Loretta Lynn Opening Reception
Sumac Cottage is thrilled to present I Am the Fire, The Fire Is Me, a show of new textile works byTuscaloosa-based fiber artist Loretta Lynn. Join us for the opening reception on Friday, 9/12 from 5-8 pm. The show will be on display through 10/18 on Fridays and Saturdays from 10-2 and by appointment.
Born under the sun sign of Leo, I have always felt the pull of the fire archetype. Fire is a force that is both muse and mirror. In my work with embroidery and textiles, I explore fire in its power to transform and inspire, and its capacity to consume and destroy.
Fire is alchemy. It speaks of passion and creation, yet also whispers of endings, purification, and release. Pagan and Catholic themes are woven throughout my work, often appearing in symbols that hold fire at their heart, from sacred flames to holy candles.
Through the textures of thread and fabric,I bring this elemental energy, as well as spiritual themes, into tangible form. There is beauty in resilience, strength in surrender, and sometimes a need to burn it all down. All are required to shape both nature and the self.
-Loretta Lynn
Hand-Stitched Brooches with Loretta Lynn
Join Tuscaloosa artist Loretta Lynn in a hand-stitched brooch workshop! Loretta will share basic stitching techniques for intuitive construction and embellishment, and participants will leave with one or several stitched brooches.
All required materials are provided, but if participants have special charms, beads, fabric or thread they would like to use, they should bring those as well. All experience levels are welcome. Spots are limited and registration is required. Loretta will also offer a brief guided walk through her exhibition, I Am The Fire, The Fire Is Me.
Indigo + Shibori with Aaron Sanders Head
Spend the day exploring the indigo vat with Aaron! This workshop is ideal for all experience levels. We’ll learn several manual resist techniques to create a variety of patterns on fabric.
Aaron will provide a yard of fabric per person, but folks should plan to bring a variety of small to medium sized goods from home that they would like to dye. We might not be able to dye them all, but the more the merrier! Clothing and old linens are perfect. Participants should dress in clothing that they don’t mind being splashed and bring high-sleeved rubber gloves.
Spots are limited and pre-registration is required.
Dyeing with Goldenrod with Aaron Sanders Head
In this workshop, Aaron will share how to coax and harness color from foraged goldenrod, an often misunderstood plant here in Alabama. We’ll start by going out to some of Aaron’s favorite goldenrod spots to talk about how to best identify and forage for Goldenrod. Aaron will cover how to prepare your fabrics through scouring and mordanting, and how to best pass beautiful goldenrod color onto both protein and cellulose fiber in a long lasting way. Aaron will also share various pH modifications to expand the goldenrod palette.
Participants will be provided with a yard of mordanted fabric, and are encouraged to bring several additional natural fiber items for dyeing. These can be undyed fabric, clothing, linens—just make sure they are natural fibers, and you pre-wash thoroughly before the workshop. Participants should also bring high-sleeved rubber gloves and dress to get a little messy. Spots are limited and pre-registration is required.
TWO DAY: Resist Dyeing and Whole Cloth Quilting with Aaron Sanders Head
Join Aaron in this two-day exploration of resist dyeing and whole cloth quilts.
On day one (10am-4pm), we’ll learn to create dynamic resist patterns on fabric, and how to scale those patterns up on large pieces of fabric. We’ll focus on dyeing with indigo and how to manage bulky bundles in the indigo vat. We’ll cover manual resist techniques, like shape resist and twist resist, as well as clay paste resist for hand-drawn patterns.
Aaron will provide fabric for your quilt tops and for experimenting, and you are encouraged to bring items from home to dye—fabric, clothing, linens, are all great, as long as they are made from natural fibers and pre-washed beforehand.
On day two (10am-3pm) we’ll use our fabrics we dyed on day one to begin a whole cloth quilt. Whole cloth quilts are quilts made from (typically) one large piece of fabric used as the top, rather than the pieced quilt tops many of us are used to. Whole cloth quilts rely on the intricacies of the fabric and stitching lines for visual interest rather than the patterns of pieced fabric. We’ll learn to plan our quilt layout, transfer it to our fabric, make a quilt sandwich, and get to work with big-stitch whole cloth quilting.
Participants will leave with a stack of indigo dyed fabric and a hefty start on a whole-cloth quilting project.
Participants should bring a throw-sized quilt batting (about 50 x 60 in.), and any preferred sewing notions they might have (thimbles, sewing lamps, magnifiers, etc.). All other materials will be provided.
