2023
Happy NEW Year!!!
I wanted to update you on my future of teaching in-person workshops on the road. A lot has changed over the last several years as the pandemic has lingered and we re-evaluate how and where we spend our time and energy. And we need to get used to the idea that this could be our new normal as the virus may never fully go away.
The good news is we are learning new ways of being together safely and simply wearing a mask during periods of high rates of virus has proven to be very successful at mitigating spread of the virus.
In the meantime, due to our extended period of isolation many workshop venues have struggled to stay in business, unable fill classes, as more people turn to online options. Consequently, the in-person workshop experience as we know it is going to change and become a less frequent opportunity.
Over the last 5 years, my work in the city college makerspace has grown and I’m finding a lot of satisfaction teaching and working locally with a very different population of students, and with the added income stability I’ve decided to take a break from teaching on the road after I fulfill my 2023 teaching commitments.
If you have ever
wanted to take a workshop with me
this is the time to do it!
Where can you take a workshop with me this year?
I have two 5-day Ink, Print, Repeat workshops in the US, and then a big teaching trip to Australia August-September.
April 21-26 at Empty Spools Session IV, Asilomar, Pacific Grove, CA.
June 13-17 at Woodland Ridge Retreat, Menomonie, WI.
Both are amazing locations to take workshops and I’m thrilled to be able to teach at each of them.
If you’d like to join me on an exciting overseas adventure, I will also be teaching Ink, Print, Repeat as a 4-day workshop in Uluru, Australia August 5-8 at Sewing up a storm in the desert where you’ll also go home with a brand new Bernina sewing machine!
Ink, Print, Repeat is the mother load of workshops
It incorporates so many of the techniques I’ve developed and learned over the years. It grew out of my Paint and Printapalooza workshop on creating hand-dyed and printed cloth using a variety of surface design techniques with acrylic inks, as opposed to fiber-reactive dyes. While also exploring pattern design with an assortment of stamping and screen printing methods, Ink, Print, Repeat takes a deeper dive into shibori (resist dyeing), making stamps, and teaches you how to make your own fiber-friendly acrylic inks and textile paints.
Why MAKE your own acrylic inks and textile paints?
The benefit of making your own ink with a few products readily available from PRO Chemical and Dye is the ability to use a medium made especially for fabric instead of altering a more expensive off the shelf product made for canvas, and the ability to customize ink or paint to your specific needs.
Handmade inks are also a climate and eco-friendly alternative to fiber-reactive dyes, that do not require special handling or wearing a respirator to make, and the best part about using acrylic inks is the fabric is ready to use as soon as it’s dry!
Ink, Print Repeat: Explorations in textile pattern design using acrylic inks
In Ink, Print, Repeat, explore a multitude of ways to create richly colored and textured “base” fabrics by applying acrylics inks to fabric with different types of brush-strokes, sponges, altering ink and water ratios, adding salt, mono-printing, and scrunching, pleating, stitching, clamping and pole wrapping fabric using a variety of shibori techniques.
Learn the basics of color theory while making and mixing inks, and learn how to avoid mud, unless that’s your thing and then I can show you how to create a full spectrum of beautiful earthy colors!
Learn to combine colors when printing for maximum visual impact.
Learn to make foam stamps, hand-carved rubber stamps; and how to successfully print with foam, rubber and wood stamps on fabric.
Master screen printing with thermofax screens, then apply pattern design principles using various types of repeats to print on your textured “base” fabrics.
There are so many possibilities…
As anyone who’s taken workshops with me before knows, it’ll be a blast of inspiration, innovation, information and fun.
And you can pick my brain about any of the media I use and techniques I know, I am always happy to share information about more than the topic at hand!
My Australia schedule
5-8 August Uluru Retreat: Sewing up a storm in the desert
Ink, Print & Repeat: a 4 day surface design intensive exploration in textile pattern making using acrylic inks.
