MYSTICAL MAKING:
EMBROIDERY & PLANT DYE WORKSHOP
MYSTICAL MAKING: Embroidery & Plant Dye Workshop
September 29- Oct 1, 2023 in Katrina’s Studio
Join artists and authors, Christi Johnson and Katrina Rodabaugh, for a very special weekend workshop focused on embroidery and plant-dyeing. Christi will bring her beautiful embroidery and embellishment practice to combine with Katrina’s mending and redesign to make beautiful textiles in Katrina’s studio in the Hudson Valley. This workshop centers handwork as it combines utilitarian repairs with thoughtful embellishments—viewing embroidery, stitching, and natural dyes as inspiration for redesign and adding deeper meaning and value to any textiles. Christi and Katrina will share their processes in plant dyeing and embroidery while embracing a thoughtful relationship with plant-based color, slow stitching, sustainable living, and heartfelt design. Scheduled for late September, one of the most glorious times in the Hudson Valley, this workshop promises to be a special weekend for plant lovers and fiber folks.
Let’s Make Things.
The workshop will be divided into two parts—plant-dyeing with Katrina in the dye studio and embroidery with Christi in the barn studio. Students will experiment in making one-of-a-kind embroideries that can be applied to garments, bags, or household textiles as embellishment and/ or repair. Students will explore various stitches, plant-dyes, and design compositions through needle and thread. They will also leave with various plant-dyed samples, resources, and confidence to continue at home alongside all the tools to continue embroidering (hoop, needles, and their own selected palette of embroidery threads).
Christi and Katrina are residents of the greater Hudson Valley and will share their rich experiences with local plants, gardening, and foraging in the region. The workshop includes dyeing and embroidery instruction; various beautiful textile materials; shared tools; individual feedback; thoughtful vegetarian lunches, snacks and tea; and a rural setting to connect with other creatives in the heart of the Hudson Valley’s farming landscape.
More details...
This workshop is an immersive textile workshop great for ALL levels of experience. Christi and Katrina will start with the basics for beginners, share ways to deepen processes for intermediate dyers and stitchers, and offer insights from over 15+ years of working closely with dyes and hand-stitching to any advanced dyers. To allow for maximum participation, there will be a minimum of 6 students and a maximum of 12 students in this retreat—this will allow Christi and Katrina to customize the class to best support the individuals present.
The workshop offers an in-depth learning experience for anyone looking to deepen their natural dyeing and embroidery knowledge in a pastoral setting with access to Christi and Katrina’s instruction and textile resources. The workshops will be held during daytime hours and Katrina will provide all shared tools, materials, plants, and a printed booklet for students to keep. Participants will need to secure housing, transportation, and meals outside of the workshop. Christi and Katrina will share several examples of their original work as inspiration.
RETREAT SCHEDULE: Friday, September 29 from 4:30-6pm; Saturday, September 30 from 10-5pm; Sunday, October 1 from 10-4pm
NOTE: There are no refunds for this retreat so please double-check the event schedule, studio location in the Hudson Valley, and/or any other personal factors that would make this commitment possible for you. Thank you!
Workshop Includes…
-Over 12 hours of thoughtful textile instruction in a small group setting
-Several examples of finished, original work for in-depth, hands-on learning.
-Various workshop materials including naturally-dyed fabric scraps, cotton threads, stitching needles, dye fabric samples, and all necessary dye materials such as mordants, modifiers, plants, stainless steel tools to share, etc.
-A printed workshop pamphlet with written insights, tips, resources, and more
-Two thoughtful vegetarian lunches, sourced locally when possible
-Snacks, coffee, and tea throughout the weekend
-A lovely, intimate, all-weather space to gather
-A special gift to keep
Studio, Location, & More...
BARN STUDIO: The workshop will take place on Katrina’s personal property—the barn is just a stone’s throw across the driveway from her family farmhouse. The studio is the original carriage barn, now fully-renovated and temperature controlled while maintaining so much original rustic charm. The studio has an uneven concrete floor, surrounding gravel driveway, and relatively-level surrounding yard and gardens. Parking is onsite. To access the bathroom, students will go up three stairs into the family farmhouse.
HUDSON VALLEY REGION: The studio is located in a rural region of Upstate NY. There are a handful of small inns, hotels, and rentals on Airbnb or Vrbo. There is no housing on-site. If you are looking for housing, the studio is 30 minutes east of Kingston, 20 minutes south of Hudson, and 20 minutes north of Rhinebeck, NY. Once you register, Katrina can provide more details on surrounding accommodations, restaurants, etc. There is no public transportation near the studio so folks will need to drive—even Ubers are unreliable. The nearest airport is Albany, NY; nearest train is the Amtrak to Hudson, NY; and nearest bus is to the station in Kingston, NY but all require additional car travel to reach the studio.
Meet Christi…
Christi Johnson's art combines cosmic visions and botanical beauties, a hypnotic dance of symbols stitched methodically into fabric. The evolving qualities of natural materials are embraced, and the use of discarded materials gives new life to what has been cast aside. Christi's textile studio, Mixed Color, provides functional pieces that are thoughtfully made, as well as workshops and books so that others may learn these skills for themselves. Christi is also the author of the book, Mystical Stitches: Embroidery for Personal Empowerment and Magical Embellishment (2021).
Accommodations
Here’s a selection of places to stay within 30 miles of the studio. This is just a sample list and you can find many more options on Airbnb or Vrbo:
Hotel Tivoli, Tivoli, NY
Rivertown Lodge, Hudson, NY
The Wick Hotel, Hudson, NY
Beekman Arms, Rhinebeck, NY
Mirbeau Inn & Spa, Rhinebeck, NY
Hutton Brickyards, Kingston, NY
Courtyard by Marriott, Kingston, NY
Gatherwild Ranch, Germantown, NY
Reclaimed Motel, Red Hook, NY
If you’re looking to rent through Airbnb or Vrbo check in the nearby towns of Germantown, Clermont, Tivoli, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Hudson, Kingston, or anywhere within 30 minutes of Germantown, NY.
There are many wonderful eateries in our region—it’s an incredible intersection of farms and food. For restaurants, checkout the nearby towns of Hudson, Tivoli, Rhinebeck, or Kingston. There’s one special restaurant, Gaskins, very nearby in Germantown, NY but that’s the only one so do checkout other towns too.
“When I started working with local plants to make natural color on fibers my connection to the earth deepened. I entered into a relationship with plants that felt reciprocal, nuanced, and healing. Through this connection I’ve learned about foraging, gardening, plant medicine, and so much more.”
— Katrina Rodabaugh