bags, and discuss where to get the necessary supplies.
January 28 – 30
Joomchi And Beyond | Jiyong Chung
Joomchi is a unique Korean tradition of making textured handmade paper by using water and eager hands. The terminology originated from the meaning, “making a Joomoney (Pouch)”. There are a few remaining Korean treasures made with this technique: purses, folding pouch, outfit for rain, etc. Joomchi creates strong, textural and painterly surfaces by layering and agitating Hanji (Korean mulberry papers), not easy to rip/tear and creates elegant looking surface: As time goes, the surface becomes more and more elegant and aged looking, surfaces sometimes look like leather. Become acquainted with its history, usage and role in Korean society, as well as the hands-on techniques and reinterpreted adaptations into contemporary art form. Joomchi’s usages are diverse and it can be incorporated into surface design, collage, new way of drawing, one-of-a-kind book art, wearable, unconventional body ornament or sculptural object: 2-D & 3D either functional or fine art oriented works. The possibilities are endless!
January 31 – February 2
Sashiko, Mending & Hitomezashi Stitching | Atsushi Futatsuya
Learn about the art and history of Sashiko, how to use a long needle and make beautiful stitches, and how to find joy in stitching. Learn how to transfer patterns to fabric and we’ll discuss ideas for future projects and how to use sashiko as part of a mindful mending practice. This is a unique opportunity to learn authentic Sashiko stitching from a traditional master, Atsushi Futatsuya, a third-generation Sashiko artist. Students will practice this meditative art and advance their Sashiko skills with lots of hands-on guidance.
February 8 – 12
Natural Dyes: Making A Color Library | Elin Noble
Use natural dye extracts to construct a color library on white and a light blue indigo dyed ground using three mordants (and mixtures of them) and a broad palette of dyes (including cochineal, pomegranate, Himalayan rhubarb, weld, and madder). This will become a reference library for future projects. The 2nd part of the class introduces polychromatic dyeing. We’ll apply mordants to cloth through shibori, hand application, and printing techniques, including discharge and overprinting. In a one-color dye bath we’ll attain multiple colors and patterns. Hand-paint a range of dyes onto the mordanted cloth, thereby achieving an even wider range of colors, shapes and spaces. Explore a method of painting and printing using mordanted dyes on un-mordanted cloth. The process is direct and the results dynamic.
February 14 – 17
Draw|Print|Stitch: A Textile Collage | Peg Gignoux
Interested in printing your own cloth? Students will transform simple drawings into thermofax screens. Explore the fun of making your own design and printing with textile inks! Make your own yardage while also contributing to community cloth of combined marks. Day 2 and 3 will focus on color, composition, and line in the building of distinctive textile collages. Layer, slice and stitch and artfully combine hand printed cloth with other fabrics in your stash. Each student will go home with their own screen for future printing opportunities.
February 21 – 25
Process + Awareness + Connection | Amy Nguyen
Work with natural fibers, natural dyes, man-made dyes and fabric manipulation techniques to create a single textile to be used for the body or home. Explore soft and hard edges, such as the soft blurry edges that can be found in shibori in contrast with the hard edges found in textile printing or katazome. Through exploration of color, line, shape, pattern and form in our surface design, we find a visual language to express our current experience. Work with our hand-dyed textile pieces in an additive or subtractive manner to further create texture through deconstructing, piecing, seaming, layering and/or stitching.
Experience the science of dyeing raw materials as well as open ourselves to explore the process of our individual creativity with increased mind/body awareness. Begin each day with a brief movement qigong/meditation practice to encourage presence and awareness. By paying attention to not just the form we create, but also to our own form as we create, we can bring this awareness to ourselves and create mind/body connection to deepen our studio practice.
As we work with new tools of surface and stitch learned throughout the workshop as well as with our own natural intelligence, we automatically create a holistic textile studio practice from which to discover relationships and connections to inform our own evolution. From two-dimensional to three-dimensional, each individual will realize their own unique textile, through learning and sharing in community.
February 28 – March 4
Explorations in Shibori | Ana Lisa Hedstrom
Learn the basics and more advanced arashi, itajime folding and clamping and katano sewing machine shibori. Then we will try various applications of dye comparing natural dyes and thickened fiber reactive dye and silk acid dyes. Learn: Painting with natural dyes on shibori textures; Kakishibu persimmon tannin, resist scouring silk; Experimenting on paper and wool felt.
March 7 – 11
Color Mixing & Shading With Natural Dyes | Catherine Ellis
An extended palette of natural dye color can be created using very few dyes and the art of mixing colors. Dyes may be mixed in the dye pot or by over-dyeing. Color values can be controlled by using carefully measured amounts of dye. The class will learn how to control shades, gradations, and color mixes on silk fabric using a limited number of dyes. Indigo will be over-dyed with various yellows to make a series of greens. Indigo plus red dyes will result in shades of violet and even black. Students will build a comprehensive sample book of repeatable natural colors. At the end of the week, students will be invited to dye some of their own silk scarves with a palette of color.
