Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 November 2021, 2-5pm GMT

Online workshop, hosted on Zoom by Lesli Robertson

Lesli Robertson is a textile consultant who works at the intersection of cultural arts and contemporary design practice. Her textile studio Mekeka Designs works with expert artisans in Uganda to create beautiful loom-woven and plaited textiles from indigenous fibres including lubugo, Ugandan barkcloth. You can find out more on her here.

Lesli taught textiles courses for over a dozen years at the University of North Texas where she helped launch the UNT Natural Dye Garden and built local and international community-based projects. She has recently worked as a textile consultant on programs supported by USAID, the Smithsonian Institution, and Fulbright Specialist program, taking her to countries as diverse as Armenia, Uganda, and Ghana. She specializes in woven and off-loom textile design and construction, working with companies and studios to bridge the gap between project conception and finished textile-based work.

Outline of the Workshop
In this workshop, you will be working with natural and clay-dyed barkcloth sourced from ninth-generation barkcloth makers at the Bukomansimbi Organic Tree Farmers Association in Uganda.

You will learn all about the material while virtually travelling with Lesli through videos and images of her journeys to Uganda over the course of a dozen years. By exploring her archives of information, you will see barkcloth being pounded into supple cloth, “meet” contemporary designers and learn about its use in culture, from coronations to funerals. *If all goes well, we will be meeting the barkcloth makers via Facebook LIVE!

Lesli will also lead you through several creative projects to explore the potential of this material in design, including print, stitch, and deconstruction techniques. We will begin with meditative approaches to making with this cloth from nature, then dive into very tactile explorations of the surface, and finally learn techniques to cut and layer the materials to create dimensional surfaces.

At the end of this workshop, you will have several small, beautiful works that can adorn your home and remind you of our connection to nature.

This workshop is suitable for any and all levels.

Materials (not provided)

• Sharpie
• Conte crayon/vine charcoal/crayon
• Scissors
• Parchment paper or tracing paper (in a pinch, use notebook paper or anything thin)
• X-acto knife
• Embroidery needle
• Embroidery floss
• Acrylic paint
• Sponge
• Card stock or manila folder
• Paintbrushes
• Cardboard scrap

Materials sent to you
3 pieces of barkcloth in ~20 cm x 20 cm size

Workshop Cancellation Policy
All places reserved on workshops are non-refundable, however, if you let us know you are not able to make a workshop you have booked at least two weeks prior to the event, we will offer a credit note.

If you require additional information about this workshop please contact Catherine Harris, events@selvedge.org.