Experience Level: Beginner; all ages (Children under 14 must be accompanied by a registered adult.)

Create a living keepsake at a Kokedama Workshop on Sunday, May 3 from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. in the Evergreen Lodge.

Olga Aleman of Luscious Leaves will lead students in the Japanese-inspired art of moss ball planting. Students will use soil and moss to create a living planter for a plant that can be displayed on a decorative plate or hung in a window.

Make this a group project and bring a friend or family member to create one Kokedama together!

$55/person*. Registration will close April 26 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final. 

*Students should bring a small plant of their own with the roots intact either from home or purchased at Allerton’s Plant Sale. 

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn a unique art form at Intro to Mosaic Art: Bluebells on Sunday, May 3 from 1 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.

Instructor Kari Keller will teach students the basics of mosaic art, from selecting tesserae to assembly and grouting. All will take home a unique, hand-decorated terracotta flowerpot at the end of the workshop.

$85/person*. Register here. Registration will close April 26 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Closed-toe shoes are recommended.

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!

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn an ancient form of textile art at Beginning Bobbin Lace on Tuesdays, May 12 through May 26 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.

$195/person. Registration will close May 5 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 (16+)

Learn about various stitching methods at Intro to Hand Sewing on Sunday, May 17 from 9 to 12 p.m. in The Studio.

Instructor Jennie Ingram will help students learn the basics of practical hand sewing including the basting stitch, running stitch, back stitch, whip stitch, hem stitch, slip/ladder stitch, and how to attach a button and hook & eye.

Closed-toe shoes are recommended.

$55/person. Registration will close May 15 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 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

Jennie Ingram is a lifelong crafter who has been sewing, costuming, quilting, crocheting, and making jewelry since childhood. She received her MFA in Costume Design from UIUC in 2007 and has worked in costume shops across the country including Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Williamstown Theatre Festival.

She spent six years as the Costume Shop Manager at Western Kentucky University, where she enjoyed expanding her student’s skill sets by offering workshops in quilting, corsetry and jewelry making. Since leaving academia she has run an Etsy shop selling handmade charm bracelets, and other gifts.

Jennie is also a moderator and active member of LettuceCraft.com, a forum where members share their handmade creations. Her Halloween sampler quilt, titled Stitch ‘n Witch, was shown at the 20th Annual Festival of Quilts in Urbana.

Experience Level: Beginner (Ages 13+)

Learn about crocheting at Granny Squares 101: Crochet for Beginners on Sunday, May 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in The Studio.

Led by fiber artist Billie Theide, students will learn the basics of crochet, how to chain, create basic stitches, change colors, read work, fix mistakes and bind off.

Each student will leave with at least one uniquely designed crocheted “granny square” that can serve as a start for a bigger blanket, scarf, bag, and more!

$95/person* (Ages 13+; 13-15-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult, who does not need to register.) Registration will close May 28 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Students should bring:

OPTION 1
— 2 skeins Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton yarn. 1 each of two contrasting colors. (This yarn is 100% mercerized cotton, results in a beautiful aesthetic, and holds its sheen and structure through repeated washings.) 
— 1 4mm U.S. G/6 crochet hook
— Embroidery scissors

OPTION 2
— 2 skeins Loops & Threads Impeccable Solid Yarn. 1 each of two different contrasting solid colors. (This yarn is 100% acrylic, is super soft and easily worked. Ideal for afghans, sweaters, hats, and scarves.) 
— 5 mm US H/8 crochet hook 
— Embroidery scissors

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations 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 (All Ages 16+) 

Learn how to quilt in one class at Quilt-As-You-Go Potholders on Saturday, June 6 from 1 to 5 p.m. in The Studio.  

Instructor Jennie Ingram will introduce students to commonly used quilting terms, helpful tools like rotary cutters and mats, and heat proof materials used in sewing items like potholders. Then, students will use their sewing machines to both piece and quilt their quilt block at the same time. Finally, students will bind their pieces to have a pair of finished potholders by the end of class. 

Students should bring a sewing machine they are comfortable using.* Closed-toe shoes are recommended. 

$80/person. Register here. Registration will close May 30 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final. 

*A limited number of sewing machines are available for rent. Please contact Olivia Bunting to secure a machine. 

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. 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 

Jennie Ingram is a lifelong crafter who has been sewing, costuming, quilting, crocheting, and making jewelry since childhood. She received her MFA in Costume Design from UIUC in 2007 and has worked in costume shops across the country including Idaho Shakespeare Festival and Williamstown Theatre Festival. 

She spent six years as the Costume Shop Manager at Western Kentucky University, where she enjoyed expanding her student’s skill sets by offering workshops in quilting, corsetry and jewelry making. Since leaving academia she has run an Etsy shop selling handmade charm bracelets, and other gifts. 

Jennie is also a moderator and active member of LettuceCraft.com, a forum where members share their handmade creations. Her Halloween sampler quilt, titled Stitch ‘n Witch, was shown at the 20th Annual Festival of Quilts in Urbana.

Experience Level: Beginner

Take wood boards and transform them into a decoration for your garden at a Wooden Planter Workshop on Saturday, June 6 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. in Evergreen Lodge.

Instructor Lou Ann Koebel will help students build a small (20” x 9”) wooden planter from just a few boards of 5/4 treated deck material. The finished project will be suitable to hold pre-planted hanging baskets and designed to coordinate with any garden décor.

$150/person*. Registration will close May 30 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Students should bring:
— Safety glasses
— Cordless Drill

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 had a strong passion for woodworking since high school, and during the summer attends workshops at Marc Adams School of Woodworking in Indiana.

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, June 13 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 two 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 June 6 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

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.