Pat is a wonderful teacher and also the President of Handweavers Guild of Boulder. She has a delightful approach to the fiber culture, as a past geologist, dyer, spinner, weaver and really engaging personality.

She just did this amazing world map (takes up 2 tables) showing about 2 dozen animal fiber types, with pins and photos, and little felted animals pointing to all the different areas on the globe. It’s a wonderful educational display. We have it at TACtile for a little while. Come see it soon.  Quite creatively done….

Also, TACtile just announced a change in hours. We’re doing Winter Hours: Noon-5 p.m., Thursday – Saturday. We’re taking some extra time to plan and strengthen our gallery exhibits and class programming for 2012. It’s our 5th year and we want to make it count!

SewFA Lounge
The Sewing and Fiber Arts stitch lounge is up and running on Thursdays from 12-5 pm.

Stop by and chat while you work on your project and make use of our equipment. WIFI, cutting tables, sergers, machines, pressing stations, & tools all available at a minimal fee.

Bring your projects to get creative inspiration and a helping hand from Jennifer McPherson, aka Macoopadoop, local Denver designer and stitch guru. Plan to visit our sewspot!

Beginning Weaving: Weave a Scarf
with Peg MacMorris
Saturday 2/4/12 and Saturday 2/11/12 12-4pm
Member $80.00 Non-member $95.00
Kit fee (including loom rental) $25
If you are a fiber enthusiast who has always wanted to learn how to weave, or someone who is intrigued with what weaving is all about, this is a class for you. Elementary weaving concepts and terms like warp and weft will be introduced. Each student will learn to use a rigid heddle loom (supplied) to weave a scarf. You will learn to dress the loom with your yarn, to weave and to do some finishing techniques for your scarf. Other kinds of looms will be discussed or demonstrated.

Gone Batts
with Patricia Martinek
Sunday 2/5/11 4-5 pm
Member $45.00 Non-members $55.00
Kit fee: $15
In our fifth Sunday Spin-In, come play with the drum carders! We will have several on-hand with piles and piles of fibers and colors to layer, blend and spin in the mixtures of your imagination. We will cover color theory, the color wheel, optical blending, how to blend well two dissimilar fibers, card several ways to keep colors and fibers separate, and then spin from the batts to compare the results. We will also make garnetted yarns with thrums and yarns. Basic spinning experience necessary.

For more information on these classes, registration information and supplies needed, please log onto our website: tactilearts.org.

The instructors can offer classes for any textile art discipline creating fashion to home décor to gift items, accessories, and unique new fiber art techniques. We would also like to develop a class in Color theory. The classes are usually 2-3 hours, ½ day, or full day workshops, or whatever the teacher feels is appropriate. In our new location in Denver, we offer an abundance of space and great light for the teacher and students to feel free to spread out and create!
If you would like to explore sharing your gift around the fiber arts, we would love to hear from you. All artisans in our community are welcome to contact us over the next few weeks (or months). Feel free to email Dianne Denholm, the Executive Director, at dianne@tactilearts.org, with any class ideas or questions. You may also go to tactilearts.org classes to click on the Teacher link at the middle, right on classes page to get in contact with our Education Chairperson. Download the application and submit it.
We are excited to have you share your creative expression that will inspire many others!
TACtile is looking forward to hearing from you soon!

In a world of ready-made and mass-produced items, TACtile honors individual creative expressions and preserves a rich heritage of textile arts. This Member Showcase Sale will feature one-of-a-kind fiber artwork and handmade jewelry.  TACtile is THE destination for finding exquisite, one-of-a-kind gifts, art-to-wear, and items for the home. 

For more information call 720.524.8886 and check the TACtile website.

ReDesigning Sweaters
with Donna Christopher
11/12/11, 9 am – noon
Create a new look for an old sweater by changing the design! Come see a collection of redesigned sweaters and explore style and new design ideas. Learn some quick and easy tips on how to visualize your design options.

Cut up your old sweaters or ones from a thrift store and go home wearing a new favorite sweater! As an example, you can turn a pullover or turtleneck sweater into a versatile cardigan, add panels, cut off cowls, lengthen or shorten sweaters or sleeves, or add some interesting fabric, trim, or buttons to update your sweater.

Felt Wallet w/ Needle Felted Design
with Lalania Carrillo
Sunday 11/13/11 1-4pm
Learn the art of needle felting into felt fabric. In this class we will needle felt a simple design into a piece of felt fabric. When the design is complete, we will hand-stitch the felt fabric into a lovely, lined wallet, with a button hole closure. The wallet is the perfect size to hold a checkbook, cash, or can be a small clutch.

Designing for Textiles
with David Johnson
Saturday 11/5/11 1 – 4 pm
Saturday 11/12/11 9 am til noon
This class will introduce students the design elements directly associated with tapestry weaving. We will use cut and paste techniques to create cartoons in preparation for going to the loom. We will also talk about inspiration and where ideas come from. How do we communicate in a visual language and what do we have to say?

