Classes: Custom Classes I Off-Site Teaching I Esther's Place Classes

Education about sustainable fiber farming and fiber arts is part of our mission at Esther's Place. We offer a wide range of educational opportunities ranging from elementary to university level workshops and presentations on sustainable farming and fiber arts to in house workshops and classes. For school visits in the Northern Illinois area, we come to your class(es) with all the materials for a delightful age-appropriate fiber arts project as well as various educational materials.

Our in-house classes and workshops are held in two lovely rooms adjoining our shop. We have some very exciting classes scheduled at Esther's Place for the coming year for the very beginner to the experienced fiber artist. Classes are designed to be warm, fun, informative, and succesfull for all.

In addition to our scheduled classes we can host a class – anytime, any day- for a group of 3 or more.

Custom Classes

Gather your group of three or more and we can host a class specifically designed by you and your friends! Whether you want to felt, knit, weave, dye or enjoy any other fiber art, we can put together a great class guaranteed to make you relax, laugh and learn something new. Some fun classes are the needle felted hat, purse, small knitting project, drop spinning, nuno felting and so much more!

Call 630-556-9665 and talk to Natasha to pick your project, day, time and class.

Gift Certificates and Private Lessons are also available!

To register use our registration form to mail or email to
info@esthersplacefibers.com or telephone 630-556-9665.

Teaching
We can come to your meeting, home or group and bring a hands-on activity! You can choose from any of the workshops listed on the retreat page and we will bring all of the supplies needed. Makes a fun girls night for your friends and neighbors. Minimum of five participants.
$10/ person  and $35/ flat travel fee
 If your group would like to learn more about how we got started, the process from the sheep to the finished product and see the whole process in action, we offer an hour-long, engaging presentation. From art guilds to schools, libraries and more, this is a great way to learn more about fiber arts.
$50 and $35/ flat travel fee
If you are looking for a workshop, class or intensive study for your group, we can provide a variety of classes tailored for your needs. From novice to intermediate skill levels, we offer instruction in many areas of fiber arts. Please give us a call and talk to Natasha for more details.

Esther's Place Winter 2010 Classes

Felted

Needle Felted Fairies
Cost: $20
Wed. March 31st 2-4 pm OR Sat. April 24th 10-noon
Come make a 4” fairy that is full of charm, complete with beautiful alpaca hair, sparkly wings and your choice of color! Great for kids, too.

NEW!!! Birthday Lamb with Cupcake
Cost: $24
President’s Day (Monday Feb. 15th) 2-4 pm OR
Sat. April 17th 4-6 pm
Inspire a birthday celebration with this colorful, simply adorable lamb. Great for kids, too.

Needle Felted Cookie Cutter Ornaments
Cost: $8
Sat. March 20th 10-11am OR Tues. March 30th 4-6 pm
Think chicks, lambs, eggs, little flowers and all kinds of spring ornaments! Great for kids… and families too.

NEW!!! Dogwoods Blossoms Swag
Cost:$40+ mat. $15
Wed. March 24th 1-4 pm OR Sat. April 3rd 1-4 pm
Using prefelts, as well as needle felting and wet felting techniques, we will create a 36” long swag that can be made into a wreath, candle ring or garland.

Celebrate Sustainability!
Wet Felted Geodes
Cost: $18
Sat. April 24th 1-3 pm
Celebrate Earth Day’s 40th anniversary as we create differerent shaped earth globes using a renewable, sustainable resource- wool! You can then use them as earrings, commemorative ornaments or earth science projects! Very fun for kids, too.

Celebrate Sustainability!
Market Bag made of Recycled Plastic Bags!
Cost: $35
Thurs. April 22nd 1-4 pm
Don’t just throw those bags away, bring with you 30-50 plastic bags (or your stash of bags) from the grocery store, newspapers, etc. The more color the better. We’ll cut the bags and prepare them into plasticyarn! Several patterns will be given for making a bag, along with ideas and thoughts for your own.

