WELCOME TO OUR 25TH YEAR!

First morning I could sit outside with my coffee. Also the last. For now.

POTLUCK SATURDAY, April 26th 12:30 Save the Date!

One should not crow too loudly about Spring's arrival in Modoc County, so read this in a whisper. Spring is finally showing up in Surprise Valley, so let's celebrate together! Bring some food to share, and just to try something new(ish) we will be bringing back Spinners Without Rules after lunch! Bring your wheel (or borrow one of ours) and come spend the afternoon spinning. Bonnie is hoping that surrounding me with spinners will help me get better at it.

It took me 5 minutes of calling them to get them to wake up so I could make sure they were both inside before I locked up for the day.

As we get closer to the one year mark of the shop changing hands I am finding firmer ground under my feet, and this makes it possible for me to expand into the space with more confidence. I gotta tell you, the learning curve has been more of a learning tilt-a-wirl! It's one thing to know what you know, but making what you don't know you don't know into what you do know seems to be an endless process.

One of the lessons I think all of us have taken in is how much we are loving all of the different, new things that happen in the building each day. It started out as a one room school house back in the 1870's, and I can't help but think the building has some memory of that time in it. We only have one (small) room that is not dedicated to making, so the whole building is now able to be used as much as possible. We even had some visiting artists stay overnight in the upstairs space! Some days it's just just me downstairs on the rug loom, and others we have classes and activities from the moment we open until the moment we close. It could be my imagination, but the building feels more alive every day.

It's time to start ordering spring and summer yarns! Just think of silks and linens and pima cotton. I'm looking for some new vendors to add to the local maker mix! If there is a long arm quilting machine out there looking for a good home (especially if it's a Babylock Coronet) let me know, because we really want to get a quilting station going upstairs. Take a look at the class list below- nothing says "spring!" quite like learning new things. Sign ups for the Plant, Sew, Dye class are speeding up, so if you think you want to come, now is the time to commit!

We have several good yarns on permanent markdown! Zauberball, Malabrigo Worsted, Cascade Superwash 200... an is there anything better than sale yarn? Really?

This is my favourite display! Honey from Melissa Harris, some of which comes from the hive in the garden here at the shop, Oz Garden (Eagleville) plant dyes and dye plant seeds, toiletry items made with sheep milk from Cedarville. It's so much fun to know who makes things. It's even better to make things with things other people have made.

Surprise Valley Fibershed Learning Center

Plant, Dye, Sew!

4 Day Workshop

June 2nd-June 5th, 2025

Plant, Dye, Sew!

Louisa Hunter, Jeannie Kaiser

Dye Garden with Adrienne Johnson and Kay Antunez

$400 including all materials

All materials will be provided

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In this fun filled, comprehensive class, we will learn how to set up and plant a full dye garden. We will cover various plants and their properties, learn about their particular growing needs, and then get dirty learning how to create raised beds by actually creating them.

We will prepare cellulose fabric for natural dyes, create several dye pots as well as an iron indigo vat. Additionally, you will learn how to make an iron mordant paste to create prints on fabric. We will also be making a patchwork project with naturally dyed and printed fabrics using both machine and hand stitching.

We will be working with tannins, natural dyes, modifiers, an iron indigo vat, and iron mordant pastes to create a wide range of colors and prints on cotton and linen fabric. You will have the opportunity to machine sew a patchwork project using naturally dyed fabrics. If you wish to explore boro type stitching and visible mending techniques to further personalize your bag, we invite you to bring embroidery thread and needles to fit your thread. (Milliner size 5 needles, and 8 perle cotton or sashiko thread work well). If you have favourites, we also suggest bringing your own fabric scissors. We will have a limited number at the shop, but we all know our own are better.

This workshop is designed for both the beginner as well as experienced dyer. No prior sewing experience necessary.

To bring-

*Clothing/apron/towel that can get wet and dirty! We will be working in the dirt, and with large vats of water. This is not the time to be fashion forward.

