Experience Level: All Levels (All Ages 16+) 

Explore the magical qualities of the Elegant Writer pen paired with watercolor in Mystical Mushrooms Watercolor on Friday, Sept. 18 from 6-9 p.m. in The Studio. 

Emily Tackitt of Moonbeam Jellyfish will lead this whimsical mixed-media workshop. Students will learn how to sketch their own playful mushroom doodles before transforming them into enchanting woodland-inspired paintings using water-reactive ink techniques, watercolor washes, and expressive linework.  

Students will explore how a simple writing pen can create beautifully moody shadows, soft atmospheric textures, and unexpected magical effects when activated with water. 

$115/person*. Registration will close Sept 11 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final. 

*All supplies will be provided 

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken. 

About the Instructor 

Emily Tackitt is the artist behind Moonbeam Jellyfish and works in mixed media, blending watercolor, acrylic, gouache, ink, drawing, and collage to create whimsical, fantasy-inspired artwork. With a process that is playful and intuitive, Emily is often guided by curiosity, storytelling, and whatever feels magical in the moment. Her classes are designed to feel supportive and accessible, encouraging students to build confidence through a thoughtful, step-by-step creative practice.

All skill levels (ages 16+)  

Learn how to arrange flowers like a pro at Dahlia Flower Arranging on Saturday, Sept. 19 from 2-3:30 p.m. in the Arboretum Shed. 

Delight Flower Farm welcomes friends & friendly folks to learn about a variety of fall flowers and the bouquet-making elements as they play with fresh cut flowers grown on the Farm. There will be plenty of the season's star - dahlias! - as well as zinnias, amaranth, celosia and more.  

Vases are included so students can design their own bouquet to take home or gift to someone. 

$65/person*. Registration closes Sept. 12 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.  

*Students should bring gardening gloves.  

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken. 

Entry Level: Beginner

Be introduced to knitting in the round without juggling single or double pointed knitting needles at Knitting Without Needles: French Tube Scarf on Sunday, Sept. 20 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in The Studio. 

In this class, participants will make looms from readily available materials. Students will also learn about commercially available looms.  Participants will design and knit a colorful, striped, tubular scarf.  

Bring your imagination and create a unique decorative scarf, winter neck wrap, or a modern necklace. Students will receive a tool kit for this workshop to continue knitting at home.  

 $95/person*. Registration closes Sept. 13 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.  

 *Students should bring the following: 
--pencil 
--pair of embroidery scissors 
--2 or more skeins (any colorway) of locally available yarn:     
     --Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton or     
     --Loops & Threads Twist Love Cotton OR     
     --Lion Brand Made with Love The Cottony One OR     
     --Yarn Bee Fundamental Cotton OR     
     --I Love this Cotton Crafter’s Secret Cotton 

The following things are optional; bring them if you have them: 
--colored pencil set --bits of left over yarn in any fiber and weight 
--partial skeins of left over yarn in any fiber and weight 
--left over fabric scraps (linen, cotton gauze, cottons, and polyester with no right sides) 

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken. 

About the Instructor 

Billie Theide is Professor Emerita and a former Chair of the Crafts Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Theide is a metalsmith, jeweler, textile artist, and ceramicist. Her work is in public art collections around the world including the Smithsonian, Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, and the Racine Art Museum, among others. She is the recipient of a Visual Arts Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and five Artists Fellowship Grants from the Illinois Arts Council. Theide has been recognized for her excellence in teaching and is a Distinguished Member and Past-President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.

All skill levels 

Learn how to color, shape, and assemble paper petals in Paper Flower Art: Marigolds on Sunday, Sept. 20 from 2-5 p.m. in the Library.  

In this introduction to the world of paper flower art, students will learn how to create 3 unique marigolds. This fun and relaxing class is suitable for all skill levels and all ages. 

$50/person. Registration closes on Sept. 17 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.   

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken. 

About the Instructor 

Cathy Peters love for nature has guided her to the amazing realm of paper art and flowers. She has discovered that this medium is about geometry, dimensions, and modeling—the perfect pairing of science and art.   