Celebrate Sustainability!
Taking it from Barn to Beautiful
Cost: $40 + mat. $15
Fri. April 23rd 10-2 pm
So what happens to wool after it is sheared? Learn to prepare the fibers and spin them into yarn. We start with raw wool, wash, card and drop spin a mini skein of yarn. Learn to appreciate this great resource even better!

Felted Animals Series
Birds
Cost: $17
Tues. Jan. .26th 4-6 pm OR Sat. Feb. 20th 1-3 pm
Create your choice of a cardinal, bluejay or chickadee.

Dogs and Cats
Cost: $17
Thurs. Feb. 11th 4-6 pm OR Sat. April 10th 1-3 pm
Bring a picture of your pet to felt a figurine of it!

Safari
Cost: $17
Thurs. Feb. 18th 4-6 pm OR Wed. Mar.24th 4-6 pm
Create your an elephant, lion, giraffe, or zebra!

Mr. Penguin
Cost: $17
Sat. Jan. 23rd 1-3 pm OR Tues. Feb. 9th 4-6 pm
Make a cute little penguin!

Needle Felted Hats
Cost: $35 + mat. $25
Friday Jan. 22nd 10-2 pm OR Thurs. Feb. 25th 5-9pm
Is your head cold this winter? Make a felted hat and it will always be warm. Choose your colors, pick your hat size and we’ll teach you the rest! Bring a felting tool if you have one, or borrow one of ours. Bring a lunch, too!

Needle Felted Slippers
Cost: $35 + materials : $25
Thurs. Jan. 28th 10-2 pm OR Sat. Feb. 27th 10-2 pm
Combine needle and wet felting in these comfy slippers that make great gifts! Bring a bag lunch and felting tool.

Jointed Teddy Bear with Beth Marszalek
Cost:$32
Sat. Jan. 30th Noon- 4pm OR Sat. March 6th 10-2 pm
We’ll create a 6” bear that is fully jointed and cute as a button. Your choice of color, be creative! Bring a lunch.

Pin Series with Beth Marszalek
Cost: $18
Folk Heart Pin….. Sat. Feb. 6th 12:30- 1:30 pm
Heart Jewelry Box…Sat. Feb. 6th 10-noon
Easter Dove Pin….. Sat. March 13th 11- noon
Spring Fling Dahlia….Sat. April 17th 11-noon
Using beautiful felt and needle felting, embroidery, and embellishing techniques, create a neat 3-D stuffed pin!

NEW!!! Nuno Felted Vest
Cost: $95 + materials $35
Fri. Feb. 5th 10-4 pm OR Wed. April 14th 10-4 pm
This one-piece construction vest is made with the felting technique that allows us to get a fit that is just to your personal size. Come check out our samples for inspiration! Bring 2 towels and a bag lunch.

Nuno Felted Scarf
Cost: $50 + materials : $12
Sat. Feb. 6th 1-4 pm OR Thurs. April 29th 5-9 pm
We’ll dye the silk, choose our fibers and have fun. This class is a wet felting process that is a fun exercise for creativity and the body! Bring a bag lunch and two towels.

Tree Bark Scarf
Cost: $45 + materials : $20
Wed.Jan. 27th and Feb.3rd 7-9 OR Fri.April 9&16th 10-12
Learn to create a wool scarf that looks like tree bark and feels as soft as can be!

Felted Checkerboard and Pieces
Cost: $35+mat. $20
Fri. Feb. 26th 10-2 pm OR Thurs. April 1st 10-2 pm
This class will teach many techniques of wet felting as we make all the pieces of the game!

Vessels, Bowls and Vases Oh My!
Cost: $50 +mat. $28
Fri. March 5th 10-2 pm OR Thurs. April 8th 5-9 pm
If you like working with ceramics, this is a neat class to learn to work with fibers in a similar way!

Inspiring Easter Classes!

