merry christmas!
here are a few photos from my week.

we leave for san francisco on monday... i can't wait to be there!

ps... here is gus enjoying a bath.

new classes for january and february!

last year someone gave my screen printing class as a christmas gift and i thought it was so sweet. are you looking for a last minute gift? (or is someone looking for a gift for you?)

all classes are held in my fort greene, brooklyn studio.

email lena (at) lenacorwin.com to sign up.

JANUARY SCREEN PRINTING I

this class covers my favorite methods for screen printing, starting with the basics (no experience required). learn to print on fabric and/or paper, using your own designs. if you have a particular printing project in mind (printed pillowcases, tote bags, etc), we can plan out the design, materials, and printing. the bottom two photos are projects by students from previous classes.

four 1-1/2 hour classes

thursday evenings jan 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th

6:00- 7:30pm

$250 + supplies (approx. $50)

(photos above are outtake from printing by hand)

JANUARY ALTERATIONS WITH CAL PATCH

inspired by the article she wrote for BUST (in the aug/sept '06 issue), cal will show you how to make clothing fit better and look current. taking in side seams, adjusting hemlines, lowering waistlines, and piecing in other fabrics are all techniques that can help you become your own personal couturier. bring in some garments to play with and we'll give them a new life! some basic sewing experience required.

one 5-hour workshop

11am – 4pm

saturday, jan 23rd

$125 + supplies

(photos above are from apc)

FEBRUARY TEXTILE STAMPING CLASS

beginner level

learn to print allover patterns on cloth napkins, fabric yardage, tote bags (and more) using handmade stamps. i will teach my two favorite methods for creating stamps with your original designs.

four 1 1/2-hour classes

tuesday evenings feb 2nd, 9th, 16th & 23rd

6:00- 7:30pm

$225 + supplies (approx. $35)

(top photo is from printing by hand, bottom photo is from the very talented julia white, who took my textile stamping class)

MAKE YOUR OWN SEWING PATTERNS WITH CAL PATCH

if you are frustrated with the lack of cute, simple sewing patterns on the market, why not make your own? use your own measurements to draft patterns made to fit YOUR body! in this all-day workshop, cal will show you the first two projects from her book, Design-It-Yourself Clothes. we'll begin with an A-line skirt and then proceed to the T-shirt of your dreams!

one 5-hour workshop

11am – 4pm

saturday, feb 20th

$125 + supplies

(photo above from cal's book design-it-yourself clothes: patternaking simplified)

i love the seasons. it's amazing to me how much our garden changes in a single year!

dinner

&

snowstorm.

we've extended the lines & shapes special holiday sale prices to sunday!
thanks for all the support in 2009!

two things i'm tempted by, on sale at creatures of comfort...

i love vanessa davis's drawing and writing style... her book spaniel rage on my holiday wish list.

here is the latest entry in her illustrated memoir for tablet mag. happy 4th night of hanukkah.

our mociun + corwin 2010 calendar print is now available in my shop!

this calendar came together in two afternoons of cutting lots of colored paper, and finally seeing the design take shape. i wanted to show more images of our cutting-out process, but all my photos have been archived and it's not as easy for me to access them (so frustrating!).

there is a limited supply of 50 prints, each hand screen printed with four colors. the poster size is the same as last year's print, and i think they sit nicely together.

burda style is giving away a copy of my book printing by hand, a variety of my fabric scraps and field notes to print on. click here to leave a comment and a chance to win (ends tomorrow at noon)!

a girl and boy dog.

could be their wedding portrait?

i really like the artwork of jamie sheldon. found via dear ada.

the drawing style reminds me a bit of ludwig bemelmans, the author/illustrator of the madeline books (they were favorites of mine when i was a kid).

mociun

sunshine & shadow

wiksten

shabd

aesa

anna gonick

caitlin keegan

sian keegan

wonder wonder

christopher david ryan

lines & shapes / lena corwin

new mociun + corwin 2010 calendar! (this will be in my online shop soon)

the holiday sale in my studio is next saturday, dec 12th. this group of designers is SO good. it will be hard to hold on to any money that i make from the sale!!

we had a fun thanksgiving, with a big group of friends and family. and a ton of food!

volume ten!

this is our last book for 2009... and it has one of my favorite themes: COLOR.

