This story originally appeared in the Lincoln Trail Publishing

Noted Illinois quilter Edna Patterson-Petty will present a fabric collage workshop at the Tarble Arts Center at Eastern Illinois University.

Titled “Fabric Delight,” the workshop is open to young and old alike. Participants will be guided to use their creativity to create a fabric collage. The goal is to relax, have fun and create! Children under 10 must be accompanied by a parent, grandparent, or other adult, and adults are encouraged to participate, whether they come with a youngster or not.

The workshop will be held on Saturday, April 26, from 1 to 3 p.m., in the Tarble Arts Center classroom. Participation in the workshop is free, but advance registration is requested, as seats are limited. 

Registration will be taken on a first-come basis. For more information or to register, contact the Tarble at 217-581-ARTS (-2787), email tarble@eiu.edu, or visit www.eiu.edu/tarble/education.php. 

The Tarble Arts Center will provide the materials needed for the workshop. Participants are invited to bring their own materials to use, including fabric remnants and embellishments, lace, ribbon, yarn, buttons, and anything else to make the collage more personal.

Edna Patterson-Petty is a quilter and multi-media fabric artist from East St. Louis, Illinois, who has exhibited her art in numerous galleries, museums, and universities. In 2013, Patterson-Petty was invited to Beijing, China, for the closing ceremony of The Sum of Many Parts, an exhibition of art quilts and traditional quilts from the United States. 

The artist first learned the skills of making scrap quilts from her mother: “We came from the school of survival and making use of what you had. You take bits and pieces of what is available to you, and create something unique.” 

Patterson-Petty holds an MFA in Studio Art from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. In addition to being a practicing artist, she works as an art therapist and holds an advanced degree in art therapy.

The Fabric Delight workshop is a “From Generation-to-Generation at Celebration 2014 Illinois Folk Arts” program, presented in conjunction with the From Generation-to-Generation: Folk Arts of Illinois exhibit on view at the Tarble through June 22. The Tarble is one of five sites state-wide hosting the exhibit and related events.

“From Generation-to-Generation: Folk Arts of Illinois” programs are produced by the Company of Folk, with partial support from a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, Illinois Humanities Council, and the National Endowment for the Arts. From Generation-to-Generation at Celebration programs are funded, in part, by a grant from the Ruth and Vaughn Jaenike Access to the Arts Fund, Tarble Arts Center membership contributions, and Friends of Celebration.

The Tarble Arts Center is at 2010 Ninth Street on the EIU campus in Charleston. Parking for the workshop is available in the Tarble’s visitor lot and the EIU staff lot, just north of the center. On the day of the workshop, visitors and participants are asked to enter the Tarble using the south entrance.