Japanese mending techniques are used to repair and strengthen garments and other textile items. But, when left visible the repairs are also decorative and add texture, line, and color. In this workshop, students will create a sampler of mending techniques seen in Japanese boro textiles and will then move on to repairing or embellishing a garment or other textile item of their choice. Each student will bring an item that needs repair, or embellishing, and will apply one or more of the mending techniques learned in the class.

The instructor will bring her collection of Japanese boro textiles for inspiration. Students should bring a textile item that has a worn area that needs re-enforcing, a hole or tear that requires repair, a stain that needs covering, or an item that simply could use some stitchery embellishment. This can be pants, a dress, a shirt or skirt, a tablecloth, curtain, or other textile items.

Basic materials for the sampler will be provided by the instructor but students are encouraged to bring fabric swatches for patching and different kinds of thread to make their project personal and unique to them.

Please bring:

a textile in need of mending or embellishment

fabric scissors

thread snips

pins

needles in a variety of sizes

pencil & paper

Class Size:  12 students max.

Date: Saturday, April 20th
Time: 11:00 am – 5:00 pm (with a 30-minute lunch break)

Biography: Jody Alexander is an artist, bookmaker, librarian, and teacher who lives and works in Santa Cruz, California. She combines textiles and found objects with discarded books, and gives them new life as scrolls, wall pieces, books, sculptural objects, and installations. Her current work is inspired by the art of repair, mending techniques, and reuse. Jody’s artwork appears in a number of publications including Masters: Book Arts: Major Works by Leading Artist, 500 Handmade Books, and 1000 Artists’ Books: Exploring the Book as Art. Jody is the 2015 recipient of the Rydell Visual Arts Fellowship.

Cancellation policy: Please note, for this special event, you must cancel 7 days before the start date of your class in order to receive a full refund. We cannot honor any refunds within 7 days of the class start date unless we are able to fill the class from the waiting list.