Holiday Open House and Artist Market
Stay tuned for more details on our annual open house and artist market!
Black Belt Birding Festival
Alabama Audubon’s Black Belt Birding Festival is back for its 5th year during the first weekend of August!
Join us on August 2nd from 10-3 at Sumac Cottage for loads of magic-making. Here’s what we’ve got going on:
The opening of NESTS, a juried exhibition featuring the work of around 30 artists, with installations in the cottage, porches and on the grounds.
An artist market on the back porch
Live music from Daydreams.
Food available from Amanda Pinkstaff
Check out our social media for previews of the fun.
For more information on the 5th Annual Black Belt Birding Festival, visit Alabama Audubon’s website here. We encourage you to look through the offerings and take advantage of this unique opportunity to experience unique ecotourism in a region of profoundly important ecology and civil rights history. The events occur from August 1-3, and can be added a la carte. No ticket is required to attend the festivities at Sumac Cottage.
Cameraless Photography with Will Jacks
Join Alabama Artist Will Jacks for a weekend of exploring cameraless photography. You can still join us for Day 2!
Day 1 - Cyanotype Explorations
learn the basics of creating cyanotypes using pre-coated papers
progress to hand-coating your own media
end the day by creating a hand-made accordion book from your prints
Day 2 - Experimental Darkroom Techniques
use silver gelatin paper, developer, fixer and water in non-traditional ways
create expressive lumen prints and chemigrams
embrace experimentation and surprise
Basic materials included each day. Participants may want to bring items for sun printing, such as flowers, plants, old photograph negatives, or other keepsakes. Participants may also want to bring wood, cloth, or specialty papers to use with cyanotypes.
about the artist
Will Jacks is a process artist best known for his photographic work. He also incorporates explorations with land, objects, sound, video, and community engagement into his practice. His research examines the blurred areas between art and journalism, individual and collective, and the impact of each on the other.
Will’s first monograph documents the juke-joint Po’ Monkey’s Lounge which serves as a prism for examining cultural tourism and preservation and the complexities prevalent in both. It was published by University Press of Mississippi in October of 2019, and for this work Jacks was recognized by the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters for outstanding achievement in photography. In 2020 he completed an M.F.A. in Studio Art from the Maine College of Art, and in 2021 he completed his MA in Journalism from the University of Mississippi. The Alabama State Council on the Arts named Jacks one of twelve visual arts fellows for 2025.
Currently Will is an Assistant Professor of Art / Photography at Troy University. He was the founder of Jacks Farms Artist Residencies, and is co-founder and co-director of the TROY University Artist Residency. He can often be found on rural backroads somewhere in the South exploring people, culture, history, geography, pattern, and the entanglement of where those worlds collide.
Dyeing with Marigolds with Aaron Sanders Head
Ever wanted to learn everything you could about dyeing with marigolds? This workshop is for you! Using marigolds from Aaron’s dye garden, we’ll explore various ways of passing the beautiful colors of flowers to fiber in long-lasting ways, as well as how to prepare your fabric for best results. We’ll explore bundle dyeing, immersion dyeing, flower pounding and shibori, enabling participants to create their own unique language through textiles and plants.
Students are provided with a yard of fabric for experimenting. Participants are encouraged to bring 3-4 additional small homegoods or accessories. These items must be made of natural fiber, and should be thoroughly pre-washed before the workshop. If you have marigolds from home (or other dye flowers, like cosmos, coreopsis, bachelor’s button, and scabiosa), feel free to bring those as well—fresh or dried will work for different applications.
Hand-Stitching and Sashiko with Aaron Sanders Head
Join Aaron Sanders Head Head for an exploration of geometric hand-stitching and Sashiko!
After a deep dive into the basic tools of stitching - thread, needles, fabric - participants will learn tips and tricks to create satisfying, even stitches on fabric for mending, embellishment, mixed media, or just for the sake of making. Participants will learn the basics behind hand-stitching on a grid, as well as several stitches and concepts from Sashiko stitching. Participants will learn three stitching patterns, with each introducing new skills, making samples of each of those patterns, and will finish the day with a larger piece of their own design.
Students are provided with naturally dyed fabric for stitching on, along with Sashiko thread and other naturally dyed thread for stitching with. Participants will leave with 3 stitched samples, and one larger stitched piece. Aaron will provide shibori-dyed fabric for your larger stitched piece, but if you have fabric at home that you would prefer to use, please bring it!