Wooly Woolen Yarns
with Patricia Martinek
Sunday, 11/6/2011, 1 – 5 pm
The second workshop in our Sunday Spin-Ins, this class will cover what you need to learn to make a lofty warm woolen yarn. We will use hand carders and variable fibers and colors to make rolags, then use these plus prepared drumcarded batts to learn several methods of long-draw spinning including the instructor’s specialty, the ergonomic “medium” draw. Basic spinning experience required.

For more information on these classes, registration information, fees, and supplies needed, please visit our website: www.tactilearts.org.

Saturday, October 22, 1-4pm with Carol Naff, TACtile’s marketing leader

TACtile Textile Arts Center

You know that you’re a great artist, so why not let others know it as well? TACtile presents a workshop for artists who want to learn the fundamentals of marketing their businesses and getting results. This workshop will teach you how to identify the best low-cost or no-cost marketing solutions for your business, avoiding dead ends and pitfalls that waste your time and energy, and the basics of creating and implementing a successful marketing plan that gets results!

From a class participant:

“Thank you, Carol! “Your class was invaluable to me. It really helped me understand how much is involved in, successfully, turning a hobby into a business and it gave me some great tools for making it happen. I also really enjoyed all of the interaction by the participants. What a great group!  “Hope I see you at TACtile  ” Tish Gallagher

And another recent participant:

“I really enjoyed the marketing class for artists. Your information on press releases in particular was very valuable. It never would have occurred to me to write a release about myself. You have given me lots to think about. Thanks again, Carol, for the wonderful class.” Carmen Kwolkoski, Montana Girl

Instructor’s Web Site: marinerco.com and solobizmarketing.wordpress.com

More information and registration at TACtilearts.org

Several designers contributed garments for the show, including Abbie Powers, Joyce Guertin, Ashley Winters, Jennifer McPherson, Carletta Miles and Kimentha King. TRASHion is an extension of the Funky Junk gallery exhibit currently at TACtile until October 29. Come down and check out the show!

Fiber Frenzy is a huge indoor yard sale full of new and vintage fabrics, yarns, books, magazines, patterns, notions, ribbons, buttons, UFOs (unfinished objects), and all sorts of fiber arts related items. Then come to shop at the Fall Fiber Frenzy at TACtile, on Saturday, October 1, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (1955 South Quince Street, Denver, 80231, above JHB International). A special preview sale will be on Friday, September 30, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. See below for admission costs. Memberships are available at the door and start at only $25.

The Preview Sale

Friday evening, September 30, 2011, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Be FIRST IN LINE for the best selection, for just a $5 donation per person for members and a $15 donation per person for non-members.  Memberships are available at the door for only $25.

The BIG Sale, Saturday, October 1, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The textile sale of your dreams!  Admission is just a $2 donation per person for members and a $3 donation per person for non-members. Hours of textile shopping fun.  The Center will be filled with fabric, yarn, threads, notions, kits, patterns, magazines, tools, beads, buttons, and even unfinished projects!! 

The BAG Sale!!  Saturday, October 1, 4 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Everything MUST go!!  Help us clean it all up.  After 4:00 p.m., it’s just $10 for everything you can stuff in our big plastic shopping bag!!!  If it doesn’t fit in the bag, its 50% off marked price!! We provide the bags, too!

One of our customers reported, “It was so much fun last year, I found fabulous vintage fabrics, notions, and great books. It was inspiring to look through all the fabrics and see the potential! It’s also gratifying to know all the proceeds benefit the fiber arts community in Colorado.”

Fiber Frenzy is a benefit for TACtile. For more information, contact: info@tactilearts.org or 720.524.8886. Please visit our web site at TACtilearts

Vintage travel hankies by Marjorie Puryear, of Montrose, Alabama

TACtile Textile Arts Center presents: ECO Quilts, the Pop Up gallery exhibit now through September 30 at The Women’s College at the University of Denver. Free to the public, the ECO Quilts exhibit features Earth-sensitive textile arts from 8 different artists across the country. The gallery is located at the Meryl Catherine Chambers Center for the Advancement of Women Building at 1955 E. Asbury Ave. in Denver and is open between 7am-7pm Monday-Friday.

ECO Quilts contains 33 works exhibiting recycled and respectful materials and themes. For example, the show features a quilt that is made from repurposed materials such as a collection of travel hankies that have been intricately beaded and stitched onto Japanese Kimono. In addition to repurposed materials, some of the pieces feature Earth-sensitive themes, such as a photo-real quilt depicting the Stone and Passageways of Ireland.

The Women’s College at DU is the perfect showcase for this exhibit, as it is a small, intimate gallery, allowing patrons to fully embrace the artistry of the quilts. Dedicated to the advancement of women, the Women’s college offers educational and leadership development opportunities for women in the area, and the halls are often abuzz with energetic students, dedicated to advancing their lives while maintaining full lifestyles.

In addition to weekday hours, the ECO Quilts exhibit can also be seen on the weekends. For weekend hours, please contact Ashley Beaudry | Coordinator of Special Events and Communications at 303.871.6068 or ashley.beaudry@du.edu. On street parking is free and plentiful.