Oil and Cotton at the Trans-Pecos Music Festival!

Woven Altars
Instructor: Sarah Westrup
Cost: $45Saturday, September 14 from 10 am to 1pm

Oil and Cotton will be out in West Texas celebrating the culture of the Southwest by creating miniature woven altars at the Trans-Pecos Music Festival in Marfa,Texas. Students will learn how to transform a simple box into a functioning loom and weave a space for memory. Utilize an assemblage of materials such as textiles, paper, photos, and cherished treasures to construct meaning within your own personal shrine. Found objects such as grasses, yucca pods, cactus needles, and tumble weeds will be incorporated into your altar so you can take a little piece of West Texas home with you. Participants will explore the process of creating layers with simple woven structures and collage natural and man made materials. Folks are welcomed to bring any items or images they would like to incorporate into their shrine or choose from an array of provided materials.

Visit www.sunbeamoperations.sqsp.com to learn more about the instructor, Sarah Westrup.


To register, email: Lizzy@elcosmico.com

Click here to see the full Trans-Pecos Music Festival workshop listing.

Sewing Classes for Kids,Teens, and Adults!

We had a great time yesterday printing and dyeing our fabric for the Home Decor Camp that is now in session. Students are working hard stamping, tie- dyeing, and sewing their very own bed set which includes, throw pillows, bed sheets, and an awesome ombre dyed duvet cover.

 If you are a crafty cat wanting to improve your sewing skills check out our schedule of fall weekly sewing classes kids, adults, and teens. In these classes students will get to know their very own sewing machine or can rent one for only $5 a class. Participants will learn how to make an array of home decorative items such as pillows, curtains, basic upholstery, clothing/accessories, and holiday projects. Our weekly sewing classes start on Tuesday, September 3 and are now on sale!

Fall Ages 8-12 Weekly Sewing Class

Instructor: Jesse Bartlett

Cost: SALE  $375

Tuesdays, 4-5:30pm

Classes run from Sept 3 - May 22

*No classes held on Thanksgiving, Dec 26, and Jan 2

Fall Teen Weekly Sewing Class
Instructor: Jesse Bartlett
Cost: SALE  $375
Tuesdays, 5:30-7pm
Classes run from Sept 3 - May 22
*No classes held on Thanksgiving, Dec 26, and Jan 2

Fall Adult Weekly Sewing Class

Instructor Jesse Bartlett

Cost: SALE $450

Tuesdays, 7-9pm

Classes run from Sept 3 - May 22

*No classes held on Thanksgiving, Dec 26, Jan 2 

INNATE: NEW WORKS FROM THE UNT FIBERS DEPARTMENT OPENING RECEPTION, SATURDAY, APRIL 13 6PM-8PM

INNATE: NEW WORKS BY MORGAN KUSTER, ANALISE MINJAREZ, BRITTANY HARRIS, & JULIE SHIPMAN APRIL 13th - MAY 3rd

OPENING RECEPTION, APRIL 13th, 6:00-8:00 pm

Oil and Cotton is pleased to announce the exhibition of the recent work of the University of North Texas Fibers Department. The opening reception will be hosted at Oil and Cotton on Saturday, April 13 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. The event is free to the public, with food and beverages provided.


Innate features art work of four Fiber students from the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design. Through form and color, the work in this show draws inspiration from the artists’s connection to nature. Growing up in various natural environments, attraction to the fiber medium came as second nature. Living in an environment filled with the artificial, they aspire to return to a natural way of being through art making. These thoughts are expressed though processes including netting, weaving, watercolor, felt, and cellulose fabric.

Oil and Cotton Creative Exchange
837 W. 7th St.
Dallas, TX
214.942.0474

Gallery hours:
Tuesday - Friday, 1 pm - 6 pm
Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm

Natural Dyeing with Sarah Westurp

Last weekend, Oil and Cotton hosted an awesome class lead by instructor Sarah Westrup. Students spent a relaxing afternoon learning how to extract beautiful dye colors from natural materials such as black bean, black berries, hibiscus flowers, rosemary, red onion skins, turmeric, and avocado pits. Everybody took home a leather bound specimen booklet filled with luscious silk ribbon swatches and information on how to dye at home.  This class was sold out, but we have another workshop scheduled for April. Register now to secure a seat in the amazing class!

