Returning and Reskilling - Kalamazoo Nature Center

Returning & Reskilling Series

Saturdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am

January 28: Soap Making 101 with Carli Thompson – AT CAPACITY
February 11: Visible Mending with Lori Evesque
February 25: topic to be announced February 1

See below for specific program details and to register:

Intentional or not, we are always forming and evolving our relationship with the land. As our world moves increasingly toward technological advancement and convenience driven invention, historical knowledge connected to living with landscape and place is lost. Communities and individuals no longer carry the skills to explore and navigate the wilderness or work with the natural places where we live to meet our daily needs and creative inspirations. This series aims to return land-based living skills to our community and reskilling a new generation to live with the land.

The DeLano Homestead will serve as our home base this winter for the Returning and Reskilling series. When it’s cold outside come warm up with a cup of coffee, tea or hot cocoa and expand your folk skill set in good company.

Fee: $10/Member, $15/Non-Member
Registration Deadline: Required by 4 p.m. the day before the program
Audience: Adults and Children 9 and up with adult family member

January 28: Soap Making 101

Ever wanted to make your own soap but didn’t know where to begin? Join us for this beginners’ workshop to prepare cold press and hot press soap. This will allow you to become familiar with both processes so you can choose which is best for you. Participants will go home with a bar of soap from each process for a side-by-side comparison of the product as well as the process.

January 28 Returning & Reskilling is at capacity

February 11: Visible Mending with Lori Evesque

Join local fiber artist Lori Evesque for an introduction to visible mending. In this session, you will learn about the different kinds of visible mending from darning to patching and more. You will make a denim patch that you will be able to use on your torn jeans, shirts, or jackets. The patch will incorporate several visible mending techniques giving you a quick but useful introduction to this skill.

Materials to bring: needles, pins, thimble, embroidery floss, small scraps of fabric, and sharp fabric scissors. Some denim scraps and other fabric scraps will be available. If you have a pair of jeans or other denim article of clothing in need of patching, bring it along and we’ll make your patch fit your clothes. Some scissors will be available. Lori’s a lefty and very protective of her left handed sewing scissors so if you have a pair, bring them along!

with fiber artist Lori Evesque

February 25

topic to come