Embedded Gardens: Plant-Dyed Embellishments for a Coptic Stitch Journal

Students in this workshop will build a vessel for creative practice by embedding their book art with hand-stitched panels of plant-dyed fabrics and threads. The traditional coptic stitch journal becomes the canvas, with covers stitched with messages and decorative elements from threads dyed during the workshop. Students will cultivate a daily creative habit by working in a small journal, using paste paper painting with natural pigments and bundle dyeing paper with plant-derived color to saturate their books with vibrant originality. The class will cover basic embroidery stitches to embellish the papers, and discussions will focus on the ethical use of artist materials to reduce reliance on acrylics in the studio. Students can expect to engage with daily writing, poetry, drawing, and mindfulness practices, creating a studio atmosphere ripe with experimentation. Students will leave the workshop with a collection of colorful book forms and new techniques for working into those books.