Enrich and enliven your creative practice through exploring the unlimited possibilities of textile collage in your mixed-media surface design work. Explore embellished textile techniques, appliqué, quilting, thread and bead embroidery, and photographic images, and learn how to incorporate these new skills into your own projects. Explore composition and design, how to communicate through textile art, and ideas for presenting your finished pieces.

Take a wildflower walk through the North Carolina woods! Stitch a new local, mountain flower each day, such as Lady Slipper, trillium, and more. Make a creative fabric journal that includes stumpwork flowers, stitched text, and collage. Embellish with ribbons and unique hand-dyed fabrics, cheesecloth, velveteen, linen, and velvet for each flower. Learn a unique way to assemble your book with wire-ties or twigs, ribbons and buttons; other finishing options available as well. All levels welcome.

Learn a variety of different beading techniques as you weave several skinny bracelets–3/16 inch to 3/8 inch wide–which you can layer together to your heart's content. Gain skills to manage needles and beading thread, and work on designs with shaped beads and mixed colors. Use Half Tilas, Gem Duos, Super Duos, and more. This class is addictive for beaders and non-beaders of all levels. $

Explore the techniques and history of a 9,000-year-old form of finger-weaving while creating a twined bag based on Native Southeastern designs. Twining is a form of weaving in which you use your fingers to twist weft strands of fiber around pairs of hanging warps. Also, learn how to make simple weave changes to create additional patterns for your future twined projects. No experience required, but some manual dexterity is needed for this relaxing and therapeutic activity.

Gain an introduction to the historic art of bobbin lace and learn how to “draw” with fiber and yarn. Explore the basics of cross and twist, half stitch and whole stitch, and the thousands of combinations and possibilities. Start with lace tape and torchon ground, then expand to shaped lace. Create tone and value with tiny knots and stitches and make delicate designs that can become intricate drawings, pendants, jewelry, ornaments, and beautiful works of art. All levels welcome.

Chicken scratch is one of many names for stitching on woven ginghams to make aprons or other functional domestic items. The checks provide the guides for your geometric, fanciful, or pictorial designs using simple stitching. Learn several of the basic stitches and experiment with color effects. Your instructor will contact you ahead of time about materials if you want to design a larger project to finish at home. All levels of stitchers welcome.

Explore how to use a punch needle as an embroidery tool in this versatile, meditative tapestry technique. Learn the ropes by creating a small embroidered piece on a hoop with the option to contribute your work to a collective tapestry with classmates. Prepare your own, larger work surface on canvas stretcher bars, then use your new knowledge to create a 16 by 20-inch tapestry in a design of your choosing. All levels welcome. $

Originating in ancient Japan, temari is a form of embroidery done on a geometrically divided spherical base. Initially made as toys, these folk craft items have now become a decorative art form. Learn about basic temari ball construction, wrapping, and stitching techniques. Even the most basic stitches can be combined in infinite, intricate ways! Patterns and ideas will be available for stitchers of all levels.