Weave Something New
Upcoming workshops
Instructor: Nelly Agassi
Format: In Person, 4-day workshop intensive
Date(s): August 10-13, 2026
Day/Time: Mon, T,ues, Wed, Thurs, from 10 am - 2 pm
Soft Matter is a four-day fiber art workshop designed for adults of all experience levels, from beginners to advanced practitioners.
Throughout the workshop, participants will explore foundational fiber techniques such as finger knitting, needle knitting, Sashiko stitching, fabric collage, shibori dyeing, and various fabric manipulation methods. The focus will be on examining the emotional and material connections involved in creating soft sculptures.
Using gathered secondhand clothing and fabrics, participants will engage in a self-portrait project that investigates material memory. This work will draw inspiration from art history, personal narratives, and experimentation with the materials and techniques learned during the workshop.
We will also look at the works of artists such as Sheila Hicks, Nick Cave, Gabi Abrão, Louise Bourgeois, Do Ho Suh, Ghada Amer, and Faith Ringgold, among others.
What to Bring: · Scissors and sewing pins, needles and thread (various colors), fabric and soft material scraps, any yarns you are drawn to, garments to donate for the Objects exercise, images, or materials with personal resonance, and a sketchbook or journal
What is provided: · Knitting needles and a selection of yarn, Natural dye supplies (tea, turmeric, paprika), Embroidery hoops, thread, Stuffing, batting, and base fabrics.
Instructor: Dee Clements
Format: 4-day Intensive Workshop
Date(s): August 14, 15, 16, 17, 2026
Day/Time: Saturday + Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm
In this immersive 4-day intensive, we’ll combine a beginning to advanced dive deep into tactility, color, and creative exploration, transforming reed into dynamic sculptural forms. Through guided demonstrations and hands-on experimentation, you’ll learn foundational and experimental 3D weaving techniques to build basketry forms, vessels, and structures that feel both grounded in tradition and uniquely your own.
Color will become part of the process, too! Together, we’ll dye reed in group dye baths to create unexpected patterns, depth, and variation. You’ll leave not only with finished work, but with a deeper understanding of how material and color can speak to one another.
We’ll study both historical and contemporary sculptural basketry to spark ideas about form, tension, and structure. The workshop begins with a focused sample project to introduce skills and build confidence, then opens into the creation of small-scale sculptural pieces, with the option to work with molds and formers or freehand, using a range of bases and construction approaches. You’ll be supported in experimenting, taking risks, and following your own aesthetic instincts.
This workshop centers on 3D weaving as a sculptural language, exploring pattern, architecture, and expressive form. It’s perfect for artists looking to incorporate basketry into their practice, as well as curious beginners ready to discover a new material world. Come with bold ideas, a playful spirit, and a willingness to experiment. Prior experience is helpful but not necessary to attend this class.
Each participant will receive 2.5 lbs of reed to use during class and take home, along with access to shared tools, including scissors, spoke weights, and packing tools. You’ll participate in two communal dye baths and receive a resource booklet filled with techniques, references, and supplier information so you can continue weaving long after the workshop ends.
*All materials will be provided; however, please feel free to bring materials you are excited to work with if you want to.
*Dates: August 14, 15, 16, 17, 2026, 10:00 am - 4 pm each day with a break for lunch.
*Tuition: $720 per student. This tuition covers materials, supplies, and a packet on techniques and history.
Cancellation and Refund Policy:
Please carefully consider your investment and participation in this class. If you cancel 30 or more days before the workshop's start, a full refund minus a $25 processing fee is available. If you cancel fewer than 30 days before the workshop's start, your entire course fee will be forfeited. Please see the FAQ page for more details on our policies.
*Artwork image: The Body is a Piece of Land, by Dee Clements, 2025, and Mummy Bundle, by Lillian Elliott, 1986.
Give the gift of learning!
With the purchase of this gift certificate, it is valid for any future workshop and can be applied at checkout when registering for a workshop. A downloadable gift certificate will be available at the time of purchase.
This gift certificate is valid for 1 year from the date of purchase.
For any assistance during checkout with your gift certificate, please email hello@theweavingworkshopschool.com.
Instructor: Dee Clements
Format: In Person, 3 hours
Date(s): July 28, 2026
Day/Time: Tuesday, 11 am to 2 pm
In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore weaving as a painting process by transforming painted paper into a woven surface. Using acrylic paint, students will first create expressive painted sheets that function as both a color palette and a raw material. Once dry, these painted papers will be cut into strips and woven together to create a flat paper “painting,” where color, pattern, and composition emerge through interlacement.
This workshop introduces weaving as both a structural technique and a conceptual tool for image-making. Participants will experiment with color relationships, repetition, and rhythm while learning plain weave and twill weaving structures. The resulting works sit between painting, collage, and textile.
We’ll look at contemporary artists such as Miguel Arzabe, whose vibrant woven painting works explore fragmentation and cultural memory, and Dienke Dekker, who investigates textile structures using unconventional materials such as paper and tape. By weaving painted paper, participants will experience how image and structure interact to create new visual possibilities.
No previous experience is required. This workshop is open to beginners as well as to artists interested in experimenting with materials and processes.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Understand basic weaving structure
Transform painted surfaces into woven compositions
Explore color interaction, rhythm, and pattern through weaving
Develop an awareness of weaving as both image and structure
Gain familiarity with contemporary artists who integrate weaving into visual art practices
Produce a finished woven paper artwork
Provided materials include:
Watercolor paper
Acrylic paints
Scissors
Tape for securing edges
Participants should bring
Ruler
paint brushes
Optional: Participants may bring additional papers if desired, such as decorative paper, printed paper, a photo, or magazines
Optional: cutting mat if you are using an X-Acto knife
Optional: x-acto knife
Any water-based paints you want to work with that are not in the provided list. We recommend gouache, watercolor, or acrylic paints.
ARTWORK IMAGE CREDITS:
Top: Miguel Arzabe, Golden (Yellow), 2024, Woven acrylic on canvas, 20 ×16, via Johanssen Projects
Bottom: Dienke Dekker, Intersect: paper, gouache, acrylic, acrylic marker, ball pen.
Art, Friends, Making
Discover joy in making at The Weaving Workshop, Chicago’s artist-run school for basket weaving. Founded by artist and educator Dee Clements, The Weaving Workshop offers hands-on workshops that blend tradition, creativity, and community for all skill levels. Join us to learn, create, and connect.
