Crazy Quilts are decorative quilts made with blocks using a wide variety of fabrics, stitched to a foundation block and embellished with embroidery. This class would be great for using up all your scrap fabric and learning how to use your decorative stitches on your sewing machine. Make one block to frame or many for a quilt the size you desire. A sewing machine is required. Supply list will be sent to all participants once we know class will run.

About Jaki: Jaki Soper has been sewing and quilting for over 40 years. She is the owner of Quilt Studio 55, a local business that supports long arm services, studio classes, and custom quilt designs. Her classes are comprised of learning simple techniques which allow for truing up sewn units to achieve accuracy. If you are interested in mastering the flying geese units in the placemat class, or sewing with curves in the drunkard path class, then these classes are for you.

A non-refundable $1.99 transaction fee will be added to the price of this class.

Sew a stuffed animal using a pattern from Funky Friends Factory. This is not a beginner class; you will need to know how to use your sewing machine and follow directions using a pattern. Supply list will be sent to all participants once we know class will run.

About Lori: Lori got started sewing because her daughter wanted a quilt when she was in kindergarten after she had heard a story about a quilt. She was 5 years old. She’s been sewing ever since, for over 15 years! Lori also loves being able to share her knowledge of sewing with beginners who are just starting out as well as others who are learning new tricks of the trade. “Teaching the correct way to use sewing machines to create clothing, display items used for decoration and practical items to use around the house or to give as gifts is such a rewarding experience.”

A non-refundable $1.99 transaction fee will be added to the price of this class.

While there are hundreds of techniques that can be used with watercolor, there are four basic skills that once learned will allow you to gain control of the medium and create with intention. Brush work, flat washes, graded washes and glazing are the foundation that all other techniques can be built upon. Lifting, charging, bleeding and reserved whites are some of the other techniques we will cover. Learn about what makes a good watercolor brush. Understand how to get transparent watercolor to remain clean and crisp. You’ll learn the difference between tube vs pan watercolor, types of brushes and papers and their uses. Beginners to advanced students welcome! Supply list will be sent to all participants once we know class will run.

About Debra: Debra Bickford has lived in the Buxton and Hollis area for over 50 years. She has a BA from Maine College of Art and a BS in Art Education from USM. She has taught Visual Arts in Maine at the High School Level for 37 years and recently retired. She has also served on the board of the Maine Art Education Association for twenty years and was the President from 2017-19. In 2015 she was the MAEA Secondary Art Educator of the year and in 2018 she was honored with the MAEA Art Educator of the year. Debra is a painter and printmaker who loves to garden.

A non-refundable $1.99 transaction fee will be added to the price of this class.

Begin practicing basic drawing skills and understand how to mix colors. Move on to using different painting techniques by studying various artists’ painting styles and their memorable works. Each class will help you understand how to balance shadows and highlights to bring out details in your drawings and paintings. The paintings you make will be memorable keepsakes to save or give as gifts. Supply list will be sent to all participants once we know class will run.

About Sue: Susan is an artist who lived many years in France studying the Impressionists' painting methods (Renoir, Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Cezanne, Pissarro, Picasso and Matisse). She teaches how to apply their techniques in easy to learn steps for beginners and intermediate painters as part of regular classes held at the adult ed department for enhanced learning.

A non-refundable $1.99 transaction fee will be added to the price of this class.

Start at the beginning. Learn to thread your machine, wind a bobbin and sew an accurate ¼ inch seam. Make simple projects every week. Have fun and learn at your own pace while building your skills and gaining confidence. Move on to making your own pillowcase, using the “hot dog” method and learning a French seam. You will need to purchase your own fabric for pillowcases and have basic sewing supplies, needles, thread, scissors and a working sewing machine with manual. The instructor will provide material for all other projects and has a sewing machine available for use.

About Lori: Lori got started sewing because her daughter wanted a quilt when she was in kindergarten after she had heard a story about a quilt. She was 5 years old. She’s been sewing ever since, for over 15 years! Lori also loves being able to share her knowledge of sewing with beginners who are just starting out as well as others who are learning new tricks of the trade. “Teaching the correct way to use sewing machines to create clothing, display items used for decoration and practical items to use around the house or to give as gifts is such a rewarding experience.”

A non-refundable $1.99 transaction fee will be added to the price of this class.

This is the continuation of Sewing for Beginners. You must have taken Sewing for Beginners I to register for this class.

About Lori: Lori got started sewing because her daughter wanted a quilt when she was in kindergarten after she had heard a story about a quilt. She was 5 years old. She’s been sewing ever since, for over 15 years! Lori also loves being able to share her knowledge of sewing with beginners who are just starting out as well as others who are learning new tricks of the trade. “Teaching the correct way to use sewing machines to create clothing, display items used for decoration and practical items to use around the house or to give as gifts is such a rewarding experience.”

A non-refundable $1.99 transaction fee will be added to the price of this class.

Transform your broken chair into a useful and attractive addition to your home. This class is for splint woven seats or seats with cane woven through holes around the edge of the chair seat. Bring a plastic bucket, scissors and a chair. Material fee of $30 to be paid directly to the instructor first night for pegs and cane.

A non-refundable $1.99 transaction fee will be added to the price of this class.

Bookmaking has a long, rich history. Artists all over the globe have embraced this method of expression and pushed the boundaries of what “making a book" means. Handmade books are a fun and satisfying functional art form. The methods of bookmaking are endless, and once you try one, you will want to learn more! Giving a handmade book as a gift is a very special keepsake indeed. Especially if you fill it with your own artwork! Beginner to advanced students welcome. Supply list will be sent to all participants once we know class will run.

About Debra: Debra Bickford has lived in the Buxton and Hollis area for over 50 years. She has a BA from Maine College of Art and a BS in Art Education from USM. She has taught Visual Arts in Maine at the High School Level for 37 years and recently retired. She has also served on the board of the Maine Art Education Association for twenty years and was the President from 2017-19. In 2015 she was the MAEA Secondary Art Educator of the year and in 2018 she was honored with the MAEA Art Educator of the year. Debra is a painter and printmaker who loves to garden.

A non-refundable $1.99 transaction fee will be added to the price of this class.