February 16 Natural Dyes with Sarah Westrup

???Have you been dying to learn the art of natural dyes???

In this introductory class you will experiment with dying silk and cotton in a range of natural dye baths using material such as; black beans, hibiscus flowers, avocado pits, and more.  Unlike synthetic dyes, natural dyes are a living thing. The colors produced are very complex and harmonize together. Each color holds hints of other colors within it. This produces vibrations in the natural dye color that synthetic dyes could never have. There is so much wonder in the fact that every naturally dyed piece of cloth is unique. Come experience the spontaneity and beauty of the colors produced with natural dyes with instructor Sarah Westrup. 

Participant will create a dye notebook, leave with swatches and dye recipes to take home to use as a reference for future natural dyeing adventures.
Natural Dyeing with Sarah Westrup - $65
Saturday, February 16,12:30pm-4:30pm

Celebrate CREATIVE EXCHANGE!!!

Saturday, October 13

7-9pm

835 W 7th St

Dallas, Texas 75208

Oil and Cotton and the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design 

invite you to a celebration of CREATIVE EXCHANGE.

Please join us for a reception honoring visiting contemporary fiber artist Pat Hickman and the launch of our new partnership with the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design.

Oil and Cotton is happy to announce the formation of our new non-profit entity, the Creative Exchange, which serves to connect artists and institutions through thoughtful programming, teaching jobs for artists, and student scholarships.

Intro to Crewel Embroidery with Katherine Shaughnessy

Intro to Crewel Embroidery
Tuesday, June 12 6-8pm
Instructor: Katherine Shaughnessy

Whether you're brand new to stitching or an advanced embroider, Katherine Shaughnessy's New Crewel 101 embroidery workshop is sure to be a perfect fit. Shaughnessy is visiting Dallas on June 12 and will be stopping by Oil and Cotton with a trunk load of her unique crewel works and autographed copies of her latest book, New Crewel:The Motif Collection.

Come and learn the basics of crewel embroidery including Shaughnessy's favorite and essential 'New Crewel' stitches, a little history, explanation of materials, finishing techniques and pattern transfer tricks. Participants will receive all the supplies needed to get started -- linen fabric, wool thread, needles and a hoop.

Shaughnessy's Wool & Hoop kits, supplies and books featuring her original designs, dozens of fun projects and over 20 embroidery stitches, will be available for sale. For more information, call 214.942.0474. Visit www.oilandcotton.com to register.

To learn more about Katherine Shaughnessy's work visit:
http://www.doegirl.com/

Round-up of April Workshops at Oil and Cotton

Thanks to Scott Horn for a wonderful introduction to leather working, tooling and dying. Look for more leather workshops this summer and fall. Above, Scott shared examples of leather tooling made by his grandfather as well as his own work.

If you missed our popular Bicycle Basket Class, be sure to register for the New England Tote on May 19, 10-4pm. Master weaver Jan Schmidt will take you through the "ins and outs" of weaving your very own basket from start to finish.

This past Friday evening, Andrea Estrada taught students their "abc's" one stroke at a time. Andrea's next class, Pen and Ink Calligraphy, will delve into ink and metal pen nibs.

Paper Artist Brooke Herrin taught a class of lovely the ladies how to transform the mundane into something beautiful. Here, students are toning coffee filters with color before forming delicate paper roses.

Master seamstress, Casey Stallings unraveled the mystery of inserting an invisible zipper. Join our Fiber Arts Circle on Thursday evenings for more fiber related classes this spring and summer.

Embroidered Monogram - Saturday, April 14, 10-1pm

Embroidered Monogram - Saturday, April 14, 10-1pm
Instructor: Stephanie Johnson

Join us for this introduction to the art of embroidery. Students will learn to embroider their MONOGRAM. Do you love label makers, carving your initials into the bark of trees, tagging freight trains? Well this is your chance to learn how to stitch your mark. Put your name on it and make your linens and things FANCY!!!