PROVIDED BY INSTRUCTOR:
· Naturally dyed fabric
· Naturally dyed thread
· Needles, threader, snips and all sewing materials
· Rulers and marking pens
OPTIONAL EXTRAS PROVIDED BY STUDENTS:
· Special fabric, clothing or home good for embellishment
· Any preferred sewing notions, like special thimbles, snips or threaders
Memory Jugs with Kerry Leasure
Join artist Kerry Leasure in creating your very own Memory Jug. Memory jugs (also referred to as forget-me-not jugs, whimsy jars, mourning jugs, and other titles) are vessels affixed with various materials—shards of pottery, jewelry, stones, and other trinkets—often associated with someone who has passed. These intersectional objects have diverse histories, with roots in African and Victorian culture, and are now often found across the American South and Appalachia. This practice combine elements of folk art, memory formation, personal heritage, and cultural exchange, resulting in objects that are celebratory, sometimes mournful, and completely personal.
Kerry will provide jars and all required materials. If you have a certain vessel you would prefer to use, feel free to bring it. Kerry will bring tiny trinkets and filler objects, but you should bring a box of items from home to incorporate into your piece. Your jug can honor a specific person, a memory, a place, yourself—anything.
From Kerry:
“This is your opportunity to start compiling a box of your family tiny treasures you have saved over the years and don't know what to do with, The keys, the buttons, the broken jewelry and chains, the foreign coins, the sea shells, the stones, the broken china and glass, the tea spoon, hair clips and barrettes, the key chains, game pieces, watches, old glasses, dollhouse and railroad miniatures, broken pencils and pens- literally anything will look beautiful when your jug is complete. The more variety of sizes the better. Start it now! Toss things in your box as you come across them. Your memories, your jug, There is nothing too silly or obscure.”
Below are historic memory jug examples. Click each image for more information and its source.
Sumac Sundowner #1: Will Stewart and Tim Higgins
Join us for the first in our Sumac Sundowner series for an evening of songs and stories with Will Stewart and Tim Higgins. Will and Tim will share the stage at Sumac Cottage, performing their original music and sharing the stories behind their songs. Arrive around 6, and expect the music to begin around 6:30. $10 at the door, venmo and cash preferred.
This show will take place outdoors at Sumac Cottage, so please bring a chair, blanket, etc, and dress appropriately. You are welcome to bring a cooler and a snack, and there are several great dinner options if you’d like to get take-out for the show. We recommend Ruan Thai on a Saturday evening.
RSVPs are not required, but help us gauge the crowd. If you’re planning to come, let us know by e-mailing magic@sumaccottage.com.
WILL STEWART
As one of the brightest and most prolific new songwriters to emerge from the Birmingham music scene over the past few years, Will Stewart has made a name for himself as both an imaginative storyteller and six string gunslinger whose detailed accounts of life around the Deep South seem to capture the essence of not just the humid, kudzu-covered environs they come out of, but also the creative cultural milieu that makes such narratives possible in the first place. Taking cues from everyone from Big Star and R.E.M., to Phosphorescent and the Drive-By Truckers, and even classic Southern literary figures like Eudora Welty and Barry Hannah, Stewart has managed to carve out a place for himself as a conjurer of time, place and characters— and the stories that swirl around them— in a way that’s simultaneously reflective, empathetic and unapologetic in their presentation.
Now on his fourth solo LP, over his past three studio efforts Stewart has shown a deft touch for not just engaging character arcs and succinct studies in the human condition, but also a range of musical modes that span everything from quiet dissertations on love and loss, to brash rockers and moody explorations of the complicated nature of modern Southern living. As someone who also wears the hat of a highly sought after sideman who lends his talents to friends and fellow travelers like Birmingham locals The Blips, Terry Ohms and Sarah Lee Langford, there are few sonic spaces that Stewart’s hands haven’t touched in some way, whether it’s blasting out amped-up garage rock or eliciting evocative and hushed guitar stylings for his longtime collaborator Janet Simpson.
TIM HIGGINS
Singer-songwriter Tim Higgins writes and performs songs which spiral around issues dealing with love, loss, destruction, and history; his are personal songs that often carry broader social implications. Born and raised partly around Detroit, Michigan, and coastal Alabama, his Rust Belt meets Southern upbringing is channeled in his straightforward imagery and gravel-throated delivery. Twice included on Rolling Stone Country’s Best New Music list, Tim’s debut album, BLIGHT, came out in 2020, and his songs have been featured on The Bluegrass Situation, No Depression, AmercanaUK, and NPR Music. In October 2024, Tim released the single, Lost in Heaven, followed by Doomed to Love Me in February 2025. Tim lives in the Black Belt region of Alabama, with his partner, textile artist, Aaron Sanders Head.
