Wild Abandon: Collage/Layer/Abstract

New workshop debuting 2024!

5 days, all levels

Take your work to unknown places!

Sue will guide you through building abstract quilt surfaces with layers of collaged fabric and paint. The aim is to put aside your perfectionist inner critic and freely compose with intuition (and abandon). Sue will provide you with just enough structure to give you room to improvise.

Working with recycled, unusual, non-precious (and some precious) materials, expect to make a series of several experimental works and start a larger individual work later in the week. You will collage, stitch, glue, fuse, and paint your way to discovery.
Instagram: #suebennerworkshops

For dates: Workshops Schedule

5 days, all levels

Monoprinting with textile paints can dramatically change the surface of your work, pushing your ideas into new creative territory.  Using her fusible collage methods, Benner will demonstrate how to paint and print at different levels of construction, from manipulating a single piece of fabric to the entire surface of the quilt.  Through experimentation with opaque and metallic paints, each participant will have the opportunity to create two works: one abstract and open-ended, the other more realistic and image-based.  
Instagram: #monoprintthequilt #suebennerworkshops

For dates: Workshops Schedule

5 days, intermediate to advanced

The exploration of abstraction, both objective and non-objective, in the art quilt medium is the theme of this workshop. Benner presents several methods for developing abstract imagery and encourages students to more deeply explore their own personal interests, style and process. Through exercises, slide shows and individual discussions, each student creates a series of works based on source materials brought to class for inspiration.  Instruction on using fusible collage as the construction technique is presented, but these concepts adapt to other techniques as well. This is a great class for pushing your personal work.  
Instagram: #suebennerworkshops

For dates: Workshops Schedule

SEWING THE LAND: fused, collaged and quilted landscapes

©Sue Benner

5 days, intermediate to advanced

Benner began making landscape images from raw edges, selvedges, and other odds and ends from scrap bags. From there she went on to add other techniques and develop a body of work inspired by wetlands in her childhood-home state, Wisconsin. 

In this workshop each participant creates one or two landscape quilts along with several small studies. The class studies different approaches to representing landscape, including those of other artists in a variety of media. Benner then shows students how to look at a landscape, analyze it and translate it to fabric using a variety of fused construction methods. She also covers fusible basics, working with non-traditional fabrics, quilting and binding the fused quilt. Previous students report that this workshop transforms the way they see the land.  
Instagram: #sewingtheland #suebennerworkshops

For dates: Workshops Schedule

5 days, all levels

Beautiful flowers, concentric patterns, symmetry, block design, use of exotic fabrics and lots of fun are all included in this class. Learn Benner’s layered technique for cutting, assembling and arranging flowers as done in her extensive Flower Series art quilts. This class gives the opportunity to use gorgeous fabrics and expansive color. This exciting construction method is applicable to other designs as well. Create a study quilt, then move on to a larger, more involved work with surprising complexity.
Instagram: #suebennerworkshops 

For dates: Workshops Schedule