Topics include basic skills of choosing and preparing the fabric, using the hoop, and threading the needle, transfer techniques, anchoring stitches (to knot or plunge), to finishing the project for final display. Traditional embroidery stitches will be taught. With the skills learned, you will be able to continue making beautiful pieces of art or simply embellish items of your own. Visit our website to register online. Beginners welcome! Visit www.oilandcotton.com to register.

Materials Included
• 6" embroidery hoop
• white cotton fabric
• floss of varying colors
• crewel needles
• transfer paper
• sample pattern

Stephanie has developed a series of classes for Oil and Cotton that will be taught monthly. Students interested in gaining a deeper understanding of needlepoint should consider registering for Stephanie's other workshops:

Embroidered Color Wheel Sampler - Thursday, April 26, 6-9pm
Embroidered Clutch (2 day class) - Saturdays, May 5 and 19, 10-2pm

Learn to Sew at Oil and Cotton this Thursday...

Thursday, April 12, 6:30-9pm, $65
Instructor: Casey Stallings
Master sewing basics and leave class with a finished pillow cover. Students will learn to measure, press and properly cut fabric, insert an invisible zipper and how to sew tidy finished seams. This workshop is designed to teach a number of valuable sewing skills with an emphasis on professional-looking results. Oil and Cotton has three sewing machines available for use. You are encouraged to bring your own machine as this is a wonderful opportunity to have an expert guide you through using your own machine. Casey is full of sewing knowledge, tips, and tricks. REGISTER TODAY!

Supplies provided include:
100% cotton fabric
Zipper
Thread
16" x16" pillow Insert

Hyperbolic Crochet | March 29, 6:30-8:30pm

Hyperbolic Crochet with Anne Lawrence
Thursday, March 29, 6:30-8:30

Learn the basics of hyperbolic and free-form crochet enabling you to create your own sculptural crocheted objects. Hyperbolic crochet is the use of increases to create mathematical models of theoretical forms or those found in nature, such as the crenelations of a lettuce leaf or coral reef. Familiarity with basic crochet such as chaining preferred, but not necessary. All levels welcome.

Students that attend this class are invited to attend our FREE Thursday night open studio Fibers Circle to continue working on their creations and exhibit work in a small group show on Thursday, April 19, 6:30 -8:30pm.

Anne Lawrence started experimenting with free-form crochet in 2005 before discovering hyperbolic crochet. Primarily a self-taught crocheter, Lawrence has been working with the hook since the age of 8.

Weaving Fibers and Glass Cutting this WEEKEND!

Spider Web Loom
Saturday, February 18, 11-2pm
Instructor: June Covington
$65

People all over the earth make all the fabric they need on looms assembled from sticks which support a warp into which they weave local fibers and exotic threads into patterns of unlimited designs. Class participants will assemble a simple "spiderweb" loom made from fallen branches and weave a wall-hanging of rich design using yarn, threads, wool and fabric scraps of varied colors and patterns. The branches for the looms can be left in place to provide the means to hang the finished work on the wall.

Glass Cutting 

Friday, February 17, 6:30-8:30pm
Instructor: Larry Pile
$45-55

“Regardless of whether you do mosaics, stained glass, leaded glass, fused glass, small-volume picture-framing or small glass jewelry, glass cutting skills are important. Come to Oil and Cotton for this two-hour class with Artist Larry Pile (AKA The Kessler Craftsman). Larry will bring plenty of oil-fed hand cutters, running pliers and grozers, some electric tools, straight edges and practice glass. The class will start with learning to cut and run straight lines, then move to curved lines in everything from simple clear glass to opaque art glass. Larry will also show you how to cut thin strips, circles, use a water-fed ring saw for intricate cuts. He’ll also show you how to smooth the edges of your cut glass using either a diamond grinder or a hand-held alundum stone. You’ll walk out of Oil & Cotton with a fabulous start in glass cutting. Students will put their new glass cutting skills to work and make a fused glass night light.

No prior experience required, ages 16 and up. All Materials included.

