Experience Level: Beginner

Learn the basic mechanics of using a spinning wheel to make your own yarn at Learn to Spin Yarn on Tuesday, July 8th 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. Register by July 4. All sales are final.

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

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 eight 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 a variety of hand embroidery stitches and create a unique craft item at Embroidery 101: Summer Flower Sampler on Saturday, July 12 from 12 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.

Instructor Billie Theide will introduce students to the history of embroidery and samplers and help them learn about transferring designs to fabric, different threads and yarns, and creating a variety of stitches, as well as how to finish and care for embroidered samplers.

$95/person. Register here by July 3. 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

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, 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 Summer Session schedule here.

Experience Level: Beginner

Gather with your fellow dulcimer musicians and create some music at Mountain Dulcimer Jam Sessions on Saturday, July 19 from 10:30 to 12:00 p.m. in the Studio. This gathering is perfect for those who have taken Beginner Mountain Dulcimer at The Farms and want a space to practice with fellow players.

$5/person. Register a day prior to each jam session. All sales are final.

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

About the instructor

Lou Ann Koebel currently leads a weekly dulcimer jam for the East Central Dulcimer Illinois Dulcimer Club at Lincoln Square. She also plays in a local band that visits and performs at local assisted living facilities.

Last fall, she taught a beginning dulcimer class for The Farms, where she had a wonderful time teaching the group and realized her love of teaching and passing on the tradition of playing a mountain dulcimer. Lou Ann also plays at area music festivals.

Experience Level: Some Sewing Skills Recommended

Learn the process of making a shirt at Sewing a Button-Down Shirt on Saturday and Sunday, July 26-27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in The Studio.

Over the course of the weekend, instructor Caitlin O’Donoghue will walk students through cutting a pattern, assembling a button-down shirt using a commercial pattern and learning a variety of techniques to complete a professional-looking garment.

$120/person*. Register here by July 12. All sales are final.

*Students should bring:
— 3 yards of 45-inch pre-washed cotton, preferably with a print
— A sewing machine, if possible. A limited number of machines are available to rent. For more information email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu.

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

Caitlin O’Donoghue is the Costume Shop Manager at Millikin University, where she teaches intro and advanced costume construction, pattern drafting and stage makeup. She has been working in professional and academic costume shops for 15 years and loves working with beginning stitchers.

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 Summer Session schedule here.

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, July 27th 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 July 24th. 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.

Learn how to create unique Allerton-inspired prints at Printmaking in Nature on Wednesday, July 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Mansion Carriage House.

Although printmaking is often done with linoleum blocks and ink, it can also be done with gelatin. Instructor Sally Walsh will walk students through the different forms of printmaking, the importance of working with non-toxic materials, positive and negative images, and the basic principles of design and color.

$65/person*. Registration will close on July 29 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Bring a lunch or purchase one at the Greenhouse Café.

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.

Experience Level: Beginner

No barn? No problem! Join the barn quilt movement by creating your own painted quilt block to use at your own home at Barn Quilt Painting on Saturday, August 2 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Studio.

The workshop will start with a pre-primed board with a design already drafted (choose one of the 2 options). Students will tape and paint at their own pace, choosing from a wide variety of colors.

Instructor Jane Cade will also share 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. Register by July 25. All sales are final.

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

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.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn to work with 11/0 glass seed beads at Beaded Jewelry on Saturday, Aug. 9 from 12 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.

Instructor Billie Theide will lead students through making a pair of beaded earrings, sharing a variety of techniques and finishes. These same techniques can be applied to jewelry that functions as brooches, bracelets and necklaces. Students will explore design process and color theory strategies, and will receive a folder of printed handouts.

$80/person. Register by Aug 1. 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.

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, 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 Summer Session schedule here.