thank you so much to the artists who participated:

maria arnell

jenny bowers

nicholas haggard

joseph hart

claire nereim

matthew rich

and if you are thinking of holidays gifts, and you have some book lovers on your list... we're offing special prices on our 4, 6, and 10 book bundles, which will come gift wrapped with silver twine.

now i'm dreaming of a life like this...

thanks again to wonder wonder (first photo) and odette ny (second photo) for joining the design co-op for the last fort greene flea of the season. i left saturday's flea with a crocheted necklace from hikaru, and a stomach full of tacos. in the last photo i'm standing on a braided mat that i bought at the flea a few weeks ago.

here are some photos i took at last week's flea design co-op at the brooklyn flea. i was so glad that jen causey/simply photo could join as a special guest seller.

this saturday is the last day of the fort greene flea until the spring, so it's also the last day for the flea design co-op. we might continue again in the spring, but we might not... so if you've been meaning to come by but haven't had a chance, some saturday! and for the final saturday we will have two special guest sellers, odette ny and wonder wonder.

sale!

sale!

sale!

details coming soon...

i LOVED our tie dye class, taught by shabd simon alexander.

there is something so satisfying about dyeing. it couldn't be more different from the process of screen printing, but gives you the same thrill of creating patterned fabric.

the bottom two photos are my tie dyed pieces. i started out very conservative... making only muted colors, and then decided to go crazy with color.

thanks jen for making "tie dyed" cupcakes!

the embroidery class on saturday was great! as usual, i wish i had taken a few more pictures...

several people asked, so caitlin kindly typed up the recipe from our lunch the other day (i've never cooked with raw coconut butter, but i plan to try it soon!)

Lena and Caitlin Eat Pasta for Lunch:

1 package penne pasta (we used gluten free)
3 tablespoons pesto (more if you like)
2 tablespoons crumbled goat cheese ( more if you like)
4-5 kale leaves
1/2 red onion
1 tablespoon raw coconut butter or oil
coconut water
salt
pepper

Put water on to boil water for pasta. Wash kale leaves and slice into fine ribbons (leave the middle part of the leaf). Set aside. Slice the onions into thin half moon shapes. Drop the onions into a hot pan and add couple of splashes of coconut water (about 4 or 5 tablespoons, enough so the onions slide around and won't stick to the bottom of the pan). After a few minutes, when the onions start to soften, add the kale. Saute until the kale and onions are tender and a little wilty. If the pan drys out add more coconut water. Add salt and pepper to taste while cooking. After they are taken off the heat stir in the raw coconut butter or oil ( you could also use olive oil and water instead of the coconut stuff but the coconut water and butter/oil gives it a sweet flavor). Set aside.

Cook the pasta. Drain it. Place in a bowl. Stir in the pesto and kale mixture. Sprinkle the goat cheese on top and finish with fresh cracked pepper. Eat it (with salad- its good for you!)!

lewis elizabeth top from domahoka.

have you seen jen's pop-up shop?

photo by shari altman.

* * *

the martha stewart show is focusing on brooklyn and the sustainable food movement today, and will feature the brooklyn flea, marlow & sons, red hook ball field papusas, and others. here's more info.

thanks bird & banner, for introducing me to the work of marlene reidel. these are from the 1960s and 70s. i wish i could read more about her here, but unfortunately can't since the site is german.

some photos from maria's show at chelliswilson, come darkness.

my project is in the 2nd & 3rd photos, a bleach screen print handkerchief.

i love every piece in the exhibit, making it hard to even choose a few to show here. i highly recommend clicking on the images on the site to see all the artwork up close!

jill of today i saw sent me this postcard and i loved it... there's a drawing of the fresh fruit cake she made from my recipe. she sent it a couple months ago and i've been meaning to post since then. she has such a nice drawing style and i really like the whole idea of her blog. thanks jill!

