Lampshade Painting/Fabric Printing Retreat 2016 - Day Two

Wow - the past weekend was certainly a whirlwind. Day One of the first Creative Retreat here at our farm went great. Day Two was Lampshade Painting Day. I had never taught this class so I wasn't sure how it would go. The first time teaching any new subject is always a bit of an experiment - kind of like doing a craft for the first time. 

I must say, I think it was successful. Although there was a whole lot packed into the day, almost everyone finished their lampshade. If they didn't, I sent them off with paint and the where with all to finish. 

It is always so amazing to me how each project made differs so much in the end. That is how it is with individual art making - you see the personality of the artist coming out - even if they are not very experienced at painting or making. 

Here are photos from the first half of the day. Students had to plan their lampshades and then begin. Blank canvas fear for sure but I could slowly see their confidence increase and they began relaxing into the brush and the paint and the creativity. 

Some of the lampshades I have painted for inspiration amongst the jumble of the studio. 

Everyone is working away - deep in concentration. 

They barely wanted to stop for lunch. We decided to take a photo of the half way mark in front of my shed. 

And then they got loopy! 

Lunch was awesome - thanks to my friends Cathy and Cynthia who were helping for the weekend. 

All afternoon, everyone painted their heart out. It was a race to finish. Perhaps next time I will suggest smaller shades but truth be told, I think no matter how long they had or what size lampshade, I still think it would have been tough to finish. 

Here are the finished and almost finished lampshades. Aren't they fantastic? 

Here are a few more views. 

I'm hoping everyone will send a photo of their shade in their home. That would be fun. I am so proud of all the students. What a great day and such good work and art made. 

I will definitely be teaching this class again next year. To find out when, make sure you sign up for my newsletter at the top right of the sidebar. 

FYI: On July 30th I have the second Fabric Printing Day here at the farm. There are still 3 spaces available if you are interested. The price is $250 for the day and it includes morning food, full farm lunch, and all supplies. More info here to sign up. If you have any questions, please send them on to kristinnicholasATgmailDOTcom. There is an Add-on Day too which is Crewel Embroidery for $160.

Fabric Printing Retreat 2016 - Day One

We had a great weekend here at the farm. I had a full house with 6 students. Three students were "returnees" which is very cool - so nice to see them again! The photos today are from Day One of the Creative Retreat which was Fabric Printing Day.

On July 30th I have the second Fabric Printing Day here at the farm. There are still 3 spaces available if you are interested. The price is $250 for the day and it includes morning food, full farm lunch, and all supplies. More info here to sign up. If you have any questions, please send them on to kristinnicholasATgmailDOTcom. There is an Add-on Day too which is Crewel Embroidery for $160.

I really do love these days sharing my skills here in my studio IN PERSON. On-line classes are great but it is a whole different dynamic teaching in person. I think students catch on quicker. And then there is all the personal interactions between me and everyone. It is so interesting to see how each student progresses through the day and to see what designs they come up with and how their project turns out. 

I'm off to sell our farm raised lamb at the Tuesday Farmers Market in Northampton today. I will leave you to peruse all the photos and see what beautiful projects everyone turned out. I'll be back with a recap from Day Two within the next couple days. 

Getting Stitched Classes at the Farm - Now Open!

I'm really happy to say that I have gotten my act together. I have posted the 5 classes that I will be running this summer over on my website. They are all based on my love of color and textiles and creativity. Here's the schedule:

July 12, 2014 - Mother and Child Beginning Embroidery
July 19, 2014 - Crewel Embroidery
August 2, 2014 - Embroidery on Knits - this is what I am most known for!
August 9, 2014 - Paint Your Own Lampshade
August 16, 2014 - Simple Fabric Printing

As you can see, they are not all knitting related. This is a big gamble on my part because most of my followers and readers are knitters. I am hoping some of you will take this opportunity to learn a new craft that you can use to decorate your home or your wardrobe in new ways.  

Pop on over to my website for further information and to sign up. I'll be highlighting the projects we will be making over the next few weeks here on the blog.

Please help me spread the word by sharing the class listings with your friends. If you have any questions, send them to kristinnicholas AT gmail DOT com. Bring a friend or come by yourself - it is such a fun time and everyone is always friendly.

2014 Classes at the Farm - Coming Soon!

So excited to announce that I am working on planning the classes that I will be teaching here at the farm this year. I took 2013 off because I was working on a book that took all my creative and physical energy. I really missed having some of you visit. I love sharing our farmhouse, our farm and my passions with like minded creative people. 