Pine Burr Quilts
Pine Burr Quilt by Lucy Mingo, Gee’s Bend, Alabama; collection of Saint Louis Art Museum
Spend the day learning to make the official State Quilt of Alabama—the Pine Burr Quilt.
The Pine Burr Quilt is a unique, textured quilt made from many different folded triangles that are then sewn to foundation fabric in varying patterns. There are many design choices to make, from fabric color, fabric texture, pine burr spacing, and framing techniques, and the resulting quilt – either sewn in rows or in a circular pattern – is a sculptural, individual quilt block that reflects the maker’s hand. We will make 12 inch blocks, and Aaron will share a variety of finishing options, from trivets to wall-hangings to pillows.
A note on materials: Pine Burr quilts are made from a lot of small squares, folded up into triangles and sewn together. To save time, please bring a stack of 20-30 four inch squares of fabric. This should be fabric you can easily sew through, but fabric that maintains its shape and doesn’t skew too easily. Starching and pressing beforehand can be helpful. It can be all one color, or multiple colors. You should also bring a few yards of additional fabric of your choice, that you can cut into various sized squares for experimenting with scale and color. Aaron will also have various fabrics for participants to choose from.
Indigo + Clay Resist
Spend the day exploring the possibilities of Clay Resist and Indigo. In this workshop, we’ll learn to make our own clay paste to paint onto our fabric before dipping into indigo, enabling dyers to create patterns and painterly designs on fabric. Aaron will also have various stencils for using, as well as stencil sheets for participants to make their own stencils, and we’ll explore a variety of tools for mark-making. Shapes for shape-resist will also be available for use.
Provided:
1 yard of cotton muslin
Stencil material
All dye materials and clay paste
Students should bring:
Additional natural material fabrics from home. Clothing, linens, vintage materials, are all great, as long as they are made from natural materials
Any stamps or stencils
Paint brushes and mark making tools. These might get trashed, so this is a great time to bring old bristly brushes-they can make great textures!
high-sleeved rubber gloves, like dishwashing gloves
Growing a Dye Garden
Join Aaron at Sumac Cottage for a day of learning how to grow your own color.
Aaron will walk us through the process of planning, planting, and maintaining a dye garden, as well as best methods for harvesting and storing dye materials that you can use in your craft. We'll begin by discussing options for long-lasting, homegrown color, sourcing seeds, and creating a planting/gardening schedule. Then, we'll cover how to source seeds and start them indoors—including heating mats, grow lights, watering methods and making our own seed starting mix. While we'll focus on several typical plants used for natural dyeing (such as indigo, marigolds, and madder), the skills you'll learn can be applied to a number of plants. We'll end the course with a showcase from Aaron which will demonstrate how to begin using these plants to create color, and participants will be able to experiment with color as well.
Participants will leave with dyed fabric samples, dye plant starts previously started by Aaron, seed-starting mix, and a small tray of seeds that the participants will plant in class. Participants are encouraged to bring gardening gloves and to wear clothing that can get messy.
Holiday Open House + Artist Market
Join us at Sumac Cottage for original art, gifts, music and more. Check back for full artist list and more details!
Sew Their Names - Drop-in Quilting Workshop
Sumac Cottage is partnering with the Jule Collins Museum for a special presentation of the Sew Their Names Project, and a drop-in quilting session on 11/16 from 10:30-12:00.
Sew Their Names tells the story of a group of quilters from Mt. Willing, Alabama who, in the wake of the activism spurred by the death of George Floyd, began stitching the names of enslaved persons found in the archives of the Alabama Baptist Church at Samford University. This simple act has now turned into a larger exhibition and project to commemorate the erased and forgotten lives of enslaved people across the state of Alabama. Two quilts are on display at Sumac Cottage, and the public is invited to a drop-in quilting session with the Mt. Willing Quilters on Saturday, 11/16 from 10:30-12:00, where community members can contribute to the project through continuing to help stitch the names of enslaved people whose names are listed in the archives of Samford University or connected to their own families.
Please fill out the form below if you are planning to attend. This event is free and registration is not required, this is just to gauge the crowd. Thank you.
