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Join local artist Emma Percy for a day making paper in the herb garden! People have been using plant fibers to make paper for nearly 2,000 years, and in the present day the practice offers endless possibilities as a creative and artistic medium. This class will go through the traditional western-style papermaking process step-by-step: understanding different types of fiber and where they come from, processing the plants and making pulp, forming sheets, adding decorative inclusions from in and around the garden, and pressing and drying the sheets. Everyone will make several pieces of paper to use for their own art and craft projects, for writing letters, or simply to appreciate as art in its own right. You’ll also learn some strategies for making paper at home in a relatively small space without the need for much specialized equipment!

*Please wear clothes and shoes you don’t mind getting wet, and be mindful of the weather for this outdoor workshop. We will have pop-up tents for light rain, and have an indoor location if it is too wet or stormy outside.

Cost: $40 Members, $50 Non-Members

Learn how to make beautiful handmade paper out of plant fibers, recycled scrap paper, and flowers! We will go through the traditional western-style hand papermaking process step-by-step: understanding different types of fiber, how to source and process fibers, making pulp, forming sheets, adding decorative inclusions, and pressing and drying the sheets. Everyone will make several pieces of paper to use for their own art and craft projects, for writing letters, or simply to appreciate as art in its own right. You'll also learn strategies for making paper at home in a relatively small space without the need for much specialized equipment. Please wear clothing and shoes that you don’t mind getting wet!

Sign up here - Registration required

I will be vending at Herbstalk this year, selling handmade books, naturally dyed textiles, artwork, prints, and more! The event is happening both Saturday & Sunday, but I’ll only be there on Sunday.

“Herbstalk is a community conference and herbal gathering that has been bringing together participants from across New England since 2012. Our urban events host accessible classes on herbal and holistic health topics, medicine making, ecological gardening, plant identification, environmental awareness, and social justice topics. Our lively marketplace showcases handmade goods made by local herbalists, artisans, farmers and small businesses. Our BIPOC led space highlights the knowledge and wisdom of BIPOC teachers, artists and healers.

Herbstalk is made of people of all backgrounds, identities and abilities. Our events foster community building, learning, sharing and collaboration. Our purpose lies in raising awareness about our deep interconnections with each other and the natural world.”

In this workshop you will create your own handmade herbarium book in which to preserve plant specimens, make botanical illustrations, and record your observations of nature. Collecting botanical specimens in books was a popular 18th and 19th century pastime, and making a personal herbarium is a valuable and enjoyable way to learn about the plants in your local environment and create a beautiful, unique collection for reference.

We will be using the Secret Belgian stitch, a versatile non-adhesive bookbinding style that includes a hard cover and spine yet allows the book to lie open flat. In addition to constructing and binding the book, we will discuss methods for pressing and preserving plants before they are stored, ethics around harvesting from the wild, and tools for botanical identification.

All materials will be provided and no prior bookbinding experience is necessary!

Sign up here - Registration is required

Many pigment-rich plants can also support our health as food and medicine, and this class explores both kinds of magic that these amazing beings have to offer. We will dye wool yarn and cotton fabric with a few different herbs that are readily available in the wild as well as the co-op bulk aisle. While the pots are simmering, we'll enjoy some tea made from the very same herbs we're dyeing with, and Emma will offer an introductory overview of herbalism and the medicinal actions of a variety of dye plants. This class will cover the preliminary steps to prepare fiber for dyeing so that you can be successful in your future natural dye endeavors. We'll also talk about how to identify certain medicinal herbs in the wild and tips for growing them at home if you are interested.

Sign up here - Registration required

If you have fiber or fabric of your own that you would like to bring to dye, please contact me ahead of time at emmapercy@proton.me so we can go over pre-dye instructions and make sure it's ready to go for class!

I will be vending at this lovely herbal summit - please see their website for tickets and more information! There will be classes and presentations on a variety of topics related to herbalism all day, as well as plant walks, kids activities, food vendors, and an herbal and craft marketplace.

“Join us in celebrating the healing and connection that is offered to us when we are in reciprocity with the land, plants, fungi, and community that sustains us. The Western Massachusetts Herbal Symposium is committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming, and celebratory gathering that honors the diverse relationships between humans and the plant world. We seek to honor the plant’s spirit of reciprocity by creating a vibrant space for sharing and learning from one another and creating networks of lasting relationships dedicated to the caretaking of the Earth and all beings.”

A plethora of self-published zines, comix, funnybooks, and other miscellaneous printed matter will be available for purchase from dozens of regional zine makers and distributors. Admission is free!

Presented by the Flywheel Arts Collective. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Holyoke Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Learn how to make a hand-sewn book using vintage discarded book covers, turning an old item into a beautiful new sketchbook or journal! Inspired by Coptic binding, one of the oldest bookbinding methods in history, this single-needle link stitch is deceptively simple - the flexible binding allows the book to open flat, and the exposed looping stitches create a beautiful braid-like effect. No prior bookbinding experience is required.

