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Make & Mend

Saturday, April 6 and May 4, 2024
10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Avenir Classroom

Are your favorite jeans ripped? Do you have holes in your socks? Want to learn how to sew on a button or just need a larger space for a sewing project? Drop in to our monthly ‘Make & Mend’ events. All textile project types are welcome- we will do what we can to help. (Please note that this is not an alteration service, we want to help you learn to maintain and create your own clothes!)

sketched sewing machine, sewing needles with thread, and a pin cushion with `Make & Mend` written below

Message in a Pocket: Dating out Textile Artifacts

Thursday, March 21, 2024
5:30 p.m.
Avenir Classroom

Dating textile artifacts poses a unique set of challenges. Garments are rarely dated, so other clues have to be relied upon to accurately assess the age of these objects. Ben Jenkins and Aaron Klass of the Merchant Tailor Museum discuss the resources that they depend on to assign dates to the historical garments in their collection of menswear from 1845-65, offering deductive strategies and areas of inquiry to narrow the ages of artifacts in their collection to within ten years.

a red background with five men in suits and tophats with the letters M J in the background

Purple Turtle Tie Dye

Wednesday, April 10, 2024
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Lory Student Center Plaza

Try your hand at tie-dye with the instruction of Purple Turtle Tie Dye, a local artist whose work can be found at farmers’ markets around Fort Collins.

Purple Turtle Tie Dyes with an image of a purple turtle and a woman wearing a tie dye caftan in red and white and a purple hat

Tie Dye Show and Tell

Thursday, April 18, 2024
5:30 p.m.
Avenir Classroom

Bring or wear your favorite piece of tie-dye to show and share the story of the piece.

Wear and Share your favorite Tie Dye with a background of varied tie dye t-shirts

Ikat with Kristen Bukowski

Thursday, May 16, 2024
5:30 p.m.
Avenir Classroom

Learn about the process of Ikat, dying yarns prior to weaving them into fabric, from CSU instructor Kristen Bukowski.

an ikat woven textile with an image of a woman in front of looms in the upper right corner

Garden Tie Dye

June Date and Time TBD

Avenir Classroom

Make your own Tie Dye with inspiration from the colorful Trial Gardens. We will have all the supplies you need to try out different resist dying techniques.

a large blue and white tie dye circular print with yellow `DIY Tie Dye` written in the center

Upcoming Events

Past Programs, Museum Hours and Contact Info

8 guests at an Avenir event share their historical pieces with sentimental value