So this year, I'm mixing it up a bit. It isn't going to be all about knitting. I know the classes could fail to fill because most of you follow me for my knitting and crochet expertise. But here is the thing - I am interested in so many facets of design including fabric painting and printing and embroidery. So I'm going out on a limb and hoping some of you might jump the knitting shark and try a new craft under my watchful eye.

The other new thing about the classes is they will be one day. This way I can keep the price down and they will be more fiscally accessible.

So stay tuned - I'm hoping to announce by the end of the week. If you want to be the first to know - make sure you sign up for my NEWSLETTER ON THE UPPER RIGHT SIDEBAR. Like always, they will be small groups because I like to be able to really give of myself during the Getting Stitched Classes at the Farm. Stay tuned.

p.s. If I get my act together and this happens, one of these classes could be a nice Mother's Day present. Hint, hint!

Recipes from the Knitting Retreat - Part One

Each Knitting Retreat I try to cook some new dishes for my students. And sometimes I rely on old favorites that I have made for years. For the past two years, I have made a  Butternut Squash, Apple and Curry Soup and it was a huge hit. It is really easy to make, freezes well, and says FALL FOOD right out loud. Since I promised the recipe to all my students last year (and never delivered) and now have promised the second batch of students this year, I'm coming clean on my promise and posting it here. 

The recipe comes from The Silver Palate Cookbook written over 25 years ago by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. Talk about a cookbook that changed the way America ate. I am actually on my second copy of TSPC (picking up the second one used at a yard sale) since my original copy's spine imploded and it was a massive, unmanageable pile of paper. 

I think this soup would be great for Thanksgiving. Or at a tail gate party in paper cups if you do that kind of thing - you can actually drink it because it is smooth. Julia loves it so that leads me to believe lots of kids will too (although you may want to cut down on the curry powder).

What are your favorite recipes from The Silver Palate Cookbook? Would love to hear your thoughts on it. My brother-in-law (a chef) can't stand TSPC. Personally, I love it but I do pick and choose from the recipes. What do you think? 

Here's a good interview with both of the authors. 

Butternut Squash, Apple and Curry Soup

4 Tablespoons butter

2 cups finely chopped onions (I use a food processor)

5 teaspoons curry powder (or more if you dare)

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into 1" chunks

2 large apples - peeled and cut into chunks

3 cups chicken stock (preferably homemade)

salt and pepper

Melt the butter in the pan. Add onions and curry powder and cook until the onions are transluscent.

2. Peel squash with veggie peeler. Cut in half and remove the seeds. Cut into chunks about 1". 

3. When the onions are done, add the stock, squash, and apples. Cook until the squash and apples are tender and falling apart.

4. Puree using an immersion blender. If you don't own one, use a standard blender. **

5. Return to pot and add water, cider or apple juice if it is too thick. 

6. Serve warmed through. Freezes great. Makes a really nice quick lunch. Good with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt but totally not necessary.

**My sister Laurie gave me an immersion blender a few years and I thought I wouldn't use it. Boy, was I wrong. It is one of my favorite tools in my kitchen now. Thanks Laurie.

Getting Stitched Farm Retreat 2012

I'm recuperating from the "Getting Stitched on the Farm" Two Day Retreat. The teaching is the easy part. What is tough for me is all the prep work. Cleaning the house, cooking the meals, getting everything organized and hoping that I don't forget something. Getting the old farmhouse to look presentable considering there are 3 paper piling packrats living here is tough but I got it done. (I hope I can find all that stuff I hid!)

During the weekend, I try really hard to share our house, my collections, my experiences, to help the students start to see color differently and confidently. Having a class here at the farm is such a total experience as compared to a hotel room class. We have beautiful light, good food, farm animals, and the books, art and collections that cannot be transported to a hotel room with fluorescent lights and generic carpeting. It is a total farm, knitting, color experience.

This year's group came from as far away as Colorado! Wow. The first day I introduced the women to learning how to develop their own color sense. 

Really looking at the flowers from my garden helped them to design their very own colorways. We learned about color values and the colorwheel and I tried to instill in them confidence for choosing their own color combinations.

 

Then we learned the basics of embroidering on knits.

On Sunday, they worked up their courage enough to sew and cut a steek! And they all couldn't believe how easy it was to do.

They were obsessed with the embroidery techniques they learned and didn't want to stop!

By Sunday afternoon, everyone had to part ways. I hope I see them all again one day! What a great group of adventuresome knitters. Thanks for coming Karen, Eileen, Cherie and Brenda. Look at those proud, smiling faces - I love it!