*Gardening AND rubber gloves. You will need each daily.

*Sunhat AND sunscreen. We are at 4300' elevation and the sun here is strong.

*Any small gardening tools/gear you prefer using (spades/forks/knee pads).

*Your own fabric scissors, preferred needles, special threads...

*Reusable water bottle. Any bottle is fine, but we have zero recycling in Surprise Valley, so we prefer you do not bring disposable plastic.

*Lunch/snacks. We have a full kitchen to store and heat up food.

*Notebook and pen/pencil for note taking.

NEW CLASS! BOTANICAL DRAWING

April 26th, 1-3pm

Instructor- Tera Freedman

$30, materials supplied

Enjoy seeing beautiful objects through learning how to create botanical artwork of flowers or plants. We will study the plants through direct observation taking a detailed study of the light, value, and shade on the form. Basic charcoal drawing skills will be built upon. No experience is required. Hopefully this workshop with continue and build.

Medium:Charcoal, graphite pencils, and colored pencils, paper

Students are encouraged to bring their own sketchbooks, but there will be a limited number available and other materials will be provided.

Bio:

Tera Freedman

thewoman@thegasstation.net

Tera has taught art and media arts for over 35 years. She is a working artist in the field with present day experience creating botanical artwork for environmental organizations, galleries and logos for clients. Tera and her daughter have a local

business creating websites, graphics and logos called Cottonwood-design.com Tera is in the process of drawing or painting everyday and loves it!

YOGA AT THE WEAVERS!!!

MARCH 7TH,14TH, 21ST, 28TH, 11am-noon

This is a 60 minute intro class, priced at $12.50 per class, cash at the door. We will hold the class upstairs in the second floor class space. Because this is an exploratory class to assess general interest for a (near) future series, students will need to bring their own mats/blankets and any bolsters/cushions/blocks they would normally need in class. If we have sufficient interest, this will become a weekly class that will be able to be purchased in 4-week blocks. If you craft, you need yoga!

About Erin-

"In 2013 I completed my 200 hr yoga training with Loyola Marymount's yoga doctors program, followed by a succession of trainings including chair yoga, Thai yoga massage, trauma informed, yoga nidra and yoga in prisons. A highlight of teaching was three months spent teaching yoga to woman from Afghanistan in the largest refugee camp in Greece. I’ve traveled to India to study Ayurveda and various methods of Pancha karma. My passion for wellness and the mind body connection continues to expand. Come enjoy a very gentle approach to hatha yoga. All ages welcome.

Kay wants us to get Barbara to do this! Design by Crone Tevys.

Crochet Classes!

April 12 &26, from 10am to 12noon.

NOW FREE! JUST SHOW UP!

Just starting out? Barbara will teach you the basics and get you going on your first scarf (which you must wear, even if it is wonkey). Already know a few things but are stuck on something new? Barbara is excellent at helping work through those spots and teaching you how to, as well. Just want to sit and crochet with others while soaking up crafting wisdom? That's the way we like it, too! Ongoing classes.

If you are interested in learning one-on-one, please call the shop and we can schedule a private class at your convenience. $20/hr per person.

Knitting

Knitting is taking a break as a formal offering until mid-May. If you want to learn in the interim, just call the shop and let us know. We have a few people we can tap to teach if the timing lines up. Otherwise, we will resume scheduled Saturday classes the second week of June.

How to Warp Your Rigid Heddle Loom!

$40 for 2 hour session, direct warping, class by appointment

$60 for 3 hour session, indirect warping on the warping board, class by appointment

You obtained a rigid heddle loom at some point, and now you look at it and wish you could remember how to warp it. Not a problem! Come learn how to warp your rigid heddle (any brand) and get back in to the world of weaving!

This class can be combined with weaving instruction ($20/hr). We can cover basic weaving techniques including plain/tabby weave, designing your project, using pattern sticks...

Call the shop to make an appointment!