Got a sewing project you've started and now you're stuck? Need some inspiration to pick up that old project? This is the space for you. We have the privilege of hosting expert sewing volunteers available to lend a helping hand with all your sewing project questions.

Please join us every other Tuesday for our Drop In Sewing Meetup from 5 to 8pm. Suggested donation of $5 for access to the space, sewing supplies and volunteer's expert advice.

Please BYO sewing machine and notions if you are able. We have one Brother Sewing machine and one 4 Thread Serger available for use but the more machines the better. There is also a Brother NQ1700E embroidery machine, some notions, an ironing board and an iron available for use.

Tuesday June 11 we will be learning how to make a zipper pouch with Ann!

Tuesday June 25th is a drop in and is an opportunities for folks to get together with a project you are working on and to get help when you're stuck. It is welcome to more experienced sewers seeking some community while working on a project, or if you want to volunteer to contribute your well earned experience to guiding others. This is a community event, so we want to foster an environment of community support for fibre arts.

We are so pleased to announce our DIY Patches workshop in a two part series!

Part 1: Embroidery Machine with Jane Low Thursday April 25 from 5 to 8pm.

The first part of this workshop we will gather with Jane and learn how to use the embroidery machine for our patches. We will be using the Brother NQ1700E Embroidery Machine.

This is the machine we will be learning: https://www.brother.ca/en/p/NQ1700E

Participation will cost $5, payable by cash or card on site. We will learn how to thread the machine, how to set up our chosen designs from the machine, and how to use stabilizers with our materials to get the best results. Every participant will go home with an individual patch with either their monogram or a very simple design that is pre-programmed in the Embroidery Machine.

The purpose of this workshop is to learn the mechanics of the embroidery machine and to the fundamentals of how to make a patch. This is also an ideal workshop for anyone that missed our Embroidery machine look and learn demo in the fall.

Part 2: Custom Patches with InkStitch Software Lesson with Cameron Friday April 26th from 5-8pm.

Cameron will be teaching us how to use the Ink Stitch software which is free and downloadable via their website. This is the tool needed to make custom patches because the embroidery machine can only read .PES files.

https://inkstitch.org/docs/install/

"The light of the lamps illuminates the liminal space between silliness and reverence, community building and self exploration, and the differences that make us unique and the similarities that bring us together." - Lamplit Art Society

You've seen them around at local events and functions, these surreal and beautiful lamps decorating the oddest of spaces and sparking the silliest of conversations. Have you ever dreamed of becoming a Lamp Caretaker? Well this is your chance! We are so excited to partner with Lamplit Art Society to bring our community a full day intensive Lamp Workshop.

Saturday April 27th from 10am to 4pm we will be hosting a Lamp Conversion Workshop at the Community Art Hub located at 901 Kings St at the back of the Quadra Village Community Center.

*Registration, lamp approval, and battery pack required*

Making these beautiful lamps is more complicated than it may seem at first glance, so we must limit how many participants are able to join us to make sure we are able to complete our lamp projects from start to finish. Advanced registration is required, with a maximum capacity of 12 participants for our full day of lamp making. Participants also need to supply their own lamp and battery pack that meets the Lamp Requirements.

More information about the event registration and Lamp requirements is available via the Eventbrite link here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/865872908177?aff=oddtdtcreator

This event is for those of us who think we can't make good art. This is an expert free zone.

Come on down and join us for our eighth edition of our Thursday Bad Art Nights because making bad art is better than making no art.

Suggested donation of $5 per adult and $2 per kid (5-12yrs)

We will have paper craft stations set up for making cards or collages. We will have a polymer clay station set up and a convection oven on site to bake your clay pieces or you can take 'em and bake 'em at home. Lastly we will have a painting station set up with watercolours for play and experimentation

Experience the tactile joy of pottery as you embark on a journey to create one-of-a-kind pieces using your hands. Delve into the world of shaping clay, where your creativity knows no bounds.

This hands-on session promises a unique and fulfilling artistic adventure. We will be using air drying clay that doesn’t need a kiln. It takes 24 hours for the pottery to dry and can then be painted with acrylic paint at home or at the hub during our drop in hours.

We will be following the instructions of Mahboubeh who led a very successful workshop during our Spring Break programming. This activity is suitable for all ages.

$15 per person, with a maximum capacity of 10 people.

If you would like to pay in advance you can e-transfer to alterartssociety@gmail.com. Otherwise the workshop will be first come first serve with limited quantities of clay available.

Wear something you can get messy in and bring an apron if you are able!

Please join us Sunday April 7th for our Multimedia collage on canvas class with Selena from 1 to 4pm! This class will be creatively open and participants will use a variety of materials including driftwood, beads, sea glass you've collected at home, ribbon, paint, pens, embellishments, and any other fun trinkets we can find in the hub.

We will follow Selena's instruction to create a multimedia collage on canvas, using many of the same items as above with instruction on composition.

