Repurposing Jeans
It was around three o’clock in the afternoon when Katie came into MAKESHOP with an old pair jeans in tote. She explained to me that the jeans had holes in them and her mom wanted to throw them out. Instead, Katie brought the jeans to the Museum to turn them into something new. Katie has been to MAKESHOP before, so…
Textile Design Crash Course
Lea and I, both Teaching Artists, ran Textile Design Crash Courses for two different groups of visiting Winchester Thurston high school students on special day-long field trips, one on May 20th and another on May 21st. Asked to come up with a 4.5 hour workshop of our choosing, we jumped at the chance to work with older kids in a…
Meet a Maker!
For a limited time only, you can visit the MAKESHOP and work with Lea on Sunday – Thursday. Lea will be working with us until the end of August when she will continue her creative pursuits at the STUDIO for Creative Inquiry at Carnegie Mellon University. Name/ Nickname: Lea Favorite color: Teal How long have you been working at…
Mermaid Puppet
When 4-year-old Reese came in, she was sure she wanted to make something… she just wasn’t sure what. After seeing a prototype marionette our Teaching Artist Lea had made, she was immediately inspired. “My favorite princess is Ariel. I’m going to make a mermaid puppet,” she declared, “And when I get home I’m going to put on a puppet show…
“Warmth” Workshops
Our January programmatic theme of “warmth” meant return visits by two great Guest Makers, Theresa Baughman and Deren Guler. Check out some photos from their workshops! “Warm Fuzzies” with Theresa Baughman Theresa, one of our former MAKESHOP interns, set up our workshop area with everything kids needed to sew a pillow that can be warmed up in the microwave. There wasn’t…
Inside the Sewing Machine
Over the winter holidays, we did a lot of take-apart here at the museum. Tons of old audio equipment, toys, printers… and a sewing machine! I had a great team of four kids helping me get that stubborn front off. It really didn’t want to go! We recently replaced this machine with a newer one, and thought we’d keep the old…
Monster Pet Workshop
Shortly before Halloween, Amy and I ran a “Monster Pet” workshop. We had two hours and the entire workshop to help visitors through the process of brainstorming, designing, planning, and construction using both hand and machine sewing techniques. We began by brainstorming what makes a monster a monster. What kind of words would you use to describe your monster? Where does your monster…
Making a very big costume…
I’m not an expert at anything, but I am really good at asking questions. I wanted to make a JEDI KNIGHT robe for Halloween. Problem: I have never sewn anything this big or complex before. Thankfully, I was able to ask Rebecca, a fellow Teaching Artist, and Lea, one of our interns, for help. They showed me the importance of sketching…
A plethora of projects…
Augustine and his sister were already hard at work in a corner of the MAKESHOP when I came back from break. They were working on two intricate projects: a wooden truck and a tadpole. These two projects were brought to my attention because Augustine wanted to cut a piece of scrap wood to a certain size. I helped him with…
Identity Fun: Superhero Costume Tutorials
With Halloween right around the corner, costumes are popping up in many stores, offering people of all ages the opportunity to take on a new identity, even if it’s just for one night. Rather than dress up for just one night, why not create an easy, DIY superhero costume that will allow you or your little ones to take on…