Description
Join Carolyn Hazel Drake and Sylvia Eden for a one-day workshop to encounter the spirit of stitchwork and explore the quiet magic this handcraft can offer. Together we will create a small, functional, beautiful object: a hand-sewn pouch to hold a personal selection of dried herbs and flowers. Working from a kit with naturally dyed fabrics and threads in a botanical palette, you’ll learn simple stitching techniques to assemble and finish your piece.
From a range of carefully curated and preserved plants—including mugwort, St. John’s wort, yarrow, and calendula—you will choose the herbs that resonate most with your own needs and intentions. As we stitch, we’ll notice how ritual takes shape through the rhythm of handwork and the presence of the plants.
We will close with a shared ritual, charging our pouches with energy and intention drawn from the abundance of the summer season and the confluence of the Salmon River and the Pacific Ocean.
This workshop is open to all skill levels and offers a way to bring together handcraft, plant wisdom, and seasonal energy in a lasting personal form.
About the Instructor
Her work is rooted in the craft practices of textiles and ceramics, and was shaped from an early age working behind the counter at her mother’s quilt store. She studied English Literature & Architecture at Portland State University’s Honors College and spent a term as a curatorial research & writing intern for the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She has an M.Ed. in Art Education and spent a decade as a high school art teacher before moving into K-12 arts administration in Oregon school districts. She served on the Portland Art Museum’s Teacher Advisory Council for 7 years, and has been awarded several residencies and grants, including the GLEAN residency, the Sitka Center for Art & Ecology residency, a residency in the archives at Arcosanti, and the ‘Os Icelandic Textile Center residency. In 2024 she was awarded a Center for Craft Teaching Artist Cohort Grant. Her work has been shown across the Pacific Northwest. In 2022, Drake joined the faculty at Arizona State University as an assistant teaching professor for art education in the School of Art.
Sylvia Eden is a writer, illustrator, and ritualist based in the Pacific Northwest. With her husband Tristan, she owns and operates Leodrune Press, a small occult publishing house which explores the connections between mysticism, handcrafting & ecology. When not engaged in art and writing, she spends her time either exploring the woods or stitching at home.
Learn More
carolynhazeldrake.com
Materials List
You will need to bring:
Sketchbook / notepad and favorite writing implement
Scissors or snips
Provided by instructors:
Materials kit includes:
Naturally dyed fabric pieces (cotton or linen, precut for pouch construction, in a range of botanical hues)
Embroidery floss
Chenille needle
Pins
Drawstring cord (for pouch closure)
Selection of dried herbs and flowers
Instruction booklet with simple stitch diagrams and pouch assembly steps