A Case Study in Buttons 1F25
This workshop will take place in both the wood and sewing studios! All parts of the workshop will be beginner friendly and this is a perfect way for woodworkers to try their hand at sewing and sewers to try their hand at woodworking! In the woodshop, we will be making buttons and then we will use these buttons to make a pillowcase in the sewing studio! Students will begin in the woodshop, from 10:00 AM-1:00 PM, and spend the first half of the workshop drilling button holes with the drill press in thin wooden boards. Next, they will use palm gouges, coping saws, rasps, and carving knives to form their three buttons to any shape they desire. Finally, students will sand and finish their buttons to make them ready for sewing! For the last portion of the workshop, from 2:00 PM- 5:00 PM, students will move to the sewing studio to sew their pillowcases. A pattern and pillows will be provided, and students will cut and sew their pattern pieces together; finally sewing on the buttons they made to complete the project!
Woodworking skills: Students will learn to use the drill press, palm gouges, carving knives, rasps, and vices. Additionally, they will learn how to sand and finish their three buttons. Textile skills : -Simple pattern drafting/measuring skills -Sewing straight and curved lines on a sewing machine -Hand stitching buttons on -Using a sewing machine to sew buttonholes.
*This class does not have a make up date.
Isaac Gewirth
Isaac Gewirth is a Boston-based designer and craftsperson. They earned their BA and BFA through the combined program between Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, where they studied material culture and studio art. Isaac has a passion for understanding how things are made, loves spending time in the woodshop, working with their hands, and experimenting with different methods and processes of making. Isaac’s practice seeks to reconcile their identities as a woodworker and designer with their political commitments, examining themes of status, taste, quality, and ethical consumption. In the classroom, they emphasize process over product, fostering a collaborative, lighthearted environment—filled with music, lively conversation, and plenty of curiosity.
Amanda Lipari Maxson
Amanda Lipari Maxson is a graduate of the SMFA and Tufts University dual degree program, studying environmental science and studio art. She now works as a fabricator for a small softgoods company based out of Somerville. She has worked in many different mediums throughout the years, including sewing, ceramics, jewelry, drawing, painting, book arts, and printmaking. Historically drawn to animals as a source of inspiration, she also loves to work within craft principles, and create functional art pieces. She has been drawn to craft for its implicit use-value, and more approachable nature. Adjacent to her studio art practice, she has always occupied her time with biking, climbing, knitting, sewing, and modifying existing garments!
All materials included in tuition.