Pls Note Our November Studio Schedule…

Hi Everyone! Please note that due to my travel schedule, the  studio will be closed on the following dates:

Oct 31-Nov 2

Nov 8 – Nov 20

You can reach me by email anytime, and any orders placed online at this time will be shipped beginning Nov 22.

Aside from the above dates, our regular hours are:

Wednesday 4-8pm

Thursday 12-6pm

Friday 12-6pm

Saturday 10-6pm

Until then, keep creating and watch for our upcoming event calendar!  –lisa

Introducing CE Artisan Business Coaching…

Increasingly, since opening the CE studio in downtown Rahway almost 2 years ago (!), I’ve come across other talented people who wanted to carve out their own piece of this exciting industry, but needed some help getting started, or moving forward.

I began to help a few of these creatives toward their goals and decided to better structure my own efforts along the way.

As a result, I’m thrilled to announce Artisan Business Coaching, a new branch of the Cultured Expressions experience READ MORE, and if I can be of service, just yell!

lisa

The One with the Bluest Hands Wins!

The highlight of Cultured Expressions’ SewJourn Santa Fe is our two-day workshop with master fiber artist Gasali Adeyemo.  We immersed ourselves in glorious indigo, learning his batik and tie-dye techniques, along with the cultural significance of indigo in Yoruba culture.

I always provide the SewJourners with white brocade fabric and rubber gloves to use during the workshop, but I always look forward to the opportunity to dunk my hands into the freshly prepared indigo.  This year, I was accompanied by several of the participants. Who needs gloves when you can experience the undeniable spirit that exists in the dye.

Later that day, we took it to the NextLevel by applying clear nail polish to preserve the indigo dye on our nails only, as the rest of it washed away or wore off…

We loved he results!  I generally don’t bother with nail polish on my fingers, but this here is different.  i guess it’ll be my once-a-year Indigo manicure.  I wonder how long it will last with a few touchups of clear…

Join me in Santa Fe next year for authentic indigo batik… and manicures ; )  Thanks, brother Gasali!!

Sew This Bogolan Shrug on Saturday!

Casual chic…  you will love this cute bolero jacket styling in gorgeous, richly textured bogolan/mudcloth fabric!  It’s perfect for this time of year, and a great way to celebrate African Fabric Month, too ; )

Join us for class this Saturday, September 7 from 11am-1:30pm and sew your shurg on our Janome S5 machines!  The workshop is $60.  You can bring your own fabric (at least 5 strips wide and 72″ long) , or purchase a piece here before class.  Please register by Friday evening either online, or call us at 866-683-2568 (aka 866-MUDCLOTH!!)  See you soon…

It’s #AfricanFabricMonth ; )

September is African Fabric Month, and while I’m a little disheartened to see the summer end so quickly, thoughts of my favorite fabrics do help to ease the pain!  Stay tuned all month long for a few fun fabric giveaways and contests…and we’re starting  with African fabric HANDBAGS!

All month long, you can grab my handbag book, African Accents ON THE GO! for just $5!  No coupon code is needed — the discount will reflect in your cart.

Then, it’s just a matter of which fabric to use first…Bogolan, batik, kuba, kente, ankara?

In the COMMENTS below, tell us what kind of bag you’d love to make this month, and the fabric, for a chance to win a FREE copy of the book!   All replies posted by Saturday, September 7 are eligible for the random drawing... good luck!

Read more about African Fabric Month and spread the word…

And remember to use hashtag #africanfabricmonth all month long when you post ANY projects using African fabrics for a special drawing at the END of the month.  The more hashtags we see, the more prizes we’ll give, so tell your friends, too!

Meet us at the Wa Shonaji Reception!

One of the many highlights of our Wine Lover’s Quilt Retreat is the time we spend with the Wa Shonaji Quilt Guild members during the opening reception for their annual qult exhibit.  This year it takes place on Saturday, August 10, 2019 from 12 noon to 4pm..  These lovely women do gorgeous work, and the exhibit is presented beautifully at the Blair Caldwell African American Research Library in Denver.  We always enjoy their talents and the variety of styles their work represents.  It’s really a treat! And did I mention the door prizes, and activities?  Plus, they feed you  ; ) So, if you’re in the area, join us there!

(If you can’t make the reception on Saturday, you can still view the exhibit thru September 26, 2019.)

Registration is Now Open…

…for our August thru October studio workshops!

And the schedule includes our most popular classes, plus one new one – the Ankara Corded Organizer earned raved reviews whe I posted it on Instagram & Facebook, and we’ve now added the class (pattern and kit are in the works!)

Plus, two special events –  we’re celebrating African Fabric Month on Saturday evening,  September 7 with a Sip n’ Sewcialize event, including a trunk show, quick project, discounts and door prizes!  then, on October 6, we’re thrilled to have Ghana’s Master Kente Weaver Kwasi Asare back for KENTE & CULTURE II  –  Our first session in May sold out quickly, so if you missed it, be sure to register early!

DOWNLOAD the new Schedule now!!