Experience Level: Beginner

Learn an ancient form of textile art at Beginning Bobbin Lace on Tuesdays, March 10 through March 24 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in The Studio.

With all of the resources that connect lacemakers across the world, there’s never been a better time to learn how to bobbin lace! Instructor Robin Bagwell will lead this hands-on class, teaching how to cross and twist as well as how to follow pattern.

Students will get the feel of moving bobbins and seeing various patterns develop as they learn the half stitch, cloth stitch and whole stitch. Written instructions will allow participants to continue their bobbin lace at home.

$180/person. Registration will close March 17 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations in order 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

Robin Bagwell learned bobbin lace at a park in 1994 after running across a lady she just happened to meet! That led to Sunday afternoon sessions during the summer to learn the textile art form. She has been enjoying and teaching bobbin lace since.

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 how to bring new life to an old lamp at Fix It! Basic Lamp Re-Wiring on Wednesday, March 11 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. in The Studio.

Instructor Lou Ann Koebel will lead students through changing out the plug, adding a switch and/or replacing wiring in lamps. This hands-on course will cover basic electrical wiring.

$55/person*. Registration will close March 8 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

* Students should bring:— A lamp to work on— Wire cutter & stripper (example here)— Black electrical tape and small retractable measuring tape (optional)

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

Lou Ann Koebel has worn many hats over the past several years: a woodworker, an AV technician and lover of restoring or repurposing antiques. Living in an older home has also helped Lou Ann to learn how to repair various items around the house, search YouTube for “fix it” videos and collect tools to cover a wide variety of tasks.

Her Fix-It courses are meant as an entry to help students explore how to proceed safely with basic tools and build a home DYI toolbox, creatively repurpose a picture frame or fix/alter a lamp.

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 (ages 12+)

Learn about soft pastels and ways to use them through basic mark-making techniques at Introduction to Pastel Painting on Sunday, March 15th from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Mansion Library.

Serious artists ages 10 and older can sign up for this course, where award-winning artist Mandy Roeing will help students learn about pastels and paint to create a simple still life to take home. More than just a one-time painting project, this class is intended to give you basic pastel painting skills and knowledge that you can build on to continue creating.

$85/person (Ages 12+. Ages 12-15 need to be accompanied by a registered adult). Register by March 11th. 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

Award-winning artist Mandy Roeing resides in Downs with her husband and their two daughters. Inspired by the beauty and tranquility of nature, Roeing creates color-filled landscapes and beachscapes that go beyond representation to capture the emotion of a place.

All of Roeing’s paintings are done in soft pastels, a beautiful and versatile medium that she is passionate about sharing with others through both her work and classes. She is an instructor at the McLean County Arts Center and the Peninsula School of Art and holds regular classes in painting and drawing at her own studio and gallery space in downtown Bloomington.

Mandy earned her BFA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina in 2004. She is the Vice President of the Illinois Prairie Pastel Society and an active member of the Peoria Art Guild. Her work has been published in The Pastel Journal magazine and the IAPS Globe and is in numberous private collections throughout the country and abroad.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn about the art of stained glass at Intro to Stained Glass: Mice on Wednesday, March 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 mouse to take home. Grinding, fitting and soldering will be covered.

$100/person*. Register here. Registration close March 11 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

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

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: Beginner

Weavers of all skill levels can benefit from Decorative Off-Loom Weaving on Saturday, March 21 from 2 to 5 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 March 14 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: Intermediate to Advanced (need to know how to knit and purl)

Learn a unique knitting technique at Advanced Knitting Skills: Knitting Lace on Monday, March 23 from 6 to 8 p.m. in The Studio.

This course is an introduction to the advanced knitting technique of knitting lace, which instructor Charlie Rainbow Wolf says is easy once you learn the basics. Participants must be proficient in casting on, knitting, purling and casting off.

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

*Students should bring:— 1 skein of Lion Brand Wool-Ease worsted weight (No. 4) yarn or its equivalent. This is an 80% acrylic, 20% wool yarn that is machine washable and available from Lion Brand and Michael’s, as well as many yarn shops. Avoid yarns that are too soft like Caron Simply Soft, Snuggly Wuggly or Facets, as they will not hold the pattern as well.— 1 pair of US size 8 (5mm) single point, straight knitting needles.— 1 blunt end needle for weaving the ends of the finished piece.— A notebook and pencil to take notes.

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 an ‘artbox’ or tending things in her ‘yarden’ (yard + garden).

Astrology, tarot and herbs are Charlie’s greatest interests, but she has also dabbled in 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

Create a functional and unique piece of spring décor at Basket Weaving: Touch of Spring on Friday, April 3 from 12 to 4 p.m. in the Greenhouse Auditorium.

Instructor Bonnie Rideout will lead students as they start by inserting and securing spokes into a wood, slotted base. Students will then learn about twining, shaping and how to add a matchstick border. The baskets will be celery green and natural colors with pretty pip berries adorning the front.

$65/person. Registration will close March 20 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 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.