Activities -Lessons
The artist offers Tapestry Weaving and Natural Dyeing Workshops which take place in Athens as well as other parts of Greece, where the lessons are combined with walking in nature, collecting plants for dyeing, cooking Greek food and accommodation in beautiful natural environments.
Both advanced and beginner students can follow it. After a brief introduction to the materials that we will be using (frame-loom, yarn etc), we will advance to the main techniques of weaving. Each participant will use an individual frame-loom, creating simple tapestries which can be taken home at the end. The teaching approach will follow the traditional art, but will also be in accordance to modern trends.
Our Location
Axladitsa Avatakia, South Pelion- Promiri
Please contact, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested to receive more information.
Weaving and Natural Dyeing
Hosts: Stathis Katsarelli and Maria Scordialos
We invite you to learn tapestry weaving & natural dyeing with Stathis Katsarelis, a Greek artist who has exchanged synthetic brushes for naturally dyed fibres to create tapestries and multimedia paintings. Stathis’ art is inspired by living traditions in contemporary ways. Since 1981 he has been working and exploring the art of tapestry. He creates his pieces on vertical looms, with perseverance, dedication and hard work, and continuously learns and renews the secrets of this art, combining different techniques.
The intention of our tapestry weaving and natural dyeing workshop is to introduce or deepen into this art form in beautiful natural surroundings which both inspire and relax. The workshop is offered in two parts that can either be followed per section or in its entirety. The first three days focus on tapestry weaving and the following two days offer the foundations of natural dyeing. Advanced or beginners can participate as the workshop is tailored to individual needs.
The Tapestry Weaving section include:
- An introduction to the history of tapestry weaving
- Working with small individual frame-looms (these can be purchased for €40 each)
- Placing the warp in the frame-loom
- Different weaving techniques as well as basics on designing geometrical shapes, etc.
- Acquiring experience in the use of different materials, warps and wefts
- Taking home a small tapestry created during the workshop
- Collective and individual tuition so that the learning is tailored to specific needs.
The Natural Dyeing part covers:
- History of the art of dyeing
- Plants and the specific parts that can be used for dyeing, as well as the ways to collect and preserve them
- Preparation of the dyeing materials from the plants
- The procedure of dyeing the fibres with natural dyes (i.e. cleaning the yarn, using mordant, dyeing, washing, testing the dyes on the yarn
- Dyeing in different colours (yellows, reds, blues, greens). The participants can take away samples from the dyed fibres.
We will work in a rhythm where the mornings will be in a collective learning space and the afternoon will be open. We will enjoy home-cooked and locally sourced Greek food, beautiful natural surroundings and good conversations. We will weave our individual lives over the five days and create a collectively woven experience.
