5 California Bay Area Fashion Camps : Sewing Workshop : Fiber Craft

Five California Bay Area Fashion Camps

Sewing Camps : Fiber Craft

Creating our own clothes by sewing, knitting, embellishing, a combination of these or other techniques are as popular as they've been in years past.

Fiber artists are using recycled materials, upcycling their clothing. Not that this is a new concept. Quilters for instance did this for years, out of necessity and creativity, long before there was Project Runway or there were Fashion Police. There are galleries and art shows entirely devoted to fibre arts.

"Don't Make Me Cut You" Craft Shirt Customize 

Learn how you can sell t-shirt designs on Zazzle 

 As with woodworkers and other makers, the milliner and sewer (a gender-free term similar to 'quilter' used instead of 'seamstress') are creating art that is utilitarian. They're also creating heirlooms. Children and grandchildren may embellish and upcycle our creations be it a bureau or a dress with paint or sequins, adjusting the height or the length, changing the knobs or buttons.

TV programs such as Knitty Gritty show the wide spread popularity of knitting as an art form, a social explosion. Radical knitters are out there yarn bombing anything that isn't tied down -- and a few things that are tied down! They give us a new outlook on the world.

Drop Stitches Not Bombs T Shirt 
Create unique printed t-shirts on zazzle

Thanks to a new breed of embroidery artists, the antique sampler comes into the 21st century with re-craftings of famous tweets, clip art and facebook posts. The immediacy of the digital era takes on a startling new permanence when it's captured by thread in embroidery. 

Something sent over the internet in nanoseconds hangs exposed on a gallery wall. The viewer can imagine the time and care taken by the artist creating that message stitch by stitch by stitch.

The camps, workshops and classes appear and evolve regularly. Keep your eyes open and don't hesitate to ask facilities near you if they'll consider offering a workshop that you'd like to take. Post a flyer at your local library. You could start a sewing, quilting or knitting circle for yourself and/or your kids that easily.

1)  Camp Couture : San Mateo
Sewing Lessons for teens & adults. Summer Camp 2013, Birthday Parties. They've added a section called The Teen Reconstruction Workshop . The class will focus on the art of reconstruction. Take something old and make it new again.

2)  Camp Fashionista : San Jose
Basics in sewing, and fashion sketching, Ages 6 and up. "Each weeks camp ends with a fashion show on Friday to strut your stuff down the catwalk to friends and family." Fashion camp workshops include: Budding fashion designers can learn fashion illustration, create an American Girl Doll & Me Skirt & Headband. Maybe you want to know if a sewing class is right for your child?

3) Rock Paper Scissors : Oakland
Look forward to silkscreen printing classes and also How to be a Spinster make your own handspun yarn. "One of the most ancient forms of craft, spinning is the foundation of all modern textiles." In the past they've hosted a sewing lab at their facility. Keep checking to see what's offered.

4) Children's Knitting Circle : Los Gatos Public Library
Come learn to knit or work on a project you've started, staff and volunteers will help. Drop in, ages 7+ One day/week

5) Fashion your mind organization : San Jose
Fashion Sewing, Learn to Make Your Own Prom Dress, Mommy/Daddy and Me

List is in no particular order, we're not affiliated with any of the camps/classes

Our main Non-Traditional Camps s & Classes in California's bay area
main resource page has to be relocated

Visit The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles for their Fiber Talks and Lectures Series. The Economy has hit everyone hard.

You may be able to find some other local museums who periodically host fiber artists who give talks, do demonstrations and hold workshops.

Born To Sew Tshirt by CraftersUnite
View more Sewing/Crafting T-Shirts at zazzle.com
 

reduce, reuse, retweet tee shirts  
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 Related Blog Posts, Articles
5 California Bay Area Art Camps : Art Summer Camps : Art School for Kids

 5 California Bay Area Gardening Urban Farming Camps
and

10 points about sewing ergonomics : Tips for Sewing & Quilting more comfortably : Great ideas for setting up your workspace
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Pat Derby founder of PAWS Animal Rescue on 1970s Television

Pat Derby was the founder and director of the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). She died earlier this month due to cancer. She was a pioneer animal rights activist and will be long remembered. She was only 69.

Getting her start as an animal trainer, she notably trained Lassie and Flipper! This is indeed a loss for those who knew and loved her and a loss for the animals. The organization will carry on in the endeavor that she started.

Here's a little gem from TV in the 70s. Ms. Derby appeared on the game show, What's My Line in 1973. Panelists were Fannie Flagg, Allen Ludden, Arlene Francis and Soupy Sales. We get a history of Derby's work both as an animal trainer and her work forming PAWS.



An interesting side note, a walkway at the Los Angeles Zoo was named in the memory of Allen Ludden, who was married to television great, Betty White. (Betty White is a board member at the Zoo and an animal advocate in her own right.) There is also a man-made lake in Mineral Point was named Ludden Lake in his honor.

You'll see behind the scenes footage of their filming a Ford Cougar commercial as Patricia Derby works with a cougar. Later we see that cougar there on the show.

"Please don't get a wild animal for a pet," is one of her messages.

From their site: "Since 1984, The Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) has been at the forefront of efforts to rescue and provide appropriate, humane sanctuary for animals who have been the victims of the exotic and performing animal trades. PAWS investigates reports of abused performing and exotic animals, documents cruelty and assists in investigations and prosecutions by regulatory agencies to alleviate the suffering of captive wildlife."

Animal rights advocates often work very long hours, thanklessly and with too few resources.

The PAWS web site offers an amazing resource of information about animals, Pat Derby and their work.A donation to PAWS is always needed and appreciated. They offer the following message:

"A celebration of Pat's life will be planned at a later date. Ed has requested no flowers be sent. For anyone wishing to honor Pat, he would prefer donations be made to PAWS in her memory. Letters of condolences can be sent to P. O. Box 849, Galt, CA 95632 or emailed to info@pawsweb.org"

Thanks for posting this great video. Please don't hesitate to show some support.