Fee: $100 to register, plus $25 materials fee to teaching artist (myself) on the day of the workshop

Sign up here: https://www.craftstudies.org/calendar/coptic-bookbinding-with-reclaimed-covers

Liven up your fiber and textile projects with kitchen scrap dyes! Prepare fabric for dyeing, make dye baths from repurposed food waste (like coffee grounds, wilted greens, onion skins, and more), and impart beautiful natural color to our materials. Leave with an array of dyed material (mainly wool yarn and cotton fabric) to use in future projects, and with some advance notice to the instructor, you can bring some personal fiber to dye as well.

Cost: $100 registration fee + $25 materials fee to be paid to the instructor (me!) on the day of class

This class is part of CraftStudies’ Wool to Wearable winter series. Take one spinning class and one dyeing class and receive 10% off! Please email hello@craftstudies.org in advance of registration if you would like to take advantage of this offer!

Register here

The Secret Belgian stitch is an elegant hardcover bookbinding style that allows the book to lie open flat - perfect for sketchbooks and journals! Books made in this style are durable and beautiful, and the sewing method is approachable for beginners and experienced bookmakers alike. Once the book is completed it’s hard to see how it was made, which is why it is “secret!”

Fee: $125 to register, plus $40 to the teaching artist (myself) on the day of the workshop

Sign up here: https://www.craftstudies.org/calendar/secret-belgian-bookbinding-1

This binding consists of a three-piece cover that is attractively stitched together with exposed thread connecting the three pieces, and a blank text block sewn in to the already woven-together covers. This book is fun and satisfying to make and has great flexibility making it an ideal sketchbook or journal.

Registrations open at 1:00pm on 1/18/2024. Please register here: https://libcal.dartmouth.edu/event/13537374

This workshop is free for Dartmouth students, $15 for faculty, staff, and alumni, and $20 for the general public.

Join the Upper Valley DSA for an afternoon of co-working on mending and fibercraft projects! No prior sewing/knitting/etc. experience required, we are happy to help teach and there will be various tools and materials available to share. We will meet in the Damren Room, located on the lower level of the Lebanon Public Library.

Zines are DIY self-published booklets of art and writing that anyone can make! In this workshop we’ll explore a variety of analog methods for creating content for zines, with an emphasis on collaging found pictures, patterns, and text to build new images. We'll also discuss how to design and lay out multi-page booklets in a range of sizes, and how printing and assembling zines with minimal digital processing. There will be plenty of time to work on your own zine projects, so bring your ideas and any writing, art, interesting papers, copy-able items, or other materials that you might want to collage into zine pages! I will bring my own zine collection for inspiration and examples of unique booklet designs.

Registrations open at 1:00pm on 12/28/2024. Please register here: https://libcal.dartmouth.edu/event/13589050

This workshop is free for Dartmouth students, $15 for faculty, staff, and alumni, and $20 for the general public.

A winter market featuring a marvelous variety of queer craftspeople, artists, performers, herbalists, bodyworkers, food vendors, and more! I’ll have a booth selling my handmade books and paper, letterpress and screenprints, botanically dyed textiles, zines, and herbal preparations.

A winter holiday market of herbalists, artists, and craftspeople who work with plants! I’ll be tabling and selling prints, handmade books, artwork, and tinctures. 12-5pm at Railyard Apothecary. Masks required.

Late summer is the perfect time of year to start making botanical inks and dyes! Using plants grown and foraged at the Dartmouth Organic Farm, we'll make small batches of ink for drawing and writing, and we'll dye some fabric to be later made into bookcloth. We'll go through the process of creating a dye bath from whole plant materials, applying dyes and natural inks to paper and cloth, and discuss techniques for adjusting hue and improving colorfastness and lightfastness. Expect to get messy and don't wear your best clothes.

This workshop will take place at the Dartmouth Organic Farm. Rides will be available from Baker-Berry Library for those who are not able to drive themselves from campus.

Registration for this workshop opens on 8/12/24 at 5pm. Register here: https://libcal.dartmouth.edu/event/12730319

Learn how to make beautiful handmade paper out of recycled scrap paper, plant  fibers, and botanical materials! We will walk through the western-style  hand papermaking process step-by-step: understanding different types of fiber and how to process them into pulp, forming sheets using a traditional mold & deckle as well as a deckle box, experimenting with decorative techniques, and pressing and drying the sheets. Everyone will make several pieces of paper to use for their own art and craft  projects, or simply to appreciate as art in its own right. This workshop is focused on how to make interesting, high quality paper in small/limited spaces using simple tools that can be assembled at home.

Registration opens at 5pm on 7/25/24 and spots fill up quickly.

