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Spring Arrives at Erindale Tapestry Studio!

Lambing season on the farm starts next week, baby plants are sprouting, and an exciting array of classes and projects have filled the calendar coming up. Explore these and so much more in this newsletter from my studio.

I am Laura Berlage, an interdisciplinary artist with a passion for liberating the creative soul. I am dedicated to creative resilience during these trying times--join me in this initiative!

Today wrapped up North House Folk School's virtual Instructor's Retreat--a two-week adventure in sharing our stories, discussing ideas, dreaming big, and thinking about what craft means to society and how, as instructors, we bring that tradition forward. Having fully pivoted to offering my classes online, I was eager to engage with conversations about building community and inclusive class cultures on digital platforms. Bringing my experience with hosting more than 70 classes on Zoom since last June meant that many of the instructors had questions for me as well, hoping to improve their own process or gain confidence for launching into teaching online. So many of you have offered feedback about how grateful you are to have online class options, so we can stay connected and creative during the pandemic. I'm honored to be able to connect and create with you as well!

Springtime on the farm showcased by fresh, crunchy radishes

Invitation to Experiencing More of the Farm through our CSA Program

In all of my classes, I'm storytelling about our farm (especially our sheep), and I wish that I could give each one of you a personal walkabout, but in lieu of this I have the delightful opportunity to invite you to bring more of the experience of our sustainably-minded farm home this summer. We make twice-monthly delivery runs on 1st and 3rd Wednesdays to Minnesota (Marine on St. Croix, Stillwater, White Bear Lake, Minneapolis, Rochester, Wacouta, and more) and on 2nd and 4th Thursdays in Wisconsin (Minong, Spooner, Cumberland, Barron, Menomonie, Eau Claire, Rice Lake, and more).

From classic share options to more flexible programs, I invite you to check out our recently released Summer Season CSA Shares. Deliveries start in May! We'd love to bring you the best of fresh harvests and delicious offerings from our farm. Learn more via the link below.

Our Farm's CSA programs

I'm also happy to pack your fiber orders for these delivery routes too! In the checkout section on our farm's website, just note which delivery route you'd like to pick up on and which town would be the best pickup point. You can also reach out if you have questions about this option. Save on shipping? Always a plus!

Intermediate level Fjord horse is just one of the new exciting classes on the horizon.

Upcoming Classes

Delightful classes for all levels and a variety of mediums abound on the schedule! Find the full scoop below. Click on the title of the school to find more details and register. All classes are held via Zoom.

North House Folk School

Sats. May 8 and 15, Crochet a Lightweight Wrap
Fri, June 11, Needle Felt a Hummingbird
Fri, July 9, Needle Felt a Chickadee
Fri, Aug 6, Painting with Wool Dala Horse

Vesterheim Folk Arts School (registration opens May 6 at noon, classes fill very fast)

Thurs Aug 26 through Sept 30, Introduction to Tapestry Weaving
Fris. Sept 10 and 17, Intermediate Level Needle Felt a Fjord Horse

American Swedish Institute

Sun, May 16, Painting with Wool Folk Heart
Sun, June 6, Painting with Wool Dala Horse
Sun, July 18, Needle Felt a Loon
Sun, Aug 15, Needle Felt a Fox

Ely Folk School

Thurs, May 6, Needle Felt a Swan
Thurs, June 3, Needle Felt a Great Horned Owl
Fris. June 18 and 25, Intermediate Level Needle Felt a Fawn
Fris, Aug 20 and 27, Felted Crochet Rug (details coming soon)

Marine Mills Folk School

Sun, May 23, Needle Felt Miss Chicken
Sun, June 13, Needle Felt a Duckling
Sun, July 25, Needle Felt a Barn Owl

White Bear Center for the Arts (catalogue and online listings coming very soon!)

