Experience Level: Beginner

Learn to create new plants from existing ones at Intro to Shrub Propagation on Wednesday, Dec. 10 from 3 to 5 p.m. in The Studio.

Illinois Extension Educator Ryan Pankau will lead students through the practice of propagation by using cuttings from existing plants, as well as a variety of other methods. This workshop will be focused on the basics of woody plant propagation and various methods that can be used to generate offspring from a variety of common shrub species.

$25/person. Registration will close Dec. 3 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 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

Learn the basic mechanics of using a spinning wheel to make your own yarn at Learn to Spin Yarn on Wednesday, Oct. 29 and Thursday, Dec. 11 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.

Experience Level: Beginner 

Have you ever had a smell trigger a memory? Learn why that happens at Herbal Magic: The Power of Aromatherapy on Thursday, Nov. 20 or Dec. 11 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium. 

In this hands-on workshop, instructor Candy Reeder will present the science behind how scents use your olfactory system to work with your body chemistry, and how to use this process to enhance physical, mental and emotional wellness.  

Students will also have the chance to create their own custom aromatherapy blend of essential oils and herbs to take home. 

$65/person. Registration will close 1 week prior to each class 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 

In 2018 Candy moved from a busy city to Champaign, where she truly met nature. She began gardening and wild schooling with her six kids, learning about native plants and wildlife, how to both give to and receive from Earth, creating natural remedies from “weeds”, and the power of connecting with nature to balance stress and sadness. Candy’s business is called Joyfully Blooming because she loves helping people find joy in discovering their authentic, natural self, hidden under the facade of social demands. 

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn more about the plants at Allerton at Winter Botany on Saturday, Dec. 13 and 20 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 Dec. 5. 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 

Learn how to jam with other musicians at Beginner Jam Sessions on Saturdays, Sept. 13, Oct. 11, Nov. 8 and Dec. 13 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in The Studio. Learn to play as a group and learn new songs at a gentle pace in a friendly environment. 

Jams sessions are open to beginning mountain dulcimer players and other instrumentalists. 

$5/person. Registration closes one day before each course begins or when capacity is reached. All sales are final. 

— Sept. 13 
— Oct. 11 
— Nov. 8 
— Dec. 13 

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 

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. 

Koebel has taught beginning dulcimer classes for The Farms, where she has 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: 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.

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.