Get a hands-on introduction to basic upholstery as you explore the tricks to re-covering the seat of an old dinning chair and learn to create a new seat structure with webbing. Plus, you’ll leave with your own handmade webbing stretcher. With all this knowledge, you won’t be able to stop re-envisioning and reupholstering where you sit when you get home! All materials provided.

Learn how to print on fabric using all natural, eco-friendly dyes you can make right in your kitchen! You’ll explore simple techniques to print new designs and patterns transforming old linens into handmade masterpieces. This a great class for kids + adults!

*Class fee includes registration for both 1 adult and 1 child

Registration
Click here to download a registration form:
http://www.scosag.org/classes/FORM-Reg_ClassWorkshop.doc

Fill out the form and return it with payment to SCOSAG via e-mail at scosag@gmail.com or snail mail at 4255 Arsenal Street St. Louis, MO 63116.

We’ve been settling into our new shop for just about three weeks now, and I thought it was high time I post an update about what’s going on in here! Interestingly enough, this post coincidences with the installation of our internet and telephone. (Feel free to give us a ring at 314-832-2288. We love hearing our donated vintage pink phone rattle! )

Down at 7413-15 S. Broadway, we are creating a small retail store, a workshop/studio, and storage for all our alley finds! Instead of giving you the layout of the whole place, I thought I would highlight some of the details I’m most excited about.

The first of which is German bells. Yes. German bells. If you don’t know what they are, they are a beautiful paper form that Ms. Samantha Lang (Perennial’s volunteer architect extraordinaire) learned to make in elementary school and still remembers how to fold. We want to drop the ceiling over our retail space, and decided to create an ocean of German bells folded from old maps to hang above our heads. Look out for a bell folding party later in February where you can help create this gorgeous ceiling.

Our space has four big windows, out of which we get to see folks walking, cyclist pedaling, trains rolling, and if you stand on your tip-toes the Mississippi flowing. It’s great! We also need a little bit of privacy though. So, we have been experimenting with paper grocery bags as a material for blinds! I’m loving how our test blind turned out. A few alterations, and we’ll be on to the big windows in no time. I’ll make sure to post a how-to for these blinds as we work on the next window!

The last thing that has me super excited about our shop is color and pattern. For the shop, we decided to build out our storage and work areas with all salvaged furniture. While this is an exciting challenge, we were a little worried the space might look like the alley threw up in it. Color to the rescue! Looking around at the items we already had we saw lots of sage green, aqua, and turquoise already here, and thought keeping the colors in our shop in the light green-blue spectrum would be beautiful. It also nicely complements  the warm colors of all the wood in our space.

We have also been on the search for  furniture items we are using in the build-out of our shop. I’ve traveled down alleys to find tables, to houses in West County to pick up dressers and armories, and old buildings in South City to salvage kitchen cabinets. Our materials are coming along, but we still need a few more things (pictured below: bookshelves, workbenches, and wood ladders, which don’t need to function). If you’ve got any of this stuff, we would love to repurpose it in our shop, so don’t hesitate to email me at jenny@perennialstl.org  for a pick up.

I’ll be giving little ‘Shop Updates’ here in our notebook, so check back to see the progress… painting this weekend (ladder + projector? Check! Thanks for loaning ‘em Mike + Michael.)

Space!
Jenny

Perennial launches reMAKE Thursdays, a series of meet and greets over the craft table. Each reMAKE Thursdays is a 2-hour event presented by Perennial and hosted by a local business around the St. Louis region. Meet us at Urban Eats Café on February 9^th from 6pm-8pm for our first reMAKE event! Grab some of your friends to catch up, enjoy local munchies and make small upcycled craft projects.

This month Perennial will show you how to create a water bottle (or wine bottle!) holder for your bicycle, custom stationary, and plant markers for your garden all from salvaged materials. After our demo, you can grab n’ go from our supply buffet to start crafting up a storm! Mix and mingle with old friends and meet a few new ones to boot! ReMAKE Thursdays are casual events to start your weekend early and unwind from the busy workweek.

This event is free and open to the public with a $5 suggested donation to support Perennial. Let us know you and your friends are joining us by e-mailing classes@perennialstl.org by Monday, February 6^th, 2012.

February’s Featured Projects:

1. Handmade stationary (Valentine’s!) – from wine cork stamps
2. Bicycle water bottle holder  – from old belts
3. Garden markers – from salvaged terra cotta

Perennial has a whole new kind of happy hour coming your way in 2012! ReMAKE Thursdays is a 2 hour event series every other month to meet and make over the craft table. Grab a few friends to catch up, enjoy local munchies and make a small upcycled craft project. Perennial will demo two to three small projects using salvaged materials and then grab n’ go from our supply buffet to start crafting up a storm! Mix and mingle with old friends and meet a few new ones to boot! ReMAKE Thursdays are casual events to start your weekend early and unwind from the busy workweek. Each event Perennial will present awesome, unique project ideas and will be hosted by a different local business around the St. Louis region.

Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks about our first ReMAKE Thursdays event in February!

A handmade pillow with a removable cover for easy washing and de-hairing!

You can write on me! I have a holder for the marker attached to me, of course.

You can write on me! I have a holder for the marker attached to me, of course.