We will provide small canvases, acrylic paint, ribbon, old magazines, coloured/patterned paper, embellishments, paint brushes, containers for water, scissors, utility knives, and a straight edge. If you have any found treasures and arts materials you would like to add to the art piece, please bring it along!

We are asking for $20 per participant to attend the workshop and take home a unique multimedia art canvas. There is enough space for a maximum of 15 participants. If you would like to secure a spot in advance you can e-transfer us at alterartssociety@gmail.com. Otherwise payment can be processed at the door via cash, debit or credit transaction.

For information on accessibility of the space, parking, and child care resources; check out our website: https://www.alterarts.ca/accessibility

If you have any questions please email us at alterartssociety@gmail.com

We are hosting a Burner Brunch social on Saturday March 30th! Please join us anywhere between 10am to 1pm at 901 Kings St, entrance at the back of the building.

At the time of this event, Otherworld will be 9 weeks away! That means its time to get serious about making plans to building your art, getting your crew together to paint on our paint covered floor, to get info on how to make custom patches, to check out the 3D printer to make custom gizmo gifts, and more! We have the solutions to your artistic needs! Don't spend more money than you have to! Check out of communal resources at the Community Art Hub and start dreaming up how to use our art supplies and tools for your Burner Art Project.

Burner Brunch: We will be hosting a pancake bar (reg & gf) please bring a topping to add to the table! (syrup, whip cream, fruit, chocolate chips, etc)

If you are inclined please bring a breakfast potluck item to share, or some baked goods, or fresh fruit. Mimosas, anyone? We will supply tea and coffee and all the creamers. Kids welcome, there is a playground right outside. We will have some chill bangers going and some inappropriate coloring pages to play with, what more could you need?

Invite your friends, see you soon! )'(

Spring Break for School District 61 is coming up next week and we have a whole set of art activities planned!

The Community Art Hub is a communal art resource centre. We charge a suggested donation of $5 for adults and $2 for kids to access all of our art supplies and tools!

We are not a child minding facility and all kids 12 and under need to be accompanied by a parent/guardian/sibling that is 12 or older.

The Art Hub will be open for day time drop in from 10am to 3pm Monday to Friday from March 18th to March 28th.

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We will also be hosting the following activities every day:

1) Mon Mar 18 (1-3pm) : Intro to Leatherworking

2) Tues March 19th (10am to 12pm): Paper Bowl JellyFish

3) Wed March 20th (1-3pm): Pottery by Hand

4) Thurs March 21 (5-7pm) - Rainbow Fish Collage

5) Fri March 22 (10am to 12pm) - Paper Flowers with the Cricut

6) Mon Mar 25 (1-3pm) - Decoupage and Patina Techniques

7) Tues Mar 26 (1pm to 3pm): Learn to Make Mysterious Coast Salish Shapes

8 ) Wed Mar 27 (1pm to 3pm): Friendship Bracelets

9) Thurs Mar 28 (1pm to 3pm): Paint a Pic of your pet!

Its a leap year! What a fantastic in between kind of day to make some equally absurd and unique art.

This event is for those of us who think we can't make good art. This will be an expert free zone.

Come on down and join us for our sixth edition of our Thursday Bad Art Nights because making bad art is better than making no art.

Suggested donation of $5 per adult and $2 per kid (5-12yrs)

We will have paper craft stations set up for making cards or collages. We will have a polymer clay station set up and a convection oven on site to bake your clay pieces or you can take 'em and bake 'em at home. Lastly we will have a painting station set up with watercolours for play and experimentation.

Ever wanted to learn more about 3D Printer technology? Well then this is the demo for you!

Please join us on Friday February 23rd from 5 to 8pm for a Look and Learn demo where our instructor Cameron will show us how to use the digital software and how to set up the machine for projects. Entry is $15 and goes towards paying our instructor for their time and expertise, and goes towards the ongoing operation of our community art resource center.

The 3D printer takes a long time to print simple objects so this will be a learning opportunity so that patrons can come back to the art hub and create their art pieces during our drop in hours.

Bring a paper and a pen and we will sit together and listen as Cameron teaches us a beginner level intro course to 3D printing. We will be working on the Snapmaker Original 3D Printer. Cameron will explain how to change filament and send files, and give out a few pointers on where people can find premade files that are suitable for printing and really the basics of modeling your own stuff. If you are interested in the making your own models part, it would be best to bring a laptop or iPad to learn the software to come back to the Hub to use the printer during our drop in hours.

Love is such an important part of human existence, and it starts with the path to loving oneself.

The heart is one of the wisest organs. Your heart actually contains neurons, similar to those in your brain, and your heart and brain are closely connected, creating a symbiotic whole. Listening to your heart is an old saying but can bring you much happiness.

This exercise is about listening to and healing one's own heart.

Please join us on Saturday February 10th from 1 to 4pm as our workshop leader Abbey guides us through this self reflexive practice on tending to our own hearts while we learn to draw about our feelings.