Sun, June 27, Needle Felt a Cardinal
Thurs., July 8 through Aug 12, Introduction to Tapestry Weaving
Sun, Aug 8, Painting with Wool Folk Heart

Textile Center

Thurs, May 6, Painting with Wool Dala Horse
Thurs, June 17, Needle Felt a Sheep
Fri, July 23, Needle Felt a Loon

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Fri, May 7, Needle Felt a Cardinal
Fri, June 4, Needle Felt a Loon
Fri, July 16, Needle Felt a Hummingbird
Fri, Aug 13, Needle Felt a Great Horned Owl

Land O' Lakes Arts

Mon, June 7, Needle Felt a Loon
Thurs, Aug 19, Needle Felt a Fox

Create, Quilt Fest

Thurs, June 10, Painting with Wool Flower Fantasy

Thunder Bay Weavers and Spinners Guild (for Canadian students, please email Frances Bennett-Sutton at fbennettsutton@gmail.com for American students contact me directly)

Sat May 15, Needle Felt a Loon
Sats. Sept 25 and Oct 2, Intermediate Level Needle Felt Mushroom House
On the horizon, Navajo-style tapestry weaving (details TBA, let me know if this would interest you)

I was recently interviewed by Diana of Quilt Fest on Zoom about my upcoming painting with wool class. I'll be sure to share a link to the interview as soon as it's live.

"Another amazingly helpful class taught by you! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge of design and color. I feel more confident in trying to design and coming up with a color scheme." ~L.C. design and color theory student

"Laura did an exceptional job engaging everyone. She was well prepared, with a planned sequence of techniques and was able to break things down into steps that build on each other. I could see easily what she was doing on her screen. It was wonderful fun to see pictures of their sheep as well." ~North House student

A beautiful punch needle rug hooked piece by a student, using the chickadee "Birds of the Northwoods" design I made. Are you interested in learning Oxford style punch needle rug hooking? I'm still dreaming up summer offerings with my intrepid crew of students! Let me know if you'd like to be included.

Submit an Image of Your Piece

Announcing New Project Designs and Kits!

In March and April, needle felted hummingbird and fawn were released, and this month watch for the painting with wool Inspired by Rosemaling (set to release very soon as a kit) as well as needle felted swan! Also, in honor of International Punch Needle Rug Hooking Day, I released four new designs in the Birds of the Northwoods theme--robin, eagle, heron, and blue jay. You can find these here. For full kits, explore the link below.

New Fiber Kits

Intermediate level fawn kit has been on folks' wish lists for over a year--and now it's here!

"This is a great little kit! The wool is beautiful. There is plenty of it (probably almost enough for two just incase you mess up and want to start again) and Laura’s videos are very easy to follow along. Will definitely be coming back to try another one." ~Vanessa, Etsy review

"This was SUCH a joy to make! I have been wanting to try needle felting specific to make a loon so this kit was absolutely perfect!!! The video tutorial is excellent and I love that the kit comes with everything needed. I made this loon pretty big and with the wool I have left, I think I can make 3-4 instead of just two!" ~Ophelia, Etsy review

Shearing season is here! At the end of March, we packed the van FULL of wool from our sheep to take to the mill. In the coming months, this will be transformed into beautiful yarns and roving for kits and classes to come!

Springtime on the Farm

Here comes spring lambing and garden season in full force! It's a time for tending--both the land and animals in our care and our friendships. I look forward to sharing springtime with you, whether through a virtual class, facilitating materials, or planning a new commission.

I hope that springtime brings for you joy, creativity, and meaningful connections.

Works-in-Progress Spotlight

As part of the virtual instructor's retreat, I attended a three-part tapestry workshop with Andrea Myklebust from Vermont. Even though I've been weaving tapestry for 24 years, I can always learn something new. In this small format weaving (7 inches wide), I'm exploring Norwegian billedvev, inspired by a piece in the Vesterheim collection. More on this adventure to come!

Visit Erindale Tapestry Studio Website

Thank you for reading this newsletter! I hope we may stay in contact to inspire creativity, expression, and learning. Please feel free to forward to anyone you feel may benefit from knowing about my studio and offerings. Best wishes to you on your creative journey~Laura Berlage, Erindale Tapestry Studio