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(SOLD OUT) Beginning Bobbinlace
with Robin Bagwell
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.
Basic Lamp Re-Wiring
with Lou Ann Koebel
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.
Decorative Off-Loom Weaving
with Billie Theide
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.
(SOLD OUT) Pysanky Workshop
with Johannah James
Experience Level: Beginner (Ages 14+)
Lean the beautiful and traditional art of Ukrainian egg decorating at a Pysanky Workshop on Saturday, March 28 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Greenhouse Auditorium.
Instructor Johanna James-Heinz will share the history of Pysanky before walking students through the use of wax and dyes to create an egg they will take home.
$45/person (Ages 14+) Registration will close March 13 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
Johanna James-Heinz is a landscape architect who enjoys dabbling in all kinds of arts and crafts. She started decorating eggs in 2012 and enjoys creating traditional Pysanky eggs as well as using the method to create more non-traditional designs.
Johanna has taught classes in Pysanky at Allerton, various libraries and at churches.
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.
Sculptural Papermaking
with E Ainsley
Experience Level: Beginner (Ages 14+)
Create a handmade paper replica of a cherished object at Sculptural Papermaking on Sunday, March 29 from 12 to 4:30 p.m. in the Evergreen Lodge.
Instructor E Ainsley will guide students through making a mold of their chosen object. Students will then create a new sculpture with their mold using pulp from meaningful papers, journal pages, photos or old documents. The process of breaking down old notes and letters and transforming them into something new can be magical! Because the fibers have the potential to hold so much history, the medium works on its own to tell stories, disrupt or establish an archive, and ask questions about origin.
Each student will leave with a paper replica of their original object as well as a silicone mold for future use.
$150/person*. (Ages 14+; 14-17-year-olds must be accompanied by an adult, who does not need to register.) Registration will close March 22 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
*Students should bring 1-3 cherished objects to be made into molds along with papers, journal pages, photos, and old documents to turn into pulp. Student should plan to wear non-slip shoes and clothes that can get wet.
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
Ainsley uses handmade paper to speak to internal dream states and (attempts at) meditation. They combine eight years of working in the western yoga wellness industry with sincere study of Zen Buddhism and express their relation to the rhythm of the world through collage and cast paper. Ainsley creates vibrant mandalas, spirals, spirits, still lives, grids and forms infused with a sense of humor about the way things appear to be.
Their practice is an inquiry into the space between self and environment, the transition between conscious and subconscious landscape and the grey area that evokes curiosity and wonder.
Spring Cookie Decorating
with Jennifer Holhubner
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn how to decorate cookies for Spring at Spring Cookie Decorating on Sunday, March 29 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Mansion Dining Room.
Learn to decorate spring-themed cookies with royal icing, crusting butter cream and rolled buttercream! Instructor Jennifer Holhubner will demonstrate and explain wet-on-wet technique, outlining and flooding and make flowers. Each participant will receive directions to decorate five cookies.
$75/person*. Register here by March 23. All sales are final.
*Students should bring a take-home container.
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
Champaign-Urbana native Jennifer Holhubner taught herself how to decorate cakes when she was 16 years old and took up cookie decorating in 2019.
“Although they intimidated me, I forged on and got better with each order. I still have room to grow as we all do in whatever task we take on,” she said. “But I love to share the aspects of baking and decorating. I can actually now say, I am cookier!”
Jennifer also teaches decorating classes at Parkland College.
Embroidery 101: Cherry Blossoms & Dogwood
with Billie Theide
Experience Level: Beginner
Learn a variety of hand embroidery stitches and create a unique craft item at Embroidery 101: Cherry Blossom & Dogwood Sampler on Tuesday, March 31 from 12 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.
Instructor Billie Theide will introduce students to the history of embroidery and samplers. Students will learn how to transfer designs to fabric, choose different threads and yarns, and create a variety of stitches, as well as how to finish and care for embroidered samplers.
$110/person. Registration will close March 24 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.
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.