It’s Spring (Almost) – Leave the House, Take a Workshop!

Luckily, we’re making our way thru winter fairly well here in Rahway, so my thoughts have already turned to the approaching Spring season, and all of the opportunities we have to Create with African fabrics — Birthdays, Proms, Mother’s Day, Women’s History Month, and of course, the still-growing influence of all things “Wakanda Style”!  I’m looking forward to our second season here at the studio, and with that, we release the Spring workshop schedule ; )

In addition to our old favorites, we’ve added three new workshops…

Plus, you can enjoy three new “Drop-In Demos” (spontaneous opportunities to learn and create, each about 15 minutes long and with no pre-registration required!)

You can even arrange our existing workshops to fit YOUR schedule, with a minimum of just 3 people, so grab a couple of friends and get in touch with us  ; )  This is a great option if you’re coming from out of town. Consider making a weekend of it – the brand-new Watt Hotel is one block away, and downtown Rahway has plenty of restaurants and fun stuff happening.  It’s like a custom-designed creative retreat!

It’s almost Spring – leave the house, take a workshop.  As you can see, we’re flexible– as long as you want to create, we’ll work with you to make it happen  ; )  Looking forward to your visit!

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#AfricanFabricMonth…Win Fabric on Fridays in September!

#AfricanFabricMonth…Win Fabric on Fridays in September!  Take the #AfricanFabricMonth Challenge, co-sponsored by Cultured Expressions and Harlem Needle Arts…

For four Fridays during the month (September 9,16, 23 and 30), we challenge all African Fabric Lovers to post Instagram photos of your favorite African fabric projects between 10:00am and 12 Noon EST, and be sure to include #AfricanFabricMonth!  All pictures posted with the hashtag will be entered into random drawings for Fabrigasmic fabric prizes provided weekly by Harlem Needle Arts and Cultured Expressions!

Share images of how you use African Fabric in your home décor.  Show off throw pillows, quilts, wall hangings, upholstery, draperies, shower curtains, table settings, etc. in textiles like Ankara prints, Bogolan/Mudcloth, Batiks, Brocade, Adire (tie and dye), Aso-oke, Adinkra cloth, Kuba, and Kente.  Take pics of your existing decor, or create something new just for the Challenge.(Shown above is a daskihi-print-as-tablecloth, and for a little extra credit, a kuba cloth on the upper-right wall. Below, Glen’s  piano bench, which I quickly reupholstered in classic black/cream bogolan.)

Of course, you can hashtag your creations throughout September – then just re-post your favorites during the hours of the Challenge.   And be sure to follow @iamharlemneedlearts and @culturedexpressions on Instagram for great AFM inspiration all month long,and beyond!

Thanks to the illustrious Michelle Bishop of Harlem Needle Arts for co-sponsoring!  You might remember our interview with her in the 2nd issue of Fabrigasm magazine (Winter 2012)

Note: The Challenge is open to US residents only.  Participants may enter any or all of the four drawings, however, each participant can only win once….Good Luck to all  ; )

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