Sign up here!

CraftStudies is proud to announce an Open House event on Saturday, June 8 to commemorate the first anniversary of classes, workshops, and community events in their White River Junction studios. The Open House promises a day filled with hands-on activities, sweet treats, and fun for all ages.

“We are incredibly grateful for the warm welcome we received from the Upper Valley community over the past year–from our neighbors in White River Junction to those who come from far and wide to participate in our classes, workshops, and events,“ said CraftStudies Director Lisa Brahms. “This Open House is a way to express our appreciation, share our love of craft, and celebrate the community who has supported us this year.”

The event will take place at CraftStudies Studio & School, located at 87 Maple Street, White River Junction, Vermont, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Admission is free, and all members of the community are invited to attend.

Just the Right Fit: A Celebration of CraftStudies’ 1st Anniversary in White River Junction

“This exhibition is a tribute to our community—the students, volunteers and teaching artists—who have transformed our new studios into a hub of learning, making, innovating, and joy over the past year. Together, we have created comfortable, supportive and inspiring studios that are ‘just the right fit’ for the CraftStudies community.”

My letterpress-printed seed packets will be on display at CraftStudies as part of this exhibition. You can stop by Friday between 6-8 to see the show, or come to the Open House the next day from 10-2!

Learn how to make beautiful handmade paper out of plant fibers sourced from gardens, fields, and farms! We will go through the hand papermaking process step-by-step: understanding different types of fiber, how to source and process fibers, making pulp, forming sheets, adding decorative inclusions, and pressing and drying the sheets. Everyone will make several pieces of paper to use for their own art and craft projects, for writing letters, or simply to appreciate as art in its own right.

Please wear clothing and shoes that you don’t mind getting wet!

$100 - register here: https://www.craftstudies.org/calendar/paper-making-with-plants-1

Learn how to make beautiful handmade paper out of recycled scrap paper, plant  fibers, and botanical materials! We will walk through the western-style hand papermaking process step-by-step: understanding different types of fiber and how to process them into pulp, forming sheets using a traditional mold & deckle as well as a deckle box, experimenting with decorative techniques, and pressing and drying the sheets. Everyone will make several pieces of paper to use for their own art and craft  projects, or simply to appreciate as art in its own right. This workshop is focused on how to make interesting, high quality paper in small/limited spaces using simple tools that can be assembled at home.

Registration opens at 4:00 p.m. on 4/19 at this link: https://libcal.dartmouth.edu/event/12203801

Workshops at the Dartmouth Library Book Arts Workshop are free for current Dartmouth students, $15 for faculty, staff, and alumni, and $20 for all other community members.

A plethora of self-published zines, comix, funnybooks, and other miscellaneous printed matter will be available for purchase from dozens of regional zine makers and distributors. Admission is free!

Presented by the Flywheel Arts Collective. This program is supported in part by a grant from the Holyoke Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Learn a variety of decorative hand paper-making techniques using a deckle box. This simple tool can be made at home and allows you to make beautiful sheets of paper in a small space with minimal mess. We will explore multicolored pulp painting, botanical inclusions, textural effects, and other techniques using a combination of plant fibers and recycled paper fibers. Everyone will create a unique assortment of handmade papers.

$100 - sign up at www.craftstudies.org/paper

Zines are DIY self-published booklets of art and writing that anyone can make! In this workshop we’ll go through a variety of analog methods for creating content for zines, designing and laying out multi-page booklets in a range of sizes, and printing and assembling zines with minimal digital processing. After some demos of these techniques there will be time to work on your own zine projects, so bring your ideas and any writing, art, interesting papers, copy-able items, or other materials that you might want to include! I will bring my own zine collection for inspiration and examples of unique zine designs.

Registration is open - sign up here!

Join the Upper Valley DSA for an afternoon of co-working on mending and fibercraft projects! No prior sewing/knitting/etc. experience required, we are happy to help teach and there will be various tools and materials available to share. You can stay for the whole event or drop in and out as you wish. We will meet in the Damren Room, located on the lower level of the Lebanon Public Library.

The Secret Belgian stitch is a bookbinding style that includes a spine and hard cover without any glue, allowing the book to lie open flat - perfect for a sketchbook! Books made in this style are durable and beautiful, and the sewing method is approachable for beginners and experienced bookmakers alike. Once the book is completed it’s hard to see how it was made, which is why it is “secret!”

Cost: $100

Register here

This bookbinding style consists of a three-piece cover that is first woven together before being sewn to a blank text block. The way the book was assembled is concealed in its process and the result is a beautiful, clean, and intriguing book structure that can be applied to sketchbooks, journals, artist’s books, photobooks, and beyond.

Cost: $115

Register online here

or pay via check or cash by contacting Jessica Wilkinson, Program Director, jess@whiterivercraftcenter.org, 802-318-3421