Sewing Machines will be available to share provided by:
Montavilla Sewing Centers
This two-day workshop invites you to create a mixed media art journal by first gathering what will live inside it. Through intuitive exercises, paper, collage, and mark-making, you’ll create a collection of pages before assembling them into a hand-bound journal. Fabric may be incorporated in small, optional ways—such as tabs, spine details, or accents—but the focus is on paper, layering, and process. The approach is loose, exploratory, and pressure-free—allowing the work to unfold naturally without the need for perfection. All experience levels are welcome.
Expanded Class Description This workshop unfolds over two days as a process of gathering and then holding—creating pages first, and building the journal around them.
Day 1: Gathering — Creating Pages & Elements We begin by setting aside the idea of a finished journal and instead focus on creating a body of work. Through a series of gentle prompts and exercises, you’ll create a collection of pages using paper, collage, and mark-making. These pieces are not meant to be resolved or perfected—they are fragments, explorations, and moments of process. We’ll work loosely, allowing layering, texture, and instinct to guide decisions rather than planning or structure. We will be practicing ways to add create art for a page. You’ll also create a focal element for your journal cover, incorporating resin to add depth, protection, and a sense of permanence to a chosen piece. By the end of the day, you’ll have a collection of pages and elements ready to be gathered into a book.
Day 2: Holding — Building the Art Journal On the second day, we begin to bring everything together. You’ll continue developing your pages through layering, collage, adding texture, etc. allowing each page to evolve naturally without pressure to finish Once your pages feel ready (or ready enough), we’ll assemble the journal using a simple, flexible binding method. The book will take shape around the work you’ve created, rather than the other way around. Fabric can be incorporated in small, optional ways—such as tabs, spine details, or subtle accents—if it feels appropriate to your work. The focus is on creating a journal that feels tactile, personal, and alive. Some pages may remain unfinished. Others may shift over time. This journal is meant to be returned to, added to, and lived with. We don’t begin with the book— we begin with what wants to be inside it.
Materials Fee $20 paid at beginning of class includes:
Resin for focal image,
wax paper,
pattern for journal,,
embroidery floss and needles (for optional hand-stitching),
bull dog clips,
gourd pins and tags,
vintage postcards (to use as pages in your book),
paint,
exacto knives (to share ),
alternative substrates like paper bags cardboard and mixed media paper.
Use of glue guns, heat gun, pinking shears, elastic for closure, paper napkins,
**If you’re feeling unsure—about sewing or whether you’re ‘doing it right’—please know that this class was designed with you in mind. There is no wrong way to work here. Every stitch, mark, and choice belongs. You’ll be gently guided, warmly supported, and encouraged to make something that feels true to you. No sewing skills required - there will be machines on hand to share on and of course, I will be there to show you the ropes.
Supplies Needed to bring for Class:
abric scraps (choose items that you love or have meaning) -
black sharpie -
ruler -
modge podge or matte medium -
paper and fabric scissors -
mixed media or water color paper pad 6x9 -
large glue stick -
bone folder -
exacto knife & cutting mat -
old art work or art papers to add to your book -
a few small images for focal point (3.5x 2.5) -
lidded container to hold your resin piece in as it cures,
4x6 ish. not too big as you don’t want the piece sliding around. -
large button for enclosure -optional -
pinking shears,
fringe to hang out on front cover,
lace bits,
paper cutter,
personal photos for inside your book,
To pre-order supplies, click on this link for Cobblestone Creek Studios.