Sweetland Retreat - Workshop & Event Calendar

Create an assortment of all natural body scrubs & bath salts- great for yourself or for gift-giving. You will leave the workshop with 3 finished 8oz containers of your own mixtures of body scrubs/salts (more containers may be purchased at the class). They will be made from a base of sugar or salt and feature your choice of ingredients including: pumpkin, coffee, almond & orange extracts, lemon balm, essential oils, and much more. All ages are welcome- make this a family event!

Instructor: Joy Ribisi, Manchester, ME

Joy M. Ribisi originally hails from Long Island, NY and now lives in Manchester, Maine where she's living out her dreams of running an artists' retreat in her 1860s farmhouse. Joy is co-owner of Sweetland Retreat.

Some of the plant ingredients used in this workshop were grown right here at Sweetland Retreat!

Beginner's Machine Sewing Workshop – the Basics
Saturday October 2, 10am-1pm

This is a basic beginner machine sewing class – no experience required. In this class you will become familiar with the basic operation of a sewing machine and learn tips and tricks for developing good sewing habits through hands on application.

You will learn:
-basic machine operation
-basic sewing principles
-different stitching techniques (through hands on practice)
-how to use a basic sewing pattern

By the end of the class you will have completed a table runner project!

Materials required: Straight stitch sewing machine in good working order, Operators manual, Surge protector extension cord, Sewing machine needles (bring a couple extras, just in case), Empty bobbins, Sewing pins, Seam ripper, Sharp sewing shears, 1 yard of 44/45” wide cotton fabric, 1 spool of matching or contrasting sewing thread. (Optional additional materials: Small sewing clippers or scissors, Fabric marking pencil or chalk.)

Open to ages 12 and up. Space is limited – register today!

$30, Includes Pattern

Instructor: Holly Stanger, Lisbon, ME
Holly Stanger is a fiber artist and designer and has been sewing since the age of 10. She currently enjoys amateur photography and exploring the sites of her home state of Maine whenever possible. As the owner of FloDo Designs, she teaches basic sewing to individuals and conducts project workshops on both sewing and embroidery machines. FloDo Designs currently offers Maine themed, embroidered baby and children’s items through flododesigns.etsy.com.

Register now!

You will learn the peyote stitch and how to use this in making free-form bracelets. You will also learn to make 2 different types of beaded clasps for your bracelet. No prior beading experience is necessary!

Students will need to bring the following:

*#8 Seed Beads and/or
*#11 Seed Beads (2-3 colors of all beads)
*Focal bead if desired such as lampwork, raku, or porcelain
*Fireline 6 pound test wire (prefered) or Nemo brand
*Beading needle size 10 or 12
*Variety of other beads, gems, pearls, crystals, etc... (4mm or smaller works best)
all supplies available at local bead stores

You will work towards completing a bracelet and will have written instructions to take home, as well.

Instructor: Dianne Culbertson-Jacques, Waterville, ME

Dianne began her career in the arts while living in Hawaii in 1985. She began with Sumi-e, also known as Chinese Brushstroke under the direction of Claudia Suen. She went on to study pastels, pen and ink, and fiber arts before finding a true affection for designing and creating beautiful gemstone beaded jewelry.

In her unique jewelry designs you will find high quality beads, a variety of gemstones and Pearls, Swarovski Crystals, silver and gold. She also incorporates original artisan created lampwork, Raku and Porcelain beads into some of her designs. She produces work from the whimsical to the conservative depending on her mood.

“The process is the important thing and if I just focus on that, the creative experience, and having fun, things tend to work out.”

Repurposed Shard and Polymer Pendant Workshop

You will learn how to turn an old pottery/china shard into a beautiful one-of-a-kind artistic pendant. The insturctor will bring in a selection of shards for you to choose from. Once we pick our shards, it's time to break out the Polymer Clay! You'll learn how to "frame" the shard with the clay. Frames can be kept simple, or you can embellish them with clay flowers, leaves and tendrils.

Once our pendants have been baked & cooled, I will show you how to paint the Polymer Clay frames with many layers of paints & glazes that will give your pendants an old-world weathered look. The creativity doesn't stop there! The instructor will provide a good selection of vintage images and text for you to create a mini-collage onto your pendant. We will finish off the entire pendant with Diamond Glaze, so it will be protected for years to come. We will have copper chains & clasps for you to swing your new pendant from! If you'd like, you can keep an eye out for Jess' upcoming class, "Creating Beaded and Wire Necklaces," as this would be another nice chain for you to hang your pendant from.

You will not only will learn many new techniques in this class, but can be assured that you will have a unique piece and that no two pendants will come out the same! You will also leave with typed instructions, materials list and a little gift pack of goodies to get you started at home!

All of the materials are included, unless you would like to bring your own pottery shard, images or text. We will be sharing bottles of Diamond Glaze, but if you'd like your own you can find it here. (please order the bottle with pointed tip) Materials included will be shards, Polymer Clay, Diamond Glaze, paint brushes, paint, glazes, glitter, vintage text and images, copper chain & clasp. You need only to bring your imaginations!

Instructor: Jessica Moreau-Berry, Whitefield, ME
Jessica Moreau-Berry has taught private classes in her home and writes how-to articles for "Belle Armoire Jewelry" Magazine and "A Jewelry Affaire" Magazine. You can also find her tutorials in the books, "Exhibition 36" by Susan Tuttle and "A Charming Exchange" By Ruth Rae and Kelly Snelling.

She is a self-taught mixed-media artist who has been creating with vintage throwbacks since her teens. She started making altered-jewelry & mixed-media art in 2004 and to this day still delights in the numerous ways jewelry and art can be constructed from flea-market treasures. She finds her muse quite often at home and in the natural surroundings Maine has to offer. When it comes to art and being creative, she follows her own natural rythms, needs and desires and simply creates what makes her happy at that moment. Visit her blog at www.junquerevival.blogspot.com