March 21 – 25
Skins| Skeletons| Nets and Knots | Mo Kelman
Learn methods for building skeletal structures with rigid and semi-rigid materials like rattan, bamboo, wood, wire and found materials. Techniques will include lashing, chaotic plaiting and wire construction. To build skins onto these structures, we will work with gut, rice papers, knotted and knotless netting. Coatings like paintable graphite and kakishibu tannin will further modify surfaces. Exercises, brainstorming sessions, and problem-solving challenges will guide your production of a series of prototypes that will ignite your studio practice. All levels welcome
March 28 – April 1
Shibori and Color Are My Obsession | Doshi
Shaped-resist dyeing is a textile art that is thousands of years old. In Japan it’s known as Shibori, in other cultures by a variety of names—Plangi, Bandhani, Adire, Tie-dye. While applying pressure to shaped fabrics before and during dyeing, we can create exquisite patterns of infinite variety on textiles. Samples from all over the world provide infinite approaches to practice several resist techniques: stitching, knotting, pole-wrapping, clamping and rope wrapping. Use folds, tape, and capping to create compound pattern and through layering these techniques we will produce complex designs. We will explore and study color—inspiration, choosing, and mixing—with acid dyes on a variety of silk fabrics. Building layers of rich color through processes such as pour dyeing, vat dyeing, painting, and discharge increasing the complexity of imagery and patterning.
April 5 – 9
Indigo Shibori: Beyond Blue | Carol Anne Grotrian
Experience the excitement of dyeing indigo patterns over color. Results can range from dramatic to subtle, with an added bonus when the interaction of indigo and fiber reactive dyes create interesting halos of color. The class will include instruction on fiber reactive dyes in both immersion and direct application techniques, as well as shibori techniques in indigo. There will be lots of time to create beautiful, unique fabrics. No experience is necessary; experienced dyers are welcome.
April 14 – 16
3 Day Rozome and Batik Techniques | Muffy Clark Gill
Have you been interested in trying a new painting process but have been afraid to learn? This workshop is about using the batik (Indonesian style wax resist painting) and rozome (Japanese style batik) wax and dye painting processes to create unique artwork on silk and other fabrics that can be used on everyday household objects, clothing or works of art! Play with tjaps (Indonesian printing blocks), tjanting tools, brushes, and other waxing techniques so that you have a variety of tools to create artwork that is uniquely yours. We will work with environmental friendly soy/beeswax and acid based dyes for vivid colors. Good for experienced silk painters, fiber artists and artists who would like to work in fiber so they can add new techniques and ideas to their toolkit.
April 18 – 21
Batik Adire and Tie Dye | Gasali Adeyemo
Learn the traditional Yoruba techniques of Batik, Adire Eleko and Tie-Dye and learn about my culture. Batik is the process of creating designs using wax. Batik is the way of creating so many beautiful colors. Traditionally in Nigeria the dye used for batik fabrics is a dye called Jaman dye or Prosion dye, which are both colored dyes. Adire Eleko is the process of creating designs using cassava paste (yucca), a small broom, and a chicken feather. Learn how to prepare the paste, so you can do it at home. Use a stencil and create the patterns by hand. Learn how to prepare indigo, use it to dye your work and how to remove the cassava. Tie-Dye is the process of using raffia to tie fabric and then dying the fabric. Learn a few different tie-dye techniques.The primary dye I use in my workshops is Indigo. Indigo has been used as a dye in Africa for at least 2000 years. The Yoruba name for indigo is “elu”. Since the olden days indigo has been used for medicine as well as a dye; it cures an upset stomach. Indigo is also used to ward off viruses; houses are painted with indigo to prevent the sickness from entering. Indigo is an organic substance, it comes from the indigo plant which grows wild in Nigeria. During the beginning of the rainy season the leaves are harvested and then dried. After they have dried they are formed into little balls which are then used to prepare the dye.
OPEN STUDIO TIME
Enjoy delicious, uninterrupted studio time. Open studios is a great way to try out the Aya Fiber Studio. Do you have a project you’re working on but need assistance? Do you have indigo projects to put into the vat? Maybe you need a large table or access to the dye kitchen? Come use ours! Maybe you’ve taken a class but need a little extra time to work. A drop in fee includes access to our dye kitchen, print tables, sewing area and small equipment, just bring your material or buy some of ours!
VISIT OUR BOUTIQUE!
For more details about these events, classes, upcoming workshops and opportunities to explore creative fabric design:
Contact Suzanne Connors at: (336) 693-4606
For coverage of your events, to place an advertisement, or speak to Rickie about appearing in The Rickie Report, contact:
Rickie Leiter, Publisher
17019 SW Sapri Way Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
Enjoy delicious uninterrupted studio time. Open studios is a great way to try out the Aya Fiber Studio. Do you have a project you are working on but need assistance? Do you have indigo projects to put into the vat? Maybe you need a large table to work on or access to our dye kitchen. Come use ours! Maybe you’ve take a class but need more time to work. A drop in fee of $30 includes access to our dye kitchen, print tables, silk screens, sewing machines and all dye equipment. Just bring your own fabric and materials ( or buy some of ours) PRE REGISTRATIONS REQUIRED.
VISIT OUR BOUTIQUE
For more details about these events, classes, upcoming workshops and opportunities to explore creative fabric design:
Contact Suzanne Connors at: (336) 693-4606
or visit:
For coverage of your events, to place an advertisement, or speak to Rickie about appearing in The Rickie Report, contact:
Rickie Leiter, Publisher
17019 SW Sapri Way Port St. Lucie, FL 34986