Needle Felted Gnomes
Cost: $24
Tues. March 23rd 1-4 pm OR Sat. April 17th 1-4 pm
Who’s hiding in the garden? Mr. Gnome…with his little curly beard, clothing ensemble and sculpted face. Great for kids, too.

NEW!!! Needle Felted “Peeps”
Cost: $18
Fri. March 12th 4-5 pm OR Sat. March 27th 2-3 pm
Choose from lots of soft spring colors, plus sparkly fiber too! Make a flock of “peeps” to welcome in spring! Great for kids, too.

Needle Felted Mr. Bunny
Cost: $34
Wed. March 10th 10-2 pm OR Sat. March 27th 10-2 pm
Learn to make a delightful bunny face, as well as arms and legs with wire so you can create a 12” bunny that poses! Plus you can give him lots of charm all your own.

NEW!!! Spring Braided Roving Wreath
Cost: $35
Thurs. March 25th 1-3 pm
Pick out your color from our array beautiful hand dyed rovings and use it to create a neat wreath with a simple hand braiding. We’ll finish it off with a felted flower.

Needle Felting Lamb Sachet
Cost: $15
Sat. April 3rd 10-noon OR Thurs. April 15th 4-6 pm
This little lamb is filled with sweet smelling lavender and so precious! Great class for kids and families.

NEW!!! Needle Felted Fiber Animals
Cost: $15
Thurs. March 4th 1-3 pm OR Sat. April 24th 4-6 pm
Start your fiber flock with a cute alpaca, sheep or angora bunny. Great way to kick off the spring season! Great for kids, too.

Knitting

Call ahead for needle size needed for classes

Knitting 101
Cost: $45+ materials $15
Thurs. Feb. 11th 18th and March 4th 7-9 pm
Come learn with us as we teach to cast on, knit, purl, cast off, and more as you start on a beautiful scarf.

Thrummed Mittens
Cost: $45 ; materials extra
Tues. Feb. 9th, 16th and 23rd 1-3 pm
Skill Level: Beginning knitter, knit and purl
Create the coziest pair of mittens you may ever have- they are lined in tufts of the fluffy roving. Pick out your colors of yarn and roving at the class.

NEW!!! Fingerless Gloves
Cost: $40
Sat. Feb. 6th and 20th 10-noon
Skill Level: Beginning knitter, adventurous to try more
Bring 150 yd. worsted weight yarn from your stash, or a combination of different yarns and we’ll get you started on fun fingerless gloves. Simple to knit, great for beginners, and so fun! Great for gifts. Includes patterns.

Knitting 102
Cost: $45 Tues. April 6th and 13th 7-9 pm
Expand your skills! We’ll cover increases, decreases, as well as fixing knitting mistakes. The other half of the class will be devoted to helping you start a project, so bring an idea, yarn and pattern or come ahead for help in picking out something fun!

Socks 101
Cost: $45 + mat.$20 Tues. March 9, 23rd and 30th 7-9 pm
Learn to knit socks and add a new direction to your knitting. We’ll learn on double pointed needles, plus you’ll learn techniques like picking up stitches, shaping and more. The finished product will be a pair of slipper style socks!

Mixed Media

Copper Shawl Pin
Costs: $25 (includes supplies)
Wed. March 31st 6-7:30 pm Use semi-precious stones and beads with copper wire to create a gorgeous pin!

NEW!!! Rug Hooked Heart Pins
Cost: $18 Fri. Feb. 12th 2-4 pm Want to learn the basics of hooking? We’ll create cute pins perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Landscapes with Lela Luetger
Cost:$60 + mat. $15 Sat. March 13th 10-5 pm
Create a beautiful 9x12” felted landscape that is so real people will ask if it is a painting!

