Experience Level: All

Learn the basics of weaving and take home a basket at Basket Weaving: Country Catch All on Friday, Feb. 6 from 12 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.

Instructor Bonnie Rideout will lead students in laying out a woven, filled base and tuck the filler spokes with the “chicken feet” technique. Students will also learn about starting and stopping and how to use a flat locking row. Sea grass will be used as a rim and the baskets will feature a walnut accent color and two buttons on the front. This County Catch All basket will fit almost any décor!

$65/person. Registration will close Jan. 23 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.

(Payment plan available for this course)

Experience Level: All levels

Learn to draw from a live model at Life Drawing on Sundays, Feb. 8, March 8, April 19 and May 10 from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Mansion Library.

In these lightly instructed sessions by Vivian Krishnan, students can learn more about quick gestures, long poses, and costumed and nude models. Each class will include a demonstration that touches on fundamental techniques of life drawing.

$320/person. Registration will close Feb. 6 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Students should bring:
— An 18x24” newsprint drawing pad
— Art supplies they would like to try out during the class (vine charcoal will be provided)
— An easel they are comfortable with; otherwise one will be provided

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

Vivian Krishnan is a multimedia artist with works that cross the vast stage of storytelling, from designing costumes for theatrical characters to writing and illustrating diverse children’s books. She received her bachelors in Durango, Colorado, focusing on Printmaking and Sculpture as well as earning her MFA at UIUC in Theatrical Design.

Vivian is a lifelong learner of many mediums and is excited to see how art continues to play a role at Allerton.

About The Farms

The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, outdoor education, science, storytelling, and wellness. 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 basic mechanics of using a spinning wheel to make your own yarn at Learn to Spin Yarn on Wednesday, Feb. 11 and Thursday, April 9 from 5 to 8 p.m. in The Studio. 

After a brief introduction from instructor Stephanie Block, students will have time for hands-on spinning practice and the opportunity to spin alpaca fiber into yarn using Ashford scotch tension Traditional or Traveler wheels. Discussion of fiber production and preparation methods will also be included.

$130/person. Registration closes one week before each course begins, or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting 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

Stephanie Block is the co-owner of Sundrop Alpacas near Bement. She has been producing popular yarn from her own alpacas for more than nine years. Stephanie’s spinning style is self-taught, and she is continuously learning so that she can share that knowledge with others.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn about the art of stained glass at Intro to Stained Glass: Birds on Wednesday, Feb. 18 from 5 to 8 p.m. in The Studio.

Instructor Kari Keller will teach students how to cut, shape and assemble a stained-glass bird to take home. Grinding, fitting and soldering will be covered.

$100/person*. Registration will close Feb. 11 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Students should wear closed-toe shoes. Safety glasses and gloves 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

Kari Keller has been a Champaign/Urbana resident since 2008, originally hailing from the tiny community of St. Anne. Illinois. She has had a passion for art since she could hold a crayon and loves to experiment with many different styles, rarely sticking to one theme for long.

Keller has dabbled in cartoons, acrylic pouring, zentangles, patterns, logo design, pottery painting and other art forms. Her influences include Alphonse Mucha, HR Geiger and the art of Northwest coastal Native Americans. She also has a thriving side business as a face painter.

Kari is happiest when immersed in a new project and can’t imagine life without art!

About The Farms

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

Experience Level: Intermediate to Advanced (need to know how to knit and purl)

Learn about a traditional British Isle form of knitting at Advanced Knitting: Fair Isle Patterns on Monday, Feb. 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. in The Studio.

Fair Isle Knitting uses only two colors per row, worked in the round to make geometric patterns. Instructor Charlie Rainbow Wolf will help students learn how to read a pattern graph to knit with two different colors to create those patterns. Students must be comfortable with knitting and purling.

$65/person*. Registration will close Feb. 16 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Students should bring:— 2 balls of Lion Brand Woll-Ease worsted weight (No. 4) yarn or its equivalence. This is an 80 percent acrylic/20 percent wool blend which is machine washable and available from Lion Brand Yarn, Michaels and other yarn shops and online retailers. Choose two different colors; a good contrast will show up the stitch pattern best. Avoid softer yarns like Caron Simply Soft, Snuggle Wuggly or Facets, as they will not hold the pattern as well— Pair of US size 6 (4mm) single point 14” straight knitting needles— Pair of US size 8 (5mm) single point 14” straight knitting needles— Blunt end needle for sewing the back seam of the finished piece

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

Charlie Rainbow Wolf describes herself as an “old hippie” who has studied the “weird ways of the world for nearly 50 years.” She is happiest with her hands in the mud, either making pottery in her ‘artbox’ or tending things in her ‘yarden’ (yard + garden).

Astrology, tarot and herbs are Charlie’s greatest interests, but she has dabbled in most metaphysical topics in the last five decades — because life always has something new to offer.

She is a contributing author for Llewellyn Worldwide, is a ghostwriter for renowned psychic celebrities, and makes a wicked batch of fudge! Charlie lives in central Illinois with her very patient husband and special needs Great Danes.

About The Farms

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

Experience Level: Beginner

Weavers of all skill levels can benefit from Decorative Off-Loom Weaving on Tuesday, Feb. 24 from 12 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.

Can you imagine weaving without the need for a large and costly loom? Learn how from instructor Billie Theide, who will walk students through this portable weaving skill and help them create decorative pieces for their home. Each student will get a toolkit that will enable them to continue to work at home.

$110/person. Registration will close Feb. 17 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

Billie Theide is a former chair of the Crafts Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she is Professor Emerita. Theide is a metalsmith, jeweler 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.

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

Join the barn quilt movement by creating your own painted quilt block to use on the inside or outside of your home at Barn Quilt Painting on Saturday, Feb. 28 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in The Studio.

Students will begin with one of three options on a pre-primed board with their choice of design already drafted (choose between three star and sunburst designs at registration). Students will tape and paint at their own pace, choosing from a wide variety of colors.

Instructor Jane Cade will share a history of barn quilts, techniques, tips, and discuss how to properly seal your finished piece after the paint has dried for 48 hours. Leave with a 20×20″ wooden ‘quilt block’ to keep for yourself or share your talents and give someone a handmade gift.

$90/person. Registration closes Feb. 21 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 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

Jane Cade is a retired teacher from Clinton Junior High School. She has been painting barn quilts for eight years and sells her work online and at craft festivals. She teaches classes at Parkland Community College and will be teaching classes at her workshop beginning next year.

About The Farms

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

Find the complete Spring Session schedule here.