Allerton Park & Retreat Center

Experience Level: Beginner  

Are you looking for a unique and experimental experience?  Join us for Thread Bowls on Wednesday, Nov. 4 from 12-4 p.m. in the Dining Room.  

Explore color theory and design as you create a beautiful decorative thread bowl that can resemble glass. Using a special fabric base, sewing thread, yarn, fabric scraps, and dimensional embellishments, you'll transform everyday materials into a richly textured, functional work of art. Bring your imagination, leftover thread, yarn, embroidery floss, small fabric scraps, and an optional sewing machine. No experience is necessary.  

$100/person*. Registration closes Oct. 28 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.  

*Students should bring the following: 
-one 12” ruler 
-two blue or black ink pens 
-one pair of scissors 
-one roll of paper towels 
-sewing machine (optional) 
-a few sewing needles 
-blow dryer (optional) 
-and a monochromatic collection of: 
     - spools of left over sewing thread  - bits of left over yarn in any fiber 
     - partial skeins of left over embroidery floss 
     - left over crochet thread 
     - left over fabric scraps 

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 Professor Emerita and a former Chair of the Crafts Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Theide is a metalsmith, jeweler, textile artist, 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.