This week, a little bit of fashion in Selective Focus. We hear from Candace Lacosse who operates Hemlocks Leatherworks.
C.L.: I am primarily a shoemaker (which is a cordwainer, not a cobbler), but I love designing and making just about anything out of leather and waxed canvas: bags, purses, wallets, leather-bound journals, really just about anything.
Hey there lords and ladies of the craft! There’s a new series of hat workshops about to blossom. I’ll be starting a second series of beginning hat classes on Tuesday, June 19, from 6-7:30. There will be 6 weeks to the course.
I’ll be teaching a beginning millinery class on Mondays, from 6 to 8:30 p.m., May 7 to June 11 (no class on Memorial day).
We’ll begin with the easiest material to work with: millinery-grade felt. This is not the same process as “felting” a hat. Picture the material used to make a fedora. That’s the stuff. You will learn to make a hat from the very beginning: blocking the felt, to the end: lining the hat. In the middle there are a whole bunch of steps that generally involve a needle and thread and some ribbon. Some proficiency with said needle and thread is helpful but not necessary.
Classes will take place at Otlak Felt Studio in the DeWitt-Seitz building and will cost $150 plus $56 in supplies. You can email me at emily @ moesewco.com for questions and to register. Space is limited, so jump right in there.
I’m gauging interest in the notion (ha!*) of teaching some small classes in millinery — that is, traditional hat-making. Not so traditional that you knit and then felt, but rather the kind that leads to possibly a fedora, but with many other shapes and options.
If I find that there is interest, I will go forth and find an appropriately sized space. You can see my work at moesewco.com, which I just mentioned in another post on a mostly unrelated subject, so please bear with me.
* A notion is a sewing item that is not fabric or thread — like buttons or scissors.
Does anyone out there have the aesthetic eye to craft that I describe as “roller derby chicks who knit and weld?” Wanna learn? Let’s make a scene! The revolution will be crafted!
Come shop from over 30 local and area artists who make things out of natural materials or recycled/upcycled items. The fair will be held from 10 -3 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 at the Unitarian Church, 835 W. College St. Food will be available to purchase.
The fair is organized by WendyUpNorth.com. For other local art fairs go to the website to see the calendar. There are a few more openings in the July 23, Woman-Made fair.
