Rowdys corner

Got this cornered! a vintage sheet becomes wall paper. I got this seventies king sized sheet from the seventies new in the package at a Memphis thrift store....I love the contrasting greens!

porcelain hand building clay art class

Hi ...This class will be held on Saturday September 3 from 1-4 in the afternoon at the Rowdy Robilee Craft Company which is located at 182 River street in picturesque downtown Troy NY. In this class you will learn the basics to hand building with this very lovely and time honored clay. 

Porcelain is a type of ceramics highly valued for its beauty and strength. It is often called china, or chinaware, because it was first made in China. Porcelain is characterized by whiteness, a delicate appearance, and translucence (ability to let light through). Because it is the hardest ceramic product, porcelain is used for electrical insulators and laboratory equipment. However, porcelain is known primarily as a material for high-quality vases and tableware, as well as for figurines and other decorative objects. The type of porcelain that is used for such purposes produces a bell-like ring when struck. 

Porcelain differs from other types of ceramics in its ingredients and in the process by which it is produced. For centuries, the Chinese made the world's finest porcelain. By the 1100's, the secret of making porcelain had spread to Korea and to Japan in the 1500's. Workers in these countries also created beautiful porcelain objects. By the 1700's, porcelain manufactured in many parts of Europe was starting to compete with Chinese porcelain. France, Germany, Italy, and England became the major centers for European porcelain production. 

In our class we will explore the buttery softness of traditional English porcelain, by making objects with our hands. It will be up to as to what you would like to create, I will be here to talk you through it. This is a hands on class so please expect to get dirty! Your imagination is the limit though together we will work with positivity and support to bring your ideas to life.

This is a two part class. After your piece dries, I will fire it and then you can come back on September 24th for a creative approach to decorating your fired piece.
I believe in offering classes that expand and nurture your ideas and creativity. This is a positive and empowering environment. 
Please sign up in advance for your class because space is limited. It helps me to prepare and have the right amount of supplies on hand when I know who is coming. Plus you'll save a few dollars in the process...The class fee for this class is $80.00 when you sign up on ETSY and $100.00 for a day of the class arrival. You will get both classes, firing of your piece, all supplies, and refiring if you choose to glaze your piece for your $80.00.
Thanks for looking and I hope to see you there..call me or drop by with any questions
Thanks
Robilee

sewing 101 beginners class

Do you have a sewing machine that you have never used? Or is the last time that you sewed anything a home ec class in eighth grade? Are you looking for a low- commitment class to get machine know how or a foundation of knowledge so that you can start creating your own projects? 
In this three hour class I will help you learn the ins and outs of your own machine or you can learn on mine. Thread bobbins, learn the art of fabric blocking and the essential pressing. Simple seams and hemming along with threading your machine and making sure the tension and feed are right.
We will make a pillowcase, drawstring bag or tote bag, which ever you choose. By the end of the class you will have the skills that you need to create simple items for your self and home...who knows, maybe your sewing machine and you will become best buddies!
This class will be an easy and fun way to get your creative juices going. With some home practice, you will have acquired the skills that you need to be able to move on to more complex projects like clothes. 

Please bring a machine if you have one. There will be two machines available here, but it is better to learn on your own machine. Also bring at least a yard and a half of woven fabric. Do your self a favor and dont try to learn on slippery, thick, stretchy or knit fabrics. Also bring a spool of all purpose thread that matches your fabric and a standard medium weight needle for your machine. Thats it~! in three hours you'll be sewing! 
Class is Saturday August 29th from 1- 4 in the afternoon.
Please feel free to cal me with any questions at the shop. 182 River street in lovely downtown Troy NY the number is 518*274*1689

vintage jewelry up cycle

hi...this class will be held on Tuesday August 30 from 6-8 pm at the Rowdy Robilee Craft Company located at 182 River street in lovely downtown Troy NY. 
This class is all about basic jewelry skill building. We will remake an old and unworn piece of jewelry of yours into something current and wearable in your style. This class will offer a nurturing environment to get you from how to wow...We will disassemble your jewelry and learn the basics of reassembly. Jump rings, tiger wire, end fastenings and restringing. You will need no prior jewelry making experience. 
I offer a creative and supportive environment to help you expand your ideas and up-cycle an old and unworn object. I believe that you can do it, it just takes a little know how....who knows? Maybe you'll go on to be a famous jewelry designer!

Please sign up early for classes...It helps me prepare our supplies when I know how many are coming....plus you'll save ten bucks!

This class is $20.00 if you sign up now and $30.00 the day of the class.

Feel free to call me with any questions
518*274*1689
thanks alot
hope to see you there
Robilee

the classes are coming..the classes are coming!

I am posting my first classes here for you to see.  You should sign up early at http://www.etsy.com/shop/rowdyrobileecraftcom
The first class is on August 25th....Hi...This class will be held at 182 River street in downtown Troy NY on Tuesday August 25th from 6-8 pm. The idea here is to reinvent an old item of beloved clothing that has been hanging around because you just cant part with it. Making it into a stuffed creature is a fun idea, but pillows or something else is fun too. This class is more about seeing something old with a new eye. What could that sweater be??
A small group with synergistic thinking, this class experience will be a positive and nurturing environment geared toward enhancing your creativity and positivity. Minimal sewing skills are required, but an open mind is a must. 
Please bring the fabric item that you would like to re-make and some thread to match...I can offer accessories and the know how. 
Please feel free to call at 518*274*1689

The studio and I share a night...The kiddo is off with her father for the night and I get to work work work...It looks pretty at night! Especially when there are friends, beers and hula hoops!

Rowdy helps out...

new table gets to work

Another fantastic table from the Marshall Ray building clean up....and some dancing sticks are the first things brought to life on it....Rainy saturday afternoon and John comes by to stabalize the pedestals on the work table...
Ever since I was a little girl trees and sticks have looked like dancing people to me...the heads and attachments are paperclay...I dont "see" someone in just any stick...the stick usually jumps out at me. Trees are always reaching reaching for the sun and air...optimistic role models i think...Sometimes I wrap the sticks in vintage hankies...sometimes not...this batch is a natural batch...just some inks and mica powders, the essence of stick is not obscured at all....

Why the Rowdy Robilee craft co? I am robilee and this is Rowdy! My lovey bird friend...lovin life at the Studio!

floor me!

I spent four days on my elderly knees doing the floor. Why do I DO these things I wonder? Anyway halfway through my four year old says " Momma, the wood floor looks like wood" Ppfffbbblt. I laid down white...then beige..then the blue grey floor paint filled with two packages of Valspars Granite crystals...Sparkles like a sun of a gun! Then I took a woodgraining tool and made a wood grain pattern. Then I used a large antique rasp and scraped off the still wet blue that I had just handpainted. I like it.

I put up a swing....built to hold over 600 lbs!

the table

okok so I had the opportunity to get a lot of fantastic antique boards. The shops entire color scheme was based on the color of these actually... But they were shelves were in the basement of a local building....so that meant dismantling them, moving them and generally working like, well...workingREALLY hard...here they are in the big ugly van. Then I had to de-nail them, my friend John and I ripped them down on the table saw. The legs, wheels and printers trays were curtousy of Junkin' in The Marshall Ray building, which is in the process of being emptied out and turned into lofts....THAT was some seriousy dirty business...ugh
So I ( as always) use what i have. Just so happens that what I need usually shows up just in time. I call that surfin the junk superhighway...It took a LOT of work, 4.95 in screws, and here is the the 22 foot table that I will use for my class work table...