Paper & Book Camp 2.0, Shake Rag Alley, April 2026

This multi-day workshop was held April 24th - 26th at beautiful Shake Rag Alley in Mineral Point, WI.  I take many classes there.  I'm also a volunteer at Shake Rag.  Karen Robison, our instructor (and a friend) is a wonderful teacher.  She is very knowledgeable and down-to-earth! 

Most workshop supplies were provided.  Students were invited to bring additional items from home if desired.  I brought lace, in addition to paper. Lots of lace!

We learned many interesting techniques!  Among them tea dyeing, cyanotype, layering, masking, and more!  Some students choose to bind their papers into books.  Karen showed several binding techniques. Other students are using their dyed/manipulated paper/fiber creations for collage projects.  

 

 

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto

Urban Sketching Retreat in Racine, WI

What fun it was!  Attending my first urban sketching retreat was a joy.  This retreat was held in late February/early March at Taylor Hall, part of the character-filled DeKoven Center complex in Racine. Fortunately the weather was exceptionally nice for winter travel.  Sponsored by the Racine Urban Sketchers group, the event was open to all enthusiasts of any ability.  I’m a newbie to urban sketching and I still have a lot to learn about it.  I was warmly welcomed and accepted.  The multi-day retreat fee included lodging, 3 classes, and most meals.  There were approx. 30 attendees, with a number of them from other states.  

I stopped at several businesses while enroute from Madison to Racine.  Schoolhouse Antiques, in Sturtevant was my first stop.  Found some buttons, buckles, and other curiosities there.  From there, I headed east, to Sew & Save in Racine.  I bought two pieces of Riley Blake calico. I’m making blouses out of each of those fabrics.  I’m embellishing the bubblegum pink blouse with vintage lace.

If you like to sew and you visit Racine, WI, you must stop at this store!  Friendly owner and staff!

Taylor Hall, part of the DeKoven Center complex.  Built in the late 1800's, this building housed retreat attendees.  Wonderful meals cooked onsite added to a festive atmosphere.

All of the sleeping rooms have names/labels.  My room was labeled "Abundance".

This room served as a classroom and meeting spot.

Several of the "throwdowns" during our retreat.  This is when everyone displays their sketches.  It's a fun, non-judgemental event!

Beautiful Lake Michigan is a short walk from Taylor Hall.

Pretty view on the DeKoven campus.

Meeting up with my friend, Denise Zingg was enjoyable.  Denise and I attended the same high school here in Madison.  I hadn't seen Denise in 50+ years,when I discovered she founded, and directs, the Spectrum School of the Arts in Racine.  Spectrum is on DeKoven Center property!

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto

Holiday Garb

Though it's now spring here in Wisconsin, I decided to belatedly post something about the blouse I made to wear to a holiday gathering last December.  

I/we were invited to a mid-December party, being held at a neighbor's home.  I needed something festive to wear and I wanted it to be something new!  So, I visited the nearby Joann Fabrics store.  It's less than two miles from my home.  Once in the store, I located a pattern I had seen featured on an internet site.  I then looked around the store for awhile, to choose fabrics I liked.  I wanted something for the main body, plus a few accent pieces.  I knew I'd be adding some embellishments from my own stash (I always do).

The pattern I chose is shown below.

These are the three fabrics I picked. 

I often gather up potential embellishment elements before I start a project.

I added some of these embellishments to my blouse.

Antique net lace was stitched to the yoke.

Other vintage laces and trims were used as well.

Sequins and beads!

Current sewing projects usually hang on the door to my sewing/art studio.  As you might notice, I initially added elastic to the waist, as shown in one view of the pattern.  I tried the blouse on and didn't like the look.  Out came the seam ripper and the elastic and casing disappeared.



Hot Fix crystals were applied atop the lace on the yoke. 



Ta da!  Ready for the party!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

This is an outfit I made about six years ago.  I was doing a trunk show presentation for a quilt guild.  With that gig scheduled for March 17th, I needed something appropriate to wear.  I love having an excuse to make new clothing.

I received an invite to a St. Pat’s party THIS year (2022) and I was good to go!  I had my outfit, and, a small collection of socks to choose from.  I accessorized with the socks and jewelry pictured in the last photo.  

P.S.  The party was fun!

"Vintage Denim Jacket with Boho Flair", May 2022

I invite you to join me in beautiful North Carolina in late spring of 2022.  I'll be teaching a weekend workshop at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC.  Workshop dates are May 27 - 29, 2022.  My workshop is titled "Vintage Denim Jacket with Boho Flair".  This workshop will be followed by my one-week class, "Brasstown Boho Skirt".

Sign up for my workshop and you'll gain numerous ideas for transforming your denim jacket from boring, to bedazzling!!  Shop your local thrift shop for an unlined, light to medium-weight denim jacket.  Prewash your denim jacket, then gather embellishment supplies, ie lace, beads, buttons, etc.  You will be sent a supply list at registration.  

The following photos are eye candy to get you excited about this easy-going, casual workshop!  Note: I use hand sewing most of the time to embellish my garments.  I hand wash or spot clean my embellished garments.

The denim garments shown below are crying out to be embellished!

 

 

I purchased the jacket shown below at a Maxwell St. Days sale here in Madison more than twenty years ago. It was just begging for some ornamentation.  I dug through my extensive collection of trims, lace and beads to create the Boho look I love!   More photos of this jacket follow.

 

 

 

The jacket shown below was also a sale find.  It is decorated with seed beads, bugle beads, a button, a patchwork square, and my favorite embroidery stitch, Raised Chain Band, around the patchwork square.

 

 

 

The next jacket shown is embellished in a more subdued fashion.  I applied vintage tatting, enhanced with seed beads, on the collar and cuffs. 

 

The next jacket shown was purchased at a local Goodwill store.  I love the aqua color.  I do not love the weightiness of the denim.  Lesson learned:  heavy denim does not lend itself to hand embellishment.  I trudged onward with this one, using vintage trims and pieces from my stash.  I used a vintage crocheted motif on the back of the jacket, adding seed beads of different sizes to the mix.  Vintage lace trims the collar.  I applied hand dyed contemporary rick rack to either side of the front zipper.  "Baby" rick rack was used along some of the seam lines.

 

 

The jacket shown below was featured in my blog post of March 15, 2021.  View that post to see details of how this jacket was embellished!

While not a denim jacket, the cotton/poly blend shirt below was brightened up with some Boro stitching.  I used Perle cotton (size) #8 for the stitching.

The following photos show some of the "ingredients" I like to use when decorating jackets or other garments.

 

 

All text and images ©️Suzanne Myers Otto