class » by elke

The Makerie Retreat Announcement!

Oh, I’ve been sooo excited for the past couple of weeks, keeping this teaching project under wraps. I am over the moon & so honored to be invited to teach at next years Makerie Retreat right here in Boulder, Colorado. Ali Dejohn who is the wonder woman behind this fantastic weekend has out done herself once again. This year, in addition to the traditional Makerie weekend, there will be an additional weekend offered with a sewing focus.

Being asked to teach was one of my dreams ever since I attended the first Makerie 2 years ago. I thought, If I could just bottle all this creative energy & take it home with me, it would last a lifetime. It inspired me to start this blog (thank you Alex) which in turn resulted in my small handmade company “by elke”. I now spending my days using my hands, being creative & it’s still shocking that I actually get paid for it. Thanks Ali for making the Makerie Retreat such a magical place. April can’t come soon enough!

Check out all the classes that are offered as it’s such an inspiring group of woman- I’ll be teaching the Leather Accessory class. Cant wait!

Painting-With-Stitches with Marisa Anne

my version

The second class I was fortunate enough to take last weekend at the Makerie Retreat was “Painting-with-Stitches” taught by the lovely Marisa Anne. Marisa was a very relaxed teacher that let us student really have our way with the needle, thread & paint. She was full of helpful hints but really encouraged everyone to interpret the project as they like. Most people used her really adorable print as a starting place & it was so interesting how every one ended up looking very unique. I decided to wing it & try a design that I sketched out on the spot. I feel like I ended up channeling a 1960′s funky kitchen. All in all, the most enjoyable aspect of this class for me was the zen nature of embroidery. It was the perfect antidote to a very hectic week.

Versions by Classmates

Thanks Marisa! You are a great teacher & I’m glad I got to meet you over the weekend. Please check out Marisa’s blog Creative Thursday for more inspiration.

Recycle Class

I had the pleasure on Tuesday to spend the day teaching a class on repurposing old garments into tote bags. Six, very creative, wonderful ladies showed up & proceeded to first deconstruct their garments whether it was a pair of pants, a skirt or a jacket to see exactly what we were working with. Each person ended up creating a completely different bag with a different look & twist. We used strap cutters & rivets to transform old belts into sturdy, fashionable handles & one bag was hand painted with a beautiful triangle design on the front. Leather scraps were used as embellishments & contrast details.

I had so much fun & was so incredibly impressed by all the creative energy & capability in 1 room. Each bag was completely unique & fantastic! I’d teach this class again in a second! Thanks to Common Threads & Sarah for the opportunity!

First Class at Fabricate

What a great time I had teaching my very first class on Wednesday night! Six, very creative & very fun ladies showed up to learn how to make a basic zipper pouch. We decorated white canvas using Sharpie markers while sipping on wine & nibbling on goodies. The Fabricate store was the perfect place for a really lovely intimate class. There was so much inspiration all around with the shelves lined to the ceiling with beautiful fabrics. The time flew by so quickly it was hard to believe that it was time to go. I’m really looking forward to teaching this class again. Check the side bar for classes if your interested as 2 more times were added.

Have a great weekend!

New Class Offered!

Check out the link in the side bar for a new class offered (March 13th at Common Threads). It will be all about recycling old garments into really cool bags. Can’t wait!