Pens, paper, markers and glue will all be provided. We are asking for a suggested donation of $5 to the Community Art Hub to keep our communal art resources flowing.

No advanced registration necessary, tea will be provided.

<3

Water marbling is the technique of pouring paint and a medium into clear water to make beautiful swirls, and then coating paper products in the paint to reveal a beautiful swirled marble effect.

Ever seen water marbling projects online and wanted to give it a go? This is your opportunity to make a mess with us instead of making a mess in your kitchen!

We will be using acrylic paint and liquid starch to marble paper for the coming holiday season. We will be marbling large sheets of paper to make custom wrapping paper, we will marble some greeting cards, as well as paper gift bags.

$20 per person to learn the skill, to make a watery mess at our place (gloves and aprons provided), and to take home your paper creations! Payment can be sent in advance to alterartssociety@gmail.com or with cash in person.

Please join us for our next round of Thursday Night Drop in hours from 3 to 8pm for a night of making bad art, just for the heck of it.

For the Ugly Holiday sweater workshop we will have access to the sewing machines, the felting supplies and all the hot glue your lil fingertips can handle. Please bring a sweater to work on, we will only have 3 or 4 available to give out.

This event is for those of us who think we can't make good art. Come on down and join us because making bad art is better than no art!

Suggested donation of $5 per adult and $2 per kid (5-12yrs)

Got a project you are already badly working on? Wanna learn a new craft and make a messy first attempt?

This is your moment.

Learn how to make safe copper coil alcohol heaters for people living outside.

Building a Tent-Safe Copper Coil Alcohol Heater is a safe and accessible tool to create warmth for those living on the margins and facing the cold every night.

Isopropyl Alcohol fumes or vapors from the liquid fuel in the jar collect in the copper pipe and when the pipe is heated, the fumes expand and are forced out a tiny hole at the bottom of the copper loop (the fume or jet hole). These fumes combust as soon as they exit and hit the open flame which then heats the top of the copper loop. It’s creates a constant cycle of vaporized fumes being forced out of the hole and then combusting.

The alcohol fumes will burn until the flow is interrupted by tipping the burner sideways or blowing it out like a candle. This adds extra safety as they will go out automatically if they tip over. The jar is sealed, making them spill proof, as well.

Please join us at the Community Art Hub for a night of community care while we pool our resources to create heating for those in need.

$20 covers the cost of all materials needed to make the heaters, Goose the workshop instructor will then distribute the heaters to those living in tents in the downtown Victoria and Rockbay Area.

Holiday crafting time is here! Want to monogram some gifts or make some funky patches for your community? We are so excited to offer an Embroidery Machine demo with Jane Low!

Please join us on the afternoon of Sunday December 3rd to get an in depth introduction to the Brother NQ1700E Embroidery Machine.

This is the machine we will be learning: https://www.brother.ca/en/p/NQ1700E

We will learn how to thread the machine, how to set up our chosen designs, and how to use stabilizers with our materials to get the best results.

Participants do not need to bring any materials and will not go home with any materials, this is a demo presentation and a learning opportunity. The intention is to set ourselves up with the knowledge to come back to the Art Hub to make our pieces. The Art Hub offers drop in hours every day of the week for patrons to use the embroidery machine and sewing supplies.

Patrons can use the embroidery machine to upcycle items and to re-imagine old garments into something custom and unique. Use it for custom patches, customized tea towels and funny sweatshirts. It can be used to monogram baby clothes, or a kid's backpack, or anything special for the loved ones in your life. The possibilities are endless and the cost per use is fractional when we use communal resources.

Reduce, reuse and reimagine at the Community Art Hub!

We will be hosting an open house from 12 to 4pm on Saturday December 2nd for patrons to swing by and check out all the art resources we have on hand and to get some ideas brewing on what you could create here in the future!

At 1pm we will be hosting a presentation on volunteering with the Art Hub. The community art hub is only partly about the art, the heart and soul of the project is the community and without our dedicated network of volunteers we would not be able to provide this valuable resource.

Come by to learn about the educational resources we will be providing to volunteers and the mutual benefit of accessing our art supplies and tools for free!

Hey Otherworldians!

- Need to make patches for your theme camp? We have a fancy embroidery machine!

- Need to work on your jelly fish for your lounge? We have glue guns galore and all the stapling/sewing supplies you could need.

- Need a soldering iron and tools to convert your lamp? We got you!

- Need some space to gather your crew to paint your art project? Come make a mess on our paint splattered floor instead of annoying your landlord!

We will be hosting a Burner community social event for our local burner community to gather together and to check out all the tools we have available for use.

We will be providing some light refreshments but please also bring something delicious to share. We will have tea and hot chocolate on the go.

The space is welcome to all ages, and is not exclusive to Burners. Bring a friend! Bring someone who is art-curious.

We want to make the space feel like the Burning Man community's living room so please join us for our open house and check out all these tools we got waiting just for you!