New Felting Classes at Oil and Cotton

Join us this Sunday, January 8 from 3-6pm for the first of our new felting classes with talented teacher and artist, Lizzy Wetzel. Many folks inquire about felting, not having a clear understanding of this ancient craft. Felting is a method of joining loose wool fibers to form wool felt. The resulting felt can be soft and used to make slippers or a fedora hat. Some felt is tough enough to build a yurt or a sculpture. The image above shows loose wool rovings, wool batting, and prefelt before the felting process.

Felt is made by a process called wet felting where the natural wool fibers are stimulated by friction, moisture, and alkalinity (soap). The image above shows felted wall pockets, fabric, and bottle blankets (coozies), no sewing was used to construct these objects.

In the image above Lizzy is laying out a design using prefelts. Prefelt is carded wool that has been partially felted. It comes in comes in sheets that can be cut in to shapes and patterns. Lizzy used a large sheet of prefelt as the base for our FELTED PONCHO class and smaller pieces to create a Native American inspired design. Other natural fibers like silk can be integrated into felted projects.

After the design is laid out, water and soap are added. Then it is time for friction. The felted surface is rolled back and forth inside of a mat. Some of our students decided to use their feet after their arms got tired.

Above is a completed felted poncho. This Sunday students will be introduced to the history and process of flat or wet felting. Learn about this versatile art form and use your creativity and hands (or feet) to make felted art.

Take all four of Lizzy's felting workshops this Spring, and save 10%. Use SERIES10 when you check out with all four workshops:
Jan 8 Intro to Wet Felting
Feb 5 Felted Flowers* 20% of proceeds go to Genesis Women's Shelter
Mar 4 Felted Vessel
Apr 1 Drawing with Felt

About the Instructor:
Dallas artist Lizzy Wetzel has a very strong personal iconography that draws on notions of the spiritual and supernatural from a variety of cultures. In addition to her intensely detailed sculptures and installations, she also performs what she calls “service actions,” which would traditionally be called performance art by anybody else. These service actions are inspired by her grandfather, a medical doctor who routinely made house calls on horseback.
Born in Austin, Texas, Lizzy Wetzel received her BFA from the School of Visual Art at the University of North Texas in Denton. She has shown work at Road Agent Gallery in Dallas, FotoFest Houston, the Wichita Falls Museum of Art, Art Palace in Austin, 500X Gallery in Dallas, and Salon Mijangos in San Antonio.

New Crewel With Katherine Shaughnessy

Our friend Katherine Shaughnessy is visiting us from her digs in West Texas. Don't miss this opportunity to spend an afternoon with a very special person, talented artist, and knowledgeable teacher. All skill levels are welcome to this crewel workshop which will cover the basics of embroidery in addition to eight crewel stitches and finishing techniques. Workshop participants will receive all the supplies needed to get started including Shaughnessy's book, The New Crewel, which offers 30 of her original designs, 15 fun projects, and 16 classic embroidery stitches. Additional crewel kits and supplies will be available for sale at the workshop. Please visit our website to preregister for this class.

Embroidery at Oil and Cotton

Our embroidery teacher, Stephanie Scoggin brought the finished example for her next workshop, a beautifully embellished linen clutch. During our visit we discussed the history of needlework and the similarities and differences of this craft throughout various cultures and it's evolution.

This evening I spent hours looking at strange embroidery samplers found via VADS, brightly colored examples of African embroidery on black cloth, intricately decorated Indian dresses, and revisited several artists that use embroidery and thread in their work like Maurizio Anseri and Gabriel Dawe.

This is a simple tutorial about Shashiko, a Japanese tradition of embroidery. I like the bold contrast of the  indigo dyed cloth against the white thread that is most often used in Shashiko embroidery .

To learn more about the history and art of embroidery please join us for our next workshop.

Embroidered Color Wheel at Oil and Cotton

Learn the art of embroidery this Saturday, Sept 24, 11am-2pm. Using the techniques learned in our first embroidery class and several new stitches we will embroider a COLOR WHEEL. Students will learn techniques for filling spaces in their embroidery work by combining stitches and create a a great color reference tool in the process. Pattern will be printed on the fabric; no transferring necessary! Fabric, embroidery floss, needle and wooden hoop provided. Knowledge of basic embroidery stitches best. If you are unable to make the class or are searching for a creative gift, we have a limited supply COLOR WHEEL embroidery kits available in our shop. Please visit our website to preregister.