As she continues her journey towards perfecting artistic, realistic paper flowers, she has found it rewarding to share what she has learned with others. Her favorite moments are the looks of surprise on a student's face when they finish a flower and realize they turned a pile of paper into a flower! 

Experience Level: Beginner (ages 13+)* 

Discover the art of textile sculpture in Hand Stitching – Hearts on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 12:30-4 p.m. in The Studio.  

In this hands-on workshop, Gaye Grant of 3 Penny Studio will teach students to create a charming 3-D heart brooch featuring a beautifully layered flower center. Along the way, participants will learn essential hand stitches and beginner-friendly soft sculpture techniques to bring their unique creation to life. 

$70/person**. Registration closes on Sept. 21 when capacity is reached. All sales are final.  

*Students 13-15 should have an adult present who does not need to register.
**Students should bring sharp scissors. 

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken. 

About the Instructor 

Gaye Grant is a textile, fiber and mixed media artist. After attending Illinois State University, she moved to New Mexico where she lived for over 25 years, making and selling quilted clothing and soft sculpture and performing in theatre. She eventually became a trained faux and decorative painter, which led her to the world of mixed media. In 2012, she came back to her C-U area roots and rediscovered her love of textile art and stitching.  

Grant is a member of the Craft League of Champaign-Urbana and the recipient of the 2025 Best of Show award at the Edwards Place Fine Art Fair. Her work can be found at Bohemia (Urbana, IL), area art shows and on Instagram @3pennystudio. 

Experience Level: Beginner 

Learn the skills of improvisation, including scene creation and team dynamics at Improve Your Improv on Thursdays, Sept. 10 through Oct. 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Music Barn. 

Instructor Kyle Tasch returns to The Farms to teach this popular course, which will be jam-packed with improvisational fun that uses both short-form games and long-form scenes. 

This will not be a class to sit down, hear lectures, and take notes.  Students will be performing as much as possible to emphasize the mechanics needed to act out an entertaining and meaningful scene on the spot with no lines. There are many elements of improv that are not only useful on stage, but also in everyday life – wherever you might be put on the spot! 

Students who have already completed this class are welcome to join again. Beginners and those experienced in improv are all encouraged to join! 

$100/person for the entire series or $25/class at the links below. Registration will close on Sept. 8 for the entire series or two days before each subsequent class. 

— Sept. 10
— Sept. 17  
— Sept. 24  
— Oct. 1
— Oct. 8  
— Oct. 15

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken. 

About the instructor 

Kyle Tasch is an improvisor, improv teacher, filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian and musician from the Chicago suburbs. He started performing improv in 2004 and has been improvising in front of audiences regularly since 2015. 

He has also taught classes both in-person and remotely at Westside Improv in Wheaton, Illinois. He performs live across the state in various comedy and music acts and has produced hundreds of videos and songs. 

Experience Level: All Levels

Learn the basics of basket weaving and take home a handmade basket at Basket Weaving: The Organizer on Friday, Sept. 25 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. in The Studio.  

Instructor Bonnie Rideout will teach techniques such as setting up a base, twining, start/stop weaving, pairing triple twining with an arrow weave, and the use of overlays.  This handy basket can be used anywhere! Faster weavers may be done in less time. 

$95/person. Registration will close Sept 18 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the instructor

Bonnie Rideout wove her first basket in 1994 and quickly caught the “basket bug.” She created a business — Bonnie’s Baskets in Decatur — in 2006 to teach others to weave. She is also a traveling instructor and has taught weaving in 18 states.

Find out more about Bonnie on her website, Facebook, Instagram and Etsy pages.

About The Farms

The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, health & wellness, history, nature & outdoor education, or science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.

Experience Level: Beginner  

Learn the basics of low relief wood carving at Woodcarving Basics: Flowers & Leaves on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 1-5 p.m. in The Studio.  

Students will learn how to safely use a small carving chisel set to define the background and make shallow, controlled cuts, transforming a flat basswood board into a beautiful low relief flower carving. 

$85/person*. Registration closes Sept. 21 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.   

Students must bring ONE of the following options: 
- 8 Piece WoodRiver Detail Carving Tool Set  
or  
- 12 Piece Schaaf Mini Detail Carving Set – Long Handle  

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu. 

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.