NEW!!! Dolls with Marie Carter
Cost: $65 + mat. $30 Thurs. Feb. 18th and Fri. Feb. 19th 10-4 pm each day
Once you take a look at these fantastic dolls, you will want one! Marie will share her talent in creating fairy and mermaid dolls with unique art yarns, fabrics and

Dyeing

Shibori Dyeing
Cost: $30 + materials : $15
Sat. Feb. 13th 12:30- 3 pm OR Fri. April 16th 1-4 pm
Learn to fold, pleat, scrunch and manipulate material to create a unique, one-of-a-kind dye pattern! We will teach basic color theory and dye a 100% scarf and shawl during class. Great for holiday gifts.

Dyeing Workshop
Cost: $35
Wed. Feb. 10th 1-4 pm OR Thurs. March 25th 6-9 pm
Bring your fiber, yarn or item to be dyed and we’ll spend an afternoon working on lots of fun colors! Bring an apron or clothes you can work in.

Spinning

Drop Spindling 101
Cost: $25 + materials: $20
Thurs. Feb. 11th 10-noon OR Sat. April 10th 10-noon
Get introduced to the wonderful art of spinning with a drop spindle. We make it fun to learn to make your own yarns! This is a great way to start.

Jump Start- 2 Day Workshop
Costs: $95 + materials $35
6 pm Sat. Feb. 27th – 4 pm Sun. Feb. 28th
Have you been wanting to learn to spin? This intensive two day workshop will cover basics, from drop spindling to wheels, fiber differences, and technique. Class fee includes overnight accommodations& meals for2 days.

Spinning 101
Cost: $220 + materials: $35*
Sat.Jan.23rd 4-6, Jan.30th 6-8 pm, Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27th 4-6
*Ask about our family rate!
This class will have you spinning beautiful yarn in just a few short weeks! Learn the in depth fundamentals of fiber preparation, drop spindling, wheels, techniques and plying. The last class is a dyeing class, too! Includes rental of Schacht Matchless Wheel for 5 weeks.

Spinning 201
Cost: 75 + mat. $15
Skill Level: Beginning Spinner on the wheel or spindle
Sat. March 20th, March 27th and April 10th 4-6 pm
This class expands on the skills learned in the beginning spinning class. We cover problem shooting, and different plying techniques, then exotic fibers like cotton, silk and angora, and styles of novelty yarn. Bring a wheel or use ours, bring a ball winder, niddy noddy if you have them.

Weaving

Using your Stash in Weaving Workshop
Wed. Feb. 3rd 10-2 pm OR Tues. April 20th 10-2 pm
Cost: $160 (includes a loom!)
This is a workshop will not only teach you how to weave on a rigid heddle loom, but will get you started on a project and will send you home with Schacht Spindle’s Cricket loom! Bring your stash yarn (and a bag lunch)and we’ll teach you how to make great scarves.

Friends of Esther Spring Classes

Join this community of wonderful folks who share your passion for food, family, fiber, faith, fauna and flora and fun! We share in quarterly potlucks, in addition to being a part of fun classes. Membership is $35/ a year per person or $50 a family. There’s lots of neat things on the horizon for 2010!

Maple Syruping- We’ll tap a tree here at Esther’s, cook with maple syrup from Deb’s farm and set you up with the info you need to do it all at home! $10 Fri. Jan 29th 2-4 pm

Valentine’s Day Canning- we’ll make three types of canned jams and jellies perfect for this rosy holiday. $10 Sun. Feb. 7th 2-5 pm

Tamale Making- it is easy, fun and delicious! Let’s infuse some spice into our cooking this winter with tamale making. $10 Sunday Feb. 21st 2-5 pm

Planting in the Greenhouse- shake off winter and help out in the planting process. Participants take home a dozen plants of their choice. $10 Monday March 22nd 10-noon

The Julia Child Project- Okay, the movie inspired us, but one taste of beef bouguignon and more of her recipes and you’ll love it too! $10 Tues. April 13th 1-4pm

Calling Friends of Esther members…
Do you have a special something you want to share? Let us know and we’ll include it for the fall!

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