* * * *

new november sellers at the flea design co-op

* * * *

a couple of the wonderful october designers are continuing this month, and there are many new folks joining... here's the list (photos from top to bottom):

virginia sin ceramics

christopher david ryan

deadly squire

claudia pearson (special one-day seller, nov 7th)

moontree letterpress

wayne pate / good shape design

maptote

lena corwin / lines & shapes

and there will be several other one-day sellers, to be announced.

brooklyn flea

saturday, 10am-5pm (through november 21st)

176 lafayette avenue, fort greene

come by!!

we had some lunch and then cut a lot of paper... working on our new calendar.

tamar mogendorff has been adding some new images to her website. i love the large cage especially.

i have a piece in an art show curated by maria vettese, at the shop chelliswilson in portland, maine. maria is the best curator i know... so i can't wait to see photos of her installation. the opening reception is this friday, 5-8m.

i was more than happy to do a trade recently with one of my favorite designers, virginia johnson. i had a hard time choosing which shawl i wanted (i've had my eye on the camels forever), but i made the right choice with the shark pattern... i love it. when the shawl/scarf is worn the sharks aren't really visible, so it's not too much. it really makes me smile.

... one more class for november!

EMBROIDERY AND APPLIQUE WORKSHOP WITH CAL PATCH

Open Level

One 5-hour workshop

11am – 4pm

Saturday November 14th

$90 + supplies

vegetarian lunch included!

Cal Patch will be in town briefly and we've decided to switch up our usual sewing class schedule and instead offer an embroidery and applique workshop. Cal will teach all of her favorite embroidery stitches and applique techniques, which can be used to update, embellish and customize clothing, home items, and gifts. The class will begin by stitching a sampler of 12 classic embroidery stitches, then we will explore some applique techniques, and finally begin a project using your own fabric, or a finished item (tea towel, tote bag, clothing).

to sign up, email: info (at) lenacorwin.com

(the image above is from a vintage book called the stitches of creative embroidery, by jacqueline enthoven / reinhold)

TIE DYE WORKSHOP WITH SHABD SIMON-ALEXANDER

Two 2-hour classes

6pm – 8pm

Mondays Nov 9th & 16th

Fort Greene, Brooklyn

$150

Shabd creates extraordinary tie dyed textiles, and in this workshop she will be sharing her secrets and techniques! She will demonstrate how she mixes dyes and chemicals, and several methods for tie dyeing to create different patterns. You will need to bring clothing for dyeing (cotton works best, but also silk and rayon), including tee shirts, scarves, socks, etc. Shabd is a multimedia artist also works with embroidery, photography, sculpture, performance, and other methods of storytellying. Her products can be seen on her website, here: shabdismyname.com.

to sign up, email: info (at) lenacorwin.com

what i got from mociun fall 09... i L-O-V-E every piece. see more here...

i've been thinking about this class ever since clothing designer jenny gordy wrote that she was moving to nyc. i ordered a shirt from jenny's clothing line wiksten a couple years ago, and its one of my favorites. she's an impeccable designer and sewer, and seeing her work has been a big inspiration for me to want to learn to sew clothes.

* * *

SEWING WITH JENNY GORDY

intermediate level

this class will focus on two versatile patterns; a skirt and a top/dress, from designer jenny gordy of wiksten. jenny first learned to sew from her grandmother, and then at FIT. she works primarilty in natural linen and cotton, and has an eye for delicate gingham, stripes, plaids, and droll floral prints that she then crafts into clean and classic silhouettes. each student will receive patterns in their size (to keep), and classes will focus on completing 2-3 garments. the photos above show the styles that we will be working with (created by jenny just for this class). basic sewing knowledge required. machines will be available for students to use, or you can bring your own machine.

four 1-1/2 hour classes

thursday evenings 11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 12/3

6:00- 7:30pm

$250 + supplies (approx. $40)

email: info (at) lenacorwin.com to sign up. space is limited!

we went to boston for a wedding over the weekend, and stayed at our friend's beautiful house.

more of the paper chandeliers... they look so nice from the below.

anyone who wrote asking about buying them-- i haven't decided yet if i'll make them beyond the flea, but i'll send an email if i do. thanks!

...and gus in the corner while i'm working hard.

* * *

dates...

i'm really excited about upcoming november classes in my studio... here's are the dates so you can mark your calendar if you're interested, and i'll have full details soon. i wanted to get these up here, since i'm late for announcing them already.

+ embroidery and applique workshop with cal!

saturday nov 14th, 11am - 4pm

+ sewing with jenny gordy of wikstenmade!

(a top, dress, and skirt), thursdays 11/5, 11/12, 11/19 & 12/3

+ tie dye with shabd!

two evening workshop, dates tba.

textiles in mieke willems new online shop.