Berry, NSW, AU
12-13 August Textile Fest Slow Stitch Meditation Scarf
Melbourne, VIC, AU
26 August – 3 September P’s & Qs Quilt guild: 26-27 August Shibori with acrylic inks, 30-31 Blooming Inspiration, 2 September lecture, 3 September Stitch Meditation Scarf
Adelaide, SA, AU
7 September: Lecture with the South Australia Quilters guild
11-15 Sept Quilt Encounter 11-13 Paint & Printapalooza, 14-15 Blooming Inspiration
22-23 September Adelaide, AU SA Quilters Guild SA Stitch Meditation Scarf
In a bit of personal news…
Phil and I got married in October. We had a small ceremony with friends and family all within driving distance since we had to reschedule 3 times because of high covid rates over the summer!
My quilt Primordial Sea served as a backdrop during the ceremony, and also blocked the band equipment sitting on the stage behind us. 😁
Keep creating,
Judy
ABOUT JUDY
Judy is an artist, explorer, image wrangler, knowledge seeker, instructor, speaker, creative alchemist, and purveyor of inspiration, helping others channel creativity on a daily basis.
18 responses to “Changes…”
Congrats!
Thanks Linda! 😁
Congratulations on your wedding Judy! I am so happy for you. I wish I could join your class in June, but I’m already up to my eyeballs. Thank you so much for starting me on my creative journey in that class at Woodland Ridge. Maybe one day we will cross paths again. Take care!
thanks so much Charlotte!
That was great week!! I loved seeing you grow creatively as you relaxed into the process and got into the groove of it. Who knows maybe I’ll do a workshop or two in the future, especially when it’s at places like Woodland Ridge, and maybe we’ll get to create together again, but for now it’s time to take a break. All the best to you in the U.P. 😁
Hello Judy
Is there a possibilety you could jump over the border into Canada and teach a workshop behind one of the US workshops. June would be best we would have more time to advertise. How much do you charge, etc.
Hi Catherin,
sorry, but I’m going to have to say no. I’ll have a huge amount of work preparing for the Australia trip and can’t take on any other workshops than what I have scheduled.
Hey Judy…thanks for the update? Any chance of an online opportunity for your meditative scarf?
sorry about the delay in that, I’ve been focussed on other work and the site I was going to use went out of business at the beginning of the year, then the second one I started to use had a big price increase a few months ago which makes it less appealing for only running one class. With the popularity of online classes the companies running the platforms have seen the demand and have raised their rates along with it. I’m looking into other options to set something up on wordpress, which I’m more familiar with, but it all takes time to research and then to build. I should probably just set aside some time and offer a zoom class instead, but I’d rather have a stand alone class that students can take their time with, and go back to as often as needed etc. Needless to say it has been lower on my priority list as my work at the city college has been really busy since we are opening to students next week after a 3 year hiatus and move to a building twice the size.
Absolutely delighted to hear you got married!
Thanks Hope! 😁
Congratulations on you officially joining with Phil to sure your lives & making a big decision to move away from in the road retreats… so glad to be walking this road with you. Hug
thanks my friend ❤️
Congratulations on your marriage Judy! I am very happy for you. I wish you the very best this year and the lucky students who will learn so much from you.
Best Wishes
Judy Cobillas❤️
thanks so much Judy! ❤️
I have been to Uluru and plan to go back again. It is awe inspiring. Enjoy!
Do you do your 5-day class on-line?
Hi Joanne, I have no plans to do it as an online class as I cover so many techniques and information that it would take me a year to prepare all the written material and tutorials and build the class out and I just don’t have the time while I’m working another job. I find it much easier and enjoyable to teach in a live class setting.
Thanks to you, I finally did it! I registered for your Empty Spools seminar. I’ve been wanting to go to ESS since I heard about it (20 years?), but have always hesitated. I have also been wanting to take a workshop with you for some time, and am so happy to have the opportunity while it exists!
I see what you mean about in-person classes. There are many ESS not sold out (oh, I hope that works in my favor at this late date).
Ch-ch-ch-changes…
that’s wonderful Rebecca, I look forward to meeting you and having fun painting and printing fabric together in such a beautiful and inspiring location.