Materials Included
• embroidery hoop
• cotton fabric with printed design
• floss of varying colors
• crewel needles

Instructor: Stephanie Scoggin
Price: $50

FREE pass to the Oil and Cotton Fiber Arts Craft Circle with purchase of this workshop! Try out the  Fiber Arts Circle free for one night when you take this or any other fiber arts workshops this fall. Our ongoing Craft Circle will take place on Thursdays, 6:30-8:30pm.

Oil and Cotton Fiber Arts Circle - Open Studio Thursday Evenings

We have been inspired by our talented teachers and students to establish a Fiber Arts Collective. Fiber related arts have a long history and lend themselves to a communal environment where information and materials may be shared. We all have unfinished projects that are waiting for completion, so please join us on Thursday evenings beginning on September 15th from 6:30-8:30.

Fiber arts include all things fiber: sewing, needlepoint, knitting, crochet, felting, spinning, weaving, dyeing, and other creative processes that use textiles and fibers.

The mission of the Oil and Cotton Fiber Arts Circle is to provide an open workspace for fiber artists and craftspeople, to educate our community, and to create an environment for sharing and learning.
All skill levels are welcome in this open studio, providing you an opportunity to work on unfinished projects and begin new one in the good company of fellow fiber artists.

Monthly membership is $25. Dues will support Fiber Arts programming/events and facility costs. Bring your own supplies and/or purchase them at Oil and Cotton.

Membership Benefits Include:
Fiber Arts Circle drop in studio time on Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm
One guest pass (bring a friend) for drop in on Thursdays 6:30-8:30pm
10% off in the Oil and Cotton shop (except for consignment)
Free admission to Fiber Arts Events (guest speaker and demonstrations)
*No circle held November 24.

Email or call for more information.

Introduction to Embroidery - August 13th

Join us on Saturday, August 13, 11-2pm for this introduction to embroidery. Students will begin their very own embroidery stitch sampler. Students will make a sampler by following a pattern and will also have the opportunity to monogram their initials. Each student is invited to experiment and add to the traditional sampler.

Topics include basic skills of choosing and preparing the fabric, using the hoop, and threading the needle, transfer techniques, anchoring stitches (to knot or plunge), to finishing the project for final display. Eight traditional embroidery stitches will be taught: Running stitch (blue), Backstitch (blue), Split stitch (green), Feather stitch (lime green), Backstitch variation (orange and pink), French Knots (red), Chain stitch (light purple), Blanket stitch (purple). With the skills learned, you will be able to continue making beautiful pieces of art or simply embellish items of your own. Visit our website to register online.

Materials Included
• 6" embroidery hoop
• white cotton fabric
• floss of varying colors
• crewel needles
• transfer paper
• sample pattern
 

Miniature Navajo Rug Weaving at Oil and Cotton

In this introductory class students began a (6"x9") Navajo rug on a wooden frame-loom using traditional methods and materials combined with makeshift tools like rulers and forks. Students learned terms and skills used in frame-loom weaving. Hand dyed churro wool was used to weave on the frame with a yarn weft and cotton warp. Weaving tools included shuttles (ruler), beaters (forks), yarn needles, tensioner devices and heddles.

Students explored tapestry weave, warp faced-weaving, plain weave and learned tensioning, joining, tying-up, warping the loom, and planning the design. Traditional patterns using symbols from nature and history informed our weaving and spiritual aspects of geometric shapes (all a part of planning the weaving) were discussed.

Learn more about our fiber arts classes on our website. Our next fiber classes will explore the tradition of Embroidery and the magic of Shibori dying and Indigo!

Hyperbolic Crochet this SUNDAY

Don't miss this unique opportunity to explore the traditional craft of crochet blended with math and art. Join us this Sunday from 11-2pm for a beginning level crochet class taught by self-taught crocheter, Anne Lawrence. Register online here.

Learn more about Hyperbolic Crochet in this New York Times article about the Coral Reef project.