Experience Level: Beginner

Use rings, thread and yarn to take your sewing to another level at a Button Making Workshop on Sunday, Dec. 14 from 1 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.

In this hands-on course, instructor Billie Theide will help students create beautiful and functional Dorset buttons as they learn skills such as casting, slicking, laying spokes, rounding and weaving, and embellishing.

Once a cottage industry in Dorset, England, Dorset buttons can be used creatively to embellish clothing and accessories and to make jewelry.

$105. Registration will close Dec. 7 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.

Experience Level: Beginner (all ages; parents/guardians are not required to register with their children, but they are encouraged to be present for those 13 and younger.)

Create a unique piece of art out of locally sourced alpaca fiber at Needlefelt Snowman on Monday, Dec. 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. in The Studio.

Stephanie Block of Sundrop Alpacas will walk students through the needlefelting process to make a snowman, which can be customized to make them look authentic, whimsical or anything in between. The class is perfect for those wanting to learn a new art form.

Take advantage of a fun opportunity to bring a friend or family member for just a $10 add-on fee as you work together on a single project kit!

$65/person* + $10/person for add-on (limit one). Register here.  Registration will close Dec. 11 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*A $15 discount is available during registration for those who bring their own needlefelting tools.

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 since 2016. Stephanie’s spinning style is self-taught, and she is continuously learning so that she can share that knowledge with others.

Step back in time and celebrate the season with easy-to-learn dances at a Victorian Christmas Soirée on Monday, Dec. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mansion Library. Jeanette Watts will lead you in period dances perfect for beginners and seasoned dancers alike. Enjoy festive drinks and light snacks, mingle with fellow history enthusiasts and immerse yourself in the holiday spirit.

Victorian costumes are encouraged but not required. Whether you choose a full ensemble or just a touch of 19th-century flair, come ready to dance and enjoy a magical evening!

$30/person. Register by Dec. 10. All sales are final.

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

Experience Level: Beginner (16+)

Learn about various stitching methods at Intro to Hand Sewing on Thursday, Dec. 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. in The Studio. 

Instructor Caitlin O’Donoghue will walk students through the basics of practical hand sewing and teach common stitches such as hemming, decorative stitches and closures.

$50/person*. Registration will close Dec. 4 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Closed-toe shoes are recommended. 

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

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 since about 2010 and loves working with beginning stitchers.

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 decorate cookies for summer at Holiday Cookie Decorating on Saturday, December 20 from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Greenhouse Auditorium.

Learn to decorate holiday-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 Dec. 13. 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.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn more about the plants at Allerton at Winter Botany on Saturday, Jan. 10 and 17 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. in The Studio and outdoors.

Instructor Fran Harty will begin each class in The Studio and share information about twig characteristics, fruits and how to use an identification key. The remainder of the time will be spent in the woods to apply what has been learned.

$40/person. Register by Jan. 2. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations in order 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

Fran Harty has taught dendrology at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and similar classes for Allerton Park Corps of Discovery in 2009 and the Illinois Audubon Society in 2015. Fran currently works with the Land Conservation Foundation.

Experience Level: Beginner (Ages 13+)

Learn about crocheting at Granny Squares 101: Crochet for Beginners on Sunday, Jan. 11 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 Jan. 8 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Students should bring:

OPTION 1
— 2 skeins Lion Brand 24/7 cotton yarn (one each in two contrasting colors; avoid dark colors). This yarn is 100 percent mercerized cotton, which results in a beautiful aesthetic and holds its sheen and structure through repeated washings. Ideal for dischcloths
— US G/6 (4mm) crochet hook
— Embroidery scissors

OPTION 2
— 2 skeins Impecccable Solid Yarn by Loops & Threads (one each in two contrasting colors; avoid dark colors). This yarn is 100% acrylic, is super soft and easily worked. Ideal for afghans, sweaters, hats and scarves
— US H/8 (5mm) 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

Learn a unique art form at Introduction to Stained Glass on Wednesday, Jan. 21 from 5 to 8 p.m. in The Studio.

Kari Keller will teach students how to cut, shape, and assemble a stained glass butterfly suncatcher in Introduction to Stained Glass. All students will take home a butterfly refrigerator magnet at the end of the workshop.

$100/person. Register here by Jan 14. 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

Kari Keller has been a Champaign/Urbana resident since 2008, originally hailing from the tiny town 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. Kari enjoys teaching acrylic painting, mosaic, and stained glass. 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, 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.