Kudzu Foraging and Basket-Making with Sarah Bell
Spend the day with Sarah Bell foraging, processing, and weaving kudzu to create beautiful baskets. You will learn how to identify and process kudzu vines for basket-weaving. Beginner-friendly and all materials provided.
Optional Materials List. If you have some of these, please bring. There will be extras, but we will have to share:
Pruners
Awl
Pocket knife
Clothespins or small clamps
Flexible measuring tape
Hand Towel
If you would prefer to venmo your class fee, that is totally fine! Just e-mail magic@sumaccottage.com and we will arrange. If the workshop is full, e-mail magic@sumaccottage.com to be placed on the waitlist.
Sarah Bell is a fiber artist, sculptor, farmer, and educator based in Birmingham, Alabama. Descended from Chinese and American ancestry, she grew up using art and creativity as a way to find a sense of connection to her experiences of familial migration, grief, and home. She is greatly influenced and inspired by the use of natural and sustainable materials, ancestry of people and land, as well as ancient craft processes and land tending techniques that interweave into her daily engagement with place, materiality, and its impermanence.
Alabama Magic: A Collaborative Workshop with Aaron Sanders Head & Doug Baulos
Saturday October 12, 10-5
Sunday October 13, 11-4
Join Aaron Sanders Head and Doug Baulos for two days of making magic with a variety of materials endemic to Alabama—including sumac, goldenrod, black walnut and more.
On day 1, we’ll explore natural dyes and resist pattern making, as well as cyanotype and anthotype (plant-based photo print) emulsions. We’ll also explore methods of toning our photographic exposures for a broader range of prints. On day 2, we’ll explore patchwork and sewing techniques to assemble our materials from day one into small quilted panels. Folks will leave with a textile piece (either finished, or with a hefty start) as well as a plethora of new ways of engaging with their environment in Alabama.
MATERIALS:
Doug and Aaron will assemble material packets for participants that include dyed and printed fabrics for use in their work. Participants can also bring meaningful fabrics from home to incorporate into their work.
All dyeing and hand-sewing materials will be provided. If you have preferred sewing notions (snips, needles, etc.) at home, feel free to bring those.
A sewing machine is not required, but if you would like to bring one, you are welcome to.
This workshop is appropriate for participants of all experience levels. Registration is required and limited. We cannot offer refunds on workshops, but if there is a waitlist, we can help connect you with someone on that list—but no guarantees of reselling are made.
Registration is below. If workshop is full, please e-mail magic@sumaccottage.com to be placed on the waitlist in case there is a cancellation.
4th Annual Black Belt Birding Festival
Join us at the cottage as we take part in Alabama Audubon’s 4th annual Black Belt Birding Festival! The Cottage will be filled with an artist pop-up and related festival programs. The artist lineup and scheduled programs will be announced closer to the festival time.
To explore last year’s events to get a taste of what’s to come, you can visit Alabama Audubon’s website here.
This Moment is a Flower: Journal Making with Doug Baulos
Skill level: any - ages 14 and up
In this day long workshop, learn to create a beautiful journal with handmade papers and plein aire botanically printed paper covers (or, the art of fixing a shadow/permanent photogenic printing). This day long alchemical lab workshop will focus on observing and heightening awareness of textures and patterns observed in nature.
Drumming, tipping in, and paper engineering will be widely experimented with during the workshop. Content focus will be on heightening awareness and photogenically printing Alabama plant forms - sumac, goldenrod, bloodroot, and elderberry while creating a book that offers an expanded outcome towards a deeper sense of personal authenticity. The class will discuss the symbolism of devotional covers as well as create/workshop how to use paper engineering and other forms of journaling as devotional/garden meditations.
Doug will supply –
Adhesives
Pastes
all book block materials
handmade paper
toned and dye papers
natural dyes/emulsions
other supplies as needed
Students can bring the following as possible (DOUG HAS MANY EXTRAS!)
An awl (or metal pushpin)
bone folder
circular sewing needle (buy at beauty supply store)
scissors
ruler
small cutting mat
brush and small Tupperware for glue
wax paper
rag or sponge
apron
1 inch sash brush
xacto blade
pencil
8”x10” approx. piece of glass
small cookie sheet or 8x10” piece of stiff cardboard
*Students are encouraged to bring various and additional collage or decorative papers, whatever image making supplies you use - Please bring any other glues or mediums or collage materials/papers that are part of your personal aesthetic and studio practice to add to your investigations